Author

Katie Lee

franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

QDOBA Signs Largest Franchise Deal in Brand History

by Katie Lee

West Palm Beach, Fla. — QDOBA Mexican Eats® (QDOBA), the largest franchise opportunity within the fast-casual Mexican segment, has signed a multi-unit franchise development agreement to bring 30 locations to North Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties in southern Florida over the next 10 years. At the helm of the brand’s largest deal is Michael Guiffre, who has over two decades of leadership experience within the construction industry overseeing organization structure, customer relations and development. Guiffre’s first venture into restaurant operations was with Dunkin’, where he was the operating partner …

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GRUBBRR Hires New Chief Operations Officer

by Katie Lee

Boca Raton, Fla. — GRUBBRR, the commerce automation company at the forefront of self-ordering technologies, has hired Patrick Laney as its new chief operations officer. “In the next 10 years, I expect to walk into most fast food, retail and grocers in the United States and transact on a kiosk provided by GRUBBRR,” Laney says. As COO, Laney steps into a pivotal role for GRUBBRR’s scaling, bolstering these efforts by defining and implementing an overall strategy for infrastructure optimization. Prior to joining GRUBBRR, Laney co-founded Performance Drone Works (PDW). He …

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Pilot Company Diversifies Leadership Team as Part of 2022 Growth Strategy

by Katie Lee

Knoxville, Tenn. — Pilot Company, the largest operator of travel centers in North America, has announced its 2022 strategic growth plan and the addition of four vice presidents to its leadership team. Pilot Company is investing significantly in growing and enhancing its travel center network this year with plans to add more than 34 locations, including 14 new travel centers and over 20 dealer sites. In partnership with Southern Tire Mart, the two companies are expecting to add 40 new Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J (STMPFJ) service centers …

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Bonchon Adds to Leadership Team

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Bonchon, the popular global restaurant concept known for Korean fried chicken, has promoted Greg Buchanan from senior vice president of development to chief administration officer. Originally joining the team in 2019, Buchanan brought with him both wisdom and leadership that led to the launch of new business strategies that have ultimately led Bonchon to become one of the fastest growing brands in its category today. In his new role, Buchanan will lead the U.S. finance, accounting and supply chain teams in addition to his current work leading franchise …

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The Container Store Launches New Logo, Brand Campaign & More

by Katie Lee

Coppell, Texas — On the last most organized day of the century (2/22/22), The Container Store is launching a fully reimagined company logo, national brand campaign, new tagline and more. The retailer has been on a mission to transform lives through the power of organization and is extending an inclusive invitation to all, “Welcome to The Organization.” The Container Store’s new logo reflects a more modern and expressive era for the brand. The icon resembles three nested baskets in a subtle, uplifting smile shape, and represents the company’s core differentiators: …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Roll-Em-Up Taquitos Enters Colorado with 15-Unit Development Deal

by Katie Lee

Chino Hills, Calif. — Roll-Em-Up Taquitos, the nation’s first taquito-focused franchise, has a newly signed deal that will bring 15 locations to the Denver area, which will mark the brand’s entrance into Colorado. This new deal comes at a time when Roll-Em-Up Taquitos is beginning to expand its presence across the U.S., and had a record-breaking development year selling 420 units in 2021. All 15 locations will be owned by Robert Barsky and Igor L. Barsky, who bring over 40 years of experience operating several successful business models. “The Colorado development deal is …

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At Home Opens 6 New Stores in February

by Katie Lee

Plano, Texas — At Home, The Home Décor Superstore, will open six new stores in February, bringing the retailer’s store count to 241. The new stores are located in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Ledgewood, N.J. (pictured); Dallas; Tustin, Calif.; Rochester, Minn.; and Matthews, N.C. All but the North Carolina store are already open. At Home is a unique home décor concept whose stores average just over 100,000 square feet. At Home Group Inc. is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and currently operates 240 stores in 40 states. For more information, visit www.athome.com.   …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Mountain Mike’s Pizza Opens First Idaho Location, Plans 4 More

by Katie Lee

Newport Beach, Calif. — Mountain Mike’s Pizza, a leading family-style pizza chain for more than 40 years, has opened its first Idaho location in Meridian. The new restaurant is owned and operated by Gem State Pies, the franchise group that recently inked a multi-unit deal with Mountain Mike’s Pizza to open five locations throughout Idaho’s Treasure Valley. “We are proud to bring Mountain Mike’s Pizza to the great state of Idaho, and it’s not lost on us how clearly the values of Idaho residents overlap with the family and community-based pillars on which …

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EchoPark Automotive Names First Chief Operating Officer

by Katie Lee

Charlotte, N.C. — Sonic Automotive, Inc., one of the nation’s largest automotive retailers, has promoted Thomas “Tim” Keen to become the first chief operating officer of EchoPark Automotive, the company’s rapidly growing nationwide pre-owned vehicle segment. Keen has spent nearly 30 years in the automotive industry and has been with Sonic Automotive for the past 15 years, holding a variety of regional leadership positions with the company’s franchised dealerships. In 2014, Keen was named divisional vice president of EchoPark Automotive, where he was instrumental in developing the EchoPark model and …

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Industry Voicesroofingvendors

Winter Woes

by Katie Lee

— By Marian Noletti —   How to handle any of the winter woes on your commercial roof.   In many parts of the country, the winter season is known for bringing extreme cold temperatures, increased precipitation and high winds. These weather elements are rough on all of us for sure, but they can be even rougher on restaurant and retail roofs. Freeze. Thaw. Repeat. Dramatic temperature fluctuations cause repeated freezing, thawing and refreezing of water throughout the winter season. This vicious cycle often results in ice dams and icicles. …

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