construction and design

Atlanta — Smalls Sliders, a fast-growing cheeseburger slider concept, has crossed 100 units under development. This milestone is also notable because the brand only just recently reopened franchising opportunities in early 2023. Smalls Sliders currently has nine locations open in Louisiana, with a solid pipeline of new locations set to open in states including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina and Texas. Smalls Sliders has consistently signed multi-unit agreements with prominent franchise groups and multi-brand operators alike, ultimately propelling the brand to cross the triple-digit unit mark. Leading …

Lake Forest, Calif. — Del Taco® has debuted its new “Fresh Flex” Drive-Thru Only location. Opening in Albuquerque, N.M., the location’s small footprint spans just 1,200 square feet. “Our Fresh Flex design offers a modern, sleek look that is aligned with our Del Taco® Better Mex® brand promise — better quality, better value,” says Tim Linderman, chief development officer. “This design allows us to reduce the overall footprint of the building which creates more real estate flexibility and the potential to reduce total buildout costs which will allow us to …

San Diego — QDOBA, America’s #2 fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand, is planning for rapid expansion. With 750 restaurants in 45 states, the privately held company expects to double in size over the next decade, with plans to open 40 new restaurants this year, followed by 60 in 2024, and 80+ annually beginning in 2025. “QDOBA is an exceptionally well positioned brand in one of the most attractive restaurant categories. We possess long-standing momentum, strong unit economics, a compelling operating model, an extraordinarily passionate guest following and significant untapped geographic potential,” says …