Cheshire, Conn. — Park Assist® has promoted Ron Votto to vice president. With over 30 years of experience in the parking technology sector, Votto brings a depth of industry knowledge and leadership skills that make him an optimal addition to the executive leadership team at Park Assist. In his new role, Votto’s responsibilities will expand to include several of the legal and contractual review processes, and he will play a crucial role in managing the entire business alongside Park Assist’s existing executive team. Votto will be responsible for implementing a …
— By Patricia Hottel — Managing pests during the pandemic. Characterizing the effects of the pandemic on restaurant pests can be difficult due to the varied responses across the industry. Coping with COVID-19 challenges has resulted in varying degrees of business innovation, dependent upon the type of facility and geographic location. Reduced hours to complete shutdowns have been a common practice. Just as businesses have continued to adapt, so have pests. Restaurateurs should continue taking the steps that help limit threats to food safety, as risks are still present. …
Irving, Texas — The Michaels Companies, Inc., North America’s largest arts and crafts retail chain, recently transformed two existing hometown retail locations as part of a larger strategy to reimagine the optimal maker shopping experience. Customers in the North Texas suburbs of McKinney and Plano can expect an entirely new look and feel when they visit their local store. “At Michaels, we are here for the Maker and the launch of our new concept stores is another way we are creating a more immersive and impactful experience for them,” says …
Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International, Inc. has signed its largest traditional store development agreement in North America in over 20 years, accelerating growth of the Papa John’s brand in the Philadelphia area. Under the agreement, HB Restaurant Group, which currently owns 43 restaurants in the Mid-Atlantic area and has been a Papa John’s franchisee since April 2019, is to open 49 new stores in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey between 2021 and 2028. “Papa John’s has long offered franchise investors one of the fastest paybacks in our industry. Recent …
Portland, Ore. — Built around the concept of “Dwelling Outdoors Together,” Snow Peak has opened a new U.S. headquarters and retail flagship in Portland, Ore. The grand opening will begin on September 11. In 20 years, Snow Peak has grown its U.S. presence from a modest distributorship to a 40-person team with retail locations on both coasts and ambitious plans for growth in the next two decades. The new headquarters and flagship embody the brand’s heritage and commitment to restoring humanity through time in nature. “I first visited the U.S. …
Auburn, Ala. — Chicken Salad Chick, a Southern-inspired, fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, will be expanding in North Carolina with its newest restaurant in Cary. Marking the brand’s first restaurant in the greater Raleigh area and first in the Triangle region, the Cary opening comes just a month after the recent opening in High Point and highlights Chicken Salad Chick’s continued development in North Carolina. The Cary restaurant will celebrate its grand opening on September 22. Chicken Salad Chick is closely following North Carolina’s state and local guidelines for COVID-19 …
Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has appointed Rick Wilkins as regional vice president for the West region, effective immediately. He will report directly to Gregg Melnick, executive vice president (EVP) and chief stores officer, and will play a key role in the planning and execution of the company’s store optimization strategy. Wilkins will oversee operations for approximately 300 of Bed Bath & Beyond’s retail stores across 20 states, and execute the previously announced store optimization plan as the company continues to enhance its digital-first, omni-always shopping experience online and in-store. He will …
Chicago — Top Chef winner and former executive chef of Michelin-starred Spiaggia and Café Spiaggia Joe Flamm will open his debut restaurant in Chicago’s Fulton Market District in early 2021. The highly anticipated restaurant will be named Rose Mary. “Rose Mary is the culmination of everything I have done with my career,” says Flamm. “But more importantly, it’s the culmination of my personal journey thus far. It’s a marriage of who I am, what I’ve learned, and the person I’ve built a life and a family with.” Rosemary, known as …
Phoenix — Telgian Fire Safety (TFS) has appointed Larry L. Lacefield as president. In this position, Lacefield will maintain strategic and operational responsibility for all TFS business operations. Lacefield is a dynamic and proven business leader with more than 20 years of successful experience leading high-impact, operational initiatives. As an innovative and growth-focused executive, he has an extensive background in guiding cross-functional teams and in the effective delivery of program objectives and quality service. “Highly skilled in the development and implementation of strategy, operational capacity, risk management and performance metrics, …
— By Mandy Nowels — Pivoting an experience-based brand online during quarantines and lockdowns: how The Spice & Tea Exchange quickly shifted focus from experiential to e-commerce. By April of 2020, 97% of our spice and tea specialty retail stores had been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Some had to shut their doors completely for a few weeks or months, while many others had to reduce hours and only offer curbside pickup and local delivery. As a franchise system, we had to ensure two things immediately: that our …