Cover Story

— By Katie Lee — Coming off a strong year of growth, pizza legend Papa Johns takes its ‘dough show’ on the road, both domestically and abroad, with a brand-new look. The best, by definition, outshine the rest — but some years the best outshines even itself. 2023 was one of those years for Papa Johns. Founded four decades ago in Louisville, Kentucky, the pizza legend notched a great year in 2023, a year that finished as one of its best for new North America store openings in the past …

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— By Hayden Spiess — Bouldering gym concept VITAL continues to expand and provide an increasingly climbing-curious population with standout facilities. When looking for new markets that might be a fit for their brand, the owners of VITAL Climbing Gym, a bouldering concept, seek out locations that are “in the mix and part of people’s lives.” This is somewhat paradoxical with the genesis of the company, which originated during a long and very solitary bike tour more than a decade ago. Co-founder David Sacher recounts that he was alone in …

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— By Katie Lee — The QSR leader never stops innovating — from the current rollout of its new Global Next Gen restaurant design to the highly anticipated launch of its future high-capacity kitchen. It’s hard to imagine that quick-service restaurants once existed without drive-thrus, but someone had to start somewhere. In 1970, Wendy’s Founder Dave Thomas popularized the “Pick-Up Window” at a freestanding Wendy’s restaurant and that innovation became, essentially, one of the first modern drive-thrus. While the pick-up window wasn’t brand new, no one had made it work …

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— Interview with Don Oakes — Built into every Sea Bags product are style, substance and sustainability — and now these unique, handmade bags from Maine are showcased in 50 U.S. stores and counting. Within the last 4 years, Sea Bags, the designer and manufacturer of stylish and durable bags, totes and accessories handmade from recycled sails, has opened 26 new stores, increased its employee count to 300 — all while keeping up with demand. In order to accommodate the sales demand, the brand expanded its manufacturing space from 10,000 …

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— By Katie Lee — The Southwest-style brand is modernizing its brand positioning with a refresh that is a win-win for customers and franchisees alike. With more than 600 locations nationwide (and counting), Atlanta-based Moe’s Southwest Grill® remains focused on growth — and on flexibility. According to its chief brand officer, Tory Bartlett, Moe’s will continue expanding in new markets and in new formats to meet guests where they are. Thanks to the introduction of new prototypes, Moe’s is able to provide franchisees with flexibility to develop with competitive real …

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— Interview with Matt Beall — How Bealls has streamlined its name and its brand identity, all while robustly growing its store count. Spanning more than a century and four generations, Bealls Inc. has been owned and operated by its founding family in Bradenton, Florida, since 1915. This year, the veritable scion of retail is undergoing a significant rebranding of two of its largest chains. The company’s 600 Bealls Outlet and Burkes Outlet locations in 23 states are uniting to become “bealls.” Bealls, Inc. also operates a retail chain that …

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— By Kristen Hartman — Co-branding the future of QSR — dos and don’ts. The concept of co-branding has resurfaced again as a way for brands to maximize their product and capitalize on the variety of opportunities it allows. The idea is exactly as it sounds: multiple brands partner with each other under one roof to provide a wider variety of products that are complementary to one another. This creates excitement and interest among consumers while allowing the brands to see savings on rent and other costs, all while streamlining …

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— By Kristin Harlow —   Owners are incorporating new uses and tenants in their retail redevelopment projects that help foster an environment where consumers want to linger.   The future of retail has been questioned many times in the last few years, but the sector continues to evolve and overcome the obstacles that arise. Today’s consumers want a gathering place to dine, drink and be entertained, especially after the isolation and stay-at-home mandates they endured throughout the pandemic. With that in mind, owners are redeveloping many underutilized retail properties …

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— By Katie Lee —   Rethinking its operations since the pandemic, On The Border rebrands with bold changes for its food and the guest experience.     When the COVID-19 pandemic upended the world’s economy 3 years ago, many industries were forced to turn on a dime, to rethink their entire business models, to reengineer some shred of stability in the shakiest of markets. As On The Border can attest first-hand, the restaurant industry was among the trickiest terrain to navigate. But the Texas-based brand was agile enough to …

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— By Hayden Spiess —   Wild Birds Unlimited offers backyard bird feeding retail for an increasingly diverse customer base, with a growing flock of franchised locations.     Jim Carpenter’s aspirations were not always avian in nature. The founder and CEO of Wild Birds Unlimited originally had his sights set on medical school. However, in 1981 he pivoted, opening the first Wild Birds Unlimited store in Indianapolis, driven by a passion for nature and birding. This same passion unites Wild Bird Unlimited store owners, managers and customers across the …

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