Author

Katie Lee

Chicago — Potbelly Corporation has appointed Larry Strain as its chief development officer (CDO) effective immediately. Potbelly is contracting with Restaurant Development Experts (RDE), LLC in connection with Strain’s engagement for this role and Bob Wright, president and CEO of Potbelly, will have oversight responsibility for him. Strain will oversee four key areas of shop development including Corporate Development Services, Franchise Sales & Development, Brokerage Services & Tenant Representation, and Strategic & Trade Area Level Market Planning. “The addition of Larry and his wealth of experience in real estate and …

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New York City — HSBC Holdings has announced plans to exit its U.S. mass-market retail banking business through the sale of 90 of its 148 domestic branches. HSBC will retain 20 to 25 of its existing physical locations in the U.S., which will be repurposed into international wealth centers. These branches will focus exclusively on the banking and wealth management needs of high-net-worth clients. These centers will be located in cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles and Miami, according to reports by The Wall …

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Las Vegas — Celano Design Studio has two new restaurants opening this summer. Tapped by Resorts World Las Vegas, the city’s highly anticipated resort opening on June 24, Celano is the creative lead behind the design of two of the hotel’s exciting new concepts: ¡Viva!, a new Mexican restaurant from Chef Ray Garcia, as well as Here Kitty Kitty Vice Den, a hidden speakeasy located within Zouk Group’s Asian hawker-inspired food hall Famous Foods Street Eats. Together with local architect Marnell Companies, Celano has designed two unique spaces with lively …

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Secaucus, N.J. — The Vitamin Shoppe, an omni-channel specialty retailer of nutritional products, has launched an innovative franchising model for independent operators to open The Vitamin Shoppe stores in their own communities around the United States. This is the first time in its 44-year history that The Vitamin Shoppe will partner with business owners to operate franchise stores. Since launching in 1977, The Vitamin Shoppe has grown into the premier global destination for health and wellness solutions. The company continues to modernize its business with a digital-first mindset that meets …

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Denver — Sage Restaurant Concepts, a Sage Hospitality Group company, has appointed Matt Stuhl as vice president of operations. In this role, Stuhl is responsible for the overall operations of a selection of the company’s more than 30 restaurants, bars and coffee shops across the U.S. “We could not be more thrilled to welcome Matt to the Sage family,” says Meaghan Goedde, chief operating officer of Sage Restaurant Concepts. “His incredible depth of knowledge and experience in complex food and beverage operations, ensuring that outlets deliver amazing experiences. Beyond his …

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Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — AutoNation, Inc., America’s largest automotive retailer, has opened AutoNation USA San Antonio, the first in the San Antonio and market and first of five additional stores that the company will open this year. AutoNation USA offers a “1Price Pre-Owned” model that features low, haggle-free pricing and a customer-centric process that makes buying a pre-owned vehicle easy and allows customers to enjoy a peerless customer experience. Additionally, AutoNation offers “We’ll Buy Your Car,”: which enables customers to sell their vehicles directly to AutoNation, with no purchase necessary. …

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Jericho, N.Y. — On May 21, Wings of New York, the virtual restaurant concept created by Nathan’s Famous, opened its first physical restaurant, located inside Yankee Stadium. The Wings of New York location will offer a limited version of the menu, including Harlem-style Chicken and Waffles, as well as Nathan’s Famous extra-long hot dog. “We are very excited to bring Wings of New York to Yankees fans, giving them more options at the ballpark including wings, hand-dipped chicken tenders and Harlem-style malted waffles,” says James Walker, senior vice president, restaurants. …

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Chicago — 86 Repairs, an innovative platform that automates equipment repair and maintenance for restaurants, has named Sean Ramsey as its new head of revenue. Previously, Ramsey served as vice president of revenue at document drafting lifecycle tech company Litera. During his tenure at Litera, Ramsey was involved in seeing the company grow from 50 employees to over 400. He helped lead the company through multiple major acquisitions and two separate successful private equity exits. The company increased its annual growth rate from 5% to 30%, as well as annual …

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Westborough, Mass. — BJ’s Wholesale Club, a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the eastern U.S., is expanding its footprint by opening six new clubs this fiscal year. Its newest clubs will be located in Seabrook, N.H., Port Charlotte, Fla., Commack, N.Y., South Fayette, Pa., Ross Township, Pa., and Lansing, Mich. The locations in the greater Pittsburgh area and in Lansing, Mich., are both new markets for the retailer. “We’ve made great progress accelerating the pace of our new club openings in the last few years and we’re looking …

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— By Clive Samuels — Creating safer and healthier indoor air quality.   The spotlight is on indoor air quality as COVID-19 continues to change the way we look at the world. While there is more to learn about SARS-CoV-2, there is strong evidence that it spreads through the air from person to person.1 As a result, consumers and employees are aware — perhaps more than ever before — of the importance of safe and healthy indoor air quality. Viruses present a difficult challenge for air sanitizing and filtering systems. …

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