Author

Katie Lee

construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

TGI Fridays Signs First U.S. Development Agreement in 10 Years

by Katie Lee

Dallas — TGI Fridays® has signed a development agreement with Bliss Bites LLC to open five new Fridays restaurants across New York State. The agreement marks the company’s first domestic development agreement in more than a decade, reenergizing its growth plans in the U.S. The agreement advances the momentum of Fridays’ “1-2-3 Strategic Vision,” its growth plan charting a path to more than 1,000 units and $2 billion in annual revenue by 2030. Fridays opened its first restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in 1965, and the state remains a …

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Industry VoicesProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Get in the Game

by Katie Lee

— By Bryan Icenhower — How reliable access to live sports fosters habitual loyalty. In today’s dining landscape, reliability may be the most underrated driver of customer loyalty. For sports fans, choosing where to watch isn’t casual, it’s intentional. Whether it’s an NFL Sunday, a cross-state college football rivalry, an MLS playoff or a Formula 1 Grand Prix, fans pick restaurants and bars where they can reliably watch the game. For restaurants, customer loyalty isn’t limited to a one-time visit. It’s about encouraging customers to return time and again. When …

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construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

CAVA Marks 500th Restaurant & First in Minnesota

by Katie Lee

Washington, D.C. — CAVA, a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand, has achieved a significant milestone as it marks the opening of its 500th restaurant. The new restaurant is located in Minneapolis, its first in the state of Minnesota. CAVA is ahead of schedule and poised to surpass its goal of 1,000 restaurants by 2032. The milestone Minneapolis restaurant opened on Sept. 23. With the new Minnesota location, CAVA now has locations in 30 states and Washington, D.C. “Reaching 500 restaurants is a defining moment for CAVA and a reflection of how …

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Newspeopleretailers

CarMax Names New EVP and SVP

by Katie Lee

Richmond, Va. — CarMax, Inc. has made two key leadership appointments to advance the company’s new ‘Shift into GEAR’ strategy for growth and strengthen its industry-leading customer experience. Elizabeth Dirgins has been named executive vice president, chief digital and customer officer, a newly created role that will further unify the end-to-end customer experience, from customer acquisition through vehicle transaction. Dirgins joins CarMax from Volkswagen Financial Services, where she served as the chief digital officer for its North American region and led digital strategy, customer experience and marketing for the business. …

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construction and designNewsrestaurants

Chipotle Opens its 1,500th Chipotlane

by Katie Lee

Newport Beach, Calif. — On Sept. 29, Chipotle Mexican Grill opened its 1,500th Chipotlane, located in Bradenton, Fla., advancing the company’s North American growth strategy. Chipotle has added 500 Chipotlanes in less than 2 years as the format remains central to its development goals. The milestone comes amid continued growth across Florida, where Chipotle expects to grow its restaurant footprint by approximately 17% in 2026 and create approximately 1,500 restaurant jobs. Since introducing the Chipotlane in 2018, the format has consistently delivered higher volumes and returns than traditional Chipotle restaurants, …

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facilities managementNewsretailersvendors

National Facilities Direct Adds lululemon to Growing Portfolio of National Brands

by Katie Lee

New York City — National Facilities Direct (NFD), a leading provider of integrated facility infrastructure and management solutions for complex, multi-location organizations, has been selected to support lululemon’s U.S. retail portfolio. The national partnership brings one of the world’s most recognized athletic apparel brands into NFD’s growing client portfolio and expands the company’s presence across high-expectation, experience-led environments. “lululemon has built a category-defining brand by holding every part of the experience to a high standard,” says Vince Kiel, founder and CEO of National Facilities Direct. “We’re excited to help protect …

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franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

Rock N Roll Sushi Names Next CEO

by Katie Lee

Destin, Fla. — Rock N Roll Sushi has appointed restaurant and franchise executive Rick Gestring as its next chief executive officer. Gestring will lead the 80-unit concept into its next phase of growth, with a focus on strengthening the brand, supporting franchisee success and positioning Rock N Roll Sushi for continued expansion. Most recently, Gestring served as brand officer for Tasty Restaurant Group, where he led the KFC and Taco Bell restaurant portfolio. Previously, he was senior vice president of franchise operations for Honey Baked Ham and chief restaurant officer …

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Newspeopleretailers

President of Kroger Health to Retire After 31 Years

by Katie Lee

Cincinnati — The Kroger Co. has announced that Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health, will retire after more than three decades with the company. Lindholz joined Kroger as a pharmacist in the Cincinnati-Dayton division in 1995. From there, she held several pharmacy roles in the division, including manager, coordinator, sales promoter, recruiter and merchandiser. She was promoted to director of pharmacy sales and marketing in 2013 and president and CEO of the Little Clinic in 2015. Lindholz was named president of Kroger Health in 2017. Lindholz received Kroger’s Chairman’s Award, …

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facilities managementkitchen equipmentNewsrestaurantsvendors

Study: Rising Costs Force U.S. Restaurants to Raise Menu Prices, Delay Equipment Upgrades

by Katie Lee

SilverChef’s 2026 Hospitality Operator Report found that while many operators have a positive outlook for the next 12 months, one in four still can’t afford equipment upgrades due to costs Dallas — Rising costs and supply chain disruptions are forcing U.S. hospitality operators to reshape everything, from what they charge diners to the equipment they invest in, according to a new study from SilverChef USA, which provides flexible equipment financing for the hospitality industry. Over two-thirds (68%) of U.S. operators raised menu prices in the past 12 months, and nearly …

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construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

85°C Bakery Cafe Reaches 100 U.S. Locations, Plans to Have 150 By 2030

by Katie Lee

Brea, Calif. — 85°C Bakery Cafe, a Taiwanese bakery-café brand, opened its 100th U.S. location this month at Parker Commons in Aurora, Colo. The opening also introduces the brand to Colorado for the first time. 85°C entered the U.S. market in 2008 and has grown through a differentiated bakery-café model spanning four core categories: breads and pastries, cakes, handcrafted coffee, and tea beverages. As 85°C reaches triple-digit locations and enters Colorado, the brand begins a new stage of growth and works toward 150 U.S. locations by 2030. Cheng-Hsueh Wu founded …

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