Jackson, Miss. — Newk’s Eatery has reopened all seven locations in its home market of Jackson, Miss., with a new restaurant prototype inspired by the brand’s ‘Project Strive’ initiative. At the milestone of 15 years since the first unit opened in Oxford, Miss., the brand took pause to seek feedback from guests on what’s important to them. “The purpose of Project Strive is to build from what our guests love about Newk’s and evolve the brand to be more aligned to their lifestyles. It stems from our brand mission to …
Bonita Springs, Fla. — GATES Construction has added Ben Haynie as senior superintendent. Haynie is responsible for daily onsite supervision of GATES’ projects, including quality control, safety, security, project closeout and transition planning. Haynie has over 37 years of construction experience with a wide variety of project types such as commercial, industrial, hospitality, retail construction and much more. Haynie will be based out of GATES Construction’s headquarters in Bonita Springs, Fla. For over 25 years, GATES Construction has provided award-winning construction management, general contracting and design-build services throughout the southeastern …
— By David Dawdy — Alternatives to elevator lobbies are a game changer for the retail and hospitality industries. In 1980, a kitchen fire tore through the casino floor of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The inferno sent plumes of toxic smoke through the sprawling complex — including elevator shafts and stairwells to the floors above. Of the 85 people killed that day, 61 deaths were on the upper floors of the hotel — nowhere near the fire. These victims, as well as the other fatalities, died of …
— By Rusty Amarante — The future looks bright for service-based franchises. Providing specialized and on-demand services, service-based businesses currently represent a large portion of the franchise establishments in the United States. For almost a decade, service-based franchises have been on the rise because of the nation’s high demand for services that require technical skills and expertise, and those that cater towards commercial and residential upkeep are most prevalent. To maintain the proper safety standards that these properties are expected to meet, the expert teams that provide maintenance services …
Calabasas Hills, Calif. — As previously announced in August, The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has closed the acquisitions of North Italia and Fox Restaurant Concepts (FRC), including Flower Child, for $308 million. The company previously invested $88 million in the North Italia and Flower Child concepts over the last 3 years in anticipation of their purchase. North Italia turns a modern lens on Italian cooking in the upscale, casual-dining segment. All dishes are handmade from scratch daily. The concept currently has 21 locations in 10 states and Washington, D.C. North Italia’s …
Minneapolis — Saint-Gobain’s SageGlass, manufacturer of the world’s smartest dynamic glass, has completed an energy study done in partnership with SCHEELS, a sporting goods and entertainment chain with 27 stores in 12 states. The study compared electricity usage at two SCHEELS locations and found that the store featuring SageGlass, in addition to enhanced building automation HVAC controls, better insulation and LED lighting, benefitted from a 73% decrease in electricity consumption. This reduction resulted in $487,193 in energy cost savings in the store’s first year of operation. In 2017, approximately 24,500 …
Roseville, Minn. — Fifty years after it first opened, Rosedale Center plans to significantly expand the center by redeveloping a part of the property to create new housing, a hotel, a grocery store and other new retail space. JLL, Rosedale’s management team, will soon submit formal plans to the City of Roseville, Minn., to begin the process of review and permits for the proposed expansion. The company hopes to begin initial construction work next year on what will be a phased project. “Rosedale Center is a very successful shopping and …
Houston — Plano, Texas-based MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, a fast-casual, “better burger” chain, is planning to add 26 locations across greater Houston by 2021. It is specifically scouting out real estate in Galveston, The Woodlands, Cypress, Spring, Conroe, Baytown, Pasadena, Pearland, Friendswood, Sugarland, Richmond, Rosenburg, League City, Deer Park, Bellaire, Greatwood, Katy and Tomball, Texas. “We are laser focused on expanding our presence across our home state of Texas,” says Tony Darden, COO and president of MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes. “This is where we are born and bred. …
Columbus, Ohio — Green Growth Brands Inc. (GGB) has opened its 150th Seventh Sense® Botanical Therapy CBD mall-based shop. The first Seventh Sense® shop opened in early February. The 150 shops — mostly kiosks and shop-in-shops — operate across 35 states and are expected to reach up to 200 locations by the start of the holiday shopping season. Seventh Sense® shops retail high-quality botanical therapy CBD-infused personal care and beauty products at affordable prices. The product offering includes over 100 SKUs across bath, body, face, therapeutic and sleep categories. For …
Kissimmee, Fla. — Southeast Centers has secured a new lease for Chipotle Mexican Grill’s first Florida location offering drive-thru service at Rolling Oaks Commons, an approximately 155,547-square-foot power center in Kissimmee, near Orlando in Central Florida. The new drive-thru concept, dubbed ‘Chipotlanes,’ was announced by the Newport Beach, California-based eatery in 2017 and initially rolled out to 10 locations. The new restaurant at Rolling Oaks Commons is expected to open in November and is part of Chipotle’s plan to establish “a few dozen more Chipotlanes in 2019,” an initiative intended …