— By Carty Davis — The evolving restaurant facility, changing priorities in CAPEX and capital through and post-COVID. As regulations and mandates end, owners and operators continue to adapt to a post-COVID society. Declining COVID cases and vaccine availability on a large scale show hints of the virus fading into the past, which is encouraging to business owners and the overall economy. While COVID may be on the decline, consumer behaviors, preferences and the distribution systems that support these evolving consumer tastes are here to stay. The quick-service restaurant …
Katie Lee
Lee’s Summit, Mo. — Chicken Salad Chick has mapped out development goals to add 50 locations to the pipeline for the Midwest in the next 4 years via strategic franchise partnerships. These development goals build on the tremendous growth Chicken Salad Chick has experienced this year, with 17 signed agreements year-to-date and 40 locations projected to open by year-end. In addition to this impressive development, Chicken Salad Chick is reporting a +17.1% increase over 2019. The Midwest proves to be an attractive franchise development region for the brand with 15 …
Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond® has formed a partnership with DoorDash, the nation’s leading last-mile logistics platform, to offer consumers on-demand delivery of essential homeware products and items from more than 700 Bed Bath & Beyond locations and nearly 120 buybuy BABY® locations nationwide. With this partnership, Bed Bath & Beyond becomes the first home retailer and buybuy BABY the first baby goods retailer available on the DoorDash marketplace app and website. “As we continue our transformation to a digital-first, omni-always retailer, DoorDash is an ideal partner to …
Houston — Logan’s Roadhouse is celebrating the grand reopening of its redesigned Houston restaurant on September 23, 2021. Earlier this year, SPB Hospitality, Logan’s parent company, relocated its headquarters to Houston, and now The Real American Roadhouse is unveiling its newly revamped design. “With our headquarters recently moving to Houston, this restaurant was the perfect location for us to develop a flagship prototype,” says Deanna Parr, vice president of marketing at SPB Hospitality. “People come to Logan’s and expect an authentic Roadhouse experience that brings a sense of warmth and …
Indianapolis — Leading sports retailer Lids has promoted Britten Maughan to president. He has been a key factor in Lids’ continued growth since he joined the company in 2019. In his role as a senior vice president, marketing and partnerships, Maughan has overseen all aspects of product, marketing, merchandising, partnerships and distribution for the retailer. Most notably, he implemented an improved business process with the introduction of data analytics to drive merchandising and allocation decision making. He has also run point on improving product assortment. “I am fortunate to be …
Minnetonka, Minn. — BBQ Holdings, Inc., the multi-brand restaurant company behind concepts such as Famous Dave’s and Granite City Food and Brewery, and the newly acquired Village Inn and Bakers Square, has hired Manny Packing as the brand’s new vice president of franchise sales and real estate. Most recently, Packing was the director of international real estate and construction for Inspire Brands, the owner and franchisor of several legacy franchise brands, including Arby’s, Sonic Drive-In, Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins. While there, Packing was responsible for onboarded new franchisees and led efforts …
Coppell, Texas — The Container Store, leading specialty retailer of storage and organization solutions and custom closets, has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership. The Container Store is using more than 57 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 100% of the organization’s electricity use. By choosing green power, The Container Store is helping lead the transition to a cleaner energy future. As part of The Container Store’s commitment and effort, all of its stores, distribution centers and corporate office …
Rockville, Md. — Silver Diner is taking the lead in ensuring that its employees are vaccinated and offering a convenient way for its guests to get vaccinated. The restaurant is partnering with Kaiser, the company’s primary insurance carrier, and the Fairfax County Department of Health, and bringing a mobile van to Silver Diner locations throughout the Washington, D.C., region and Baltimore. Kaiser has partnered with Silver Diner on health and wellness programs for the past 15 years. Now, they have a mobile health unit they began bringing to various Silver …
New York City — Foot Locker, Inc., the New York-based specialty athletic retailer, has completed its acquisition of Eurostar, Inc. (WSS), a U.S.-based athletic footwear and apparel retailer that primarily operates on the West Coast, for $750 million in cash, subject to customary adjustments. “WSS is a highly complementary addition to our portfolio, and we are excited to officially welcome its team to the Foot Locker family,” says Richard A. Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of Foot Locker. “WSS brings an expanded and differentiated customer base rooted in the …
Bowling Green, Ohio — Family-owned specialty chemical and equipment manufacturer Betco® Corporation is actively seeking opportunities to diversify and acquire culturally aligned businesses. As a part of its growth strategy, its core objective will help it expand its existing products and capabilities, as well as integrate best practices from all companies to support continuous process improvement. In pursuit of entities with potential sale aspirations, Betco has enlisted the help of Pursant, an Illinois-based investment banking firm that provides buy-side and sell-side advisory, certified business valuation, business optimization, and talent support …