franchise development

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 …

San Francisco — Starbird Chicken is expanding its footprint into Washington through a new franchise partnership with Mehta Investment Group. The agreement includes plans to develop 17 locations across Washington state. The expansion marks a significant step in Starbird’s continued growth throughout the Pacific Northwest. The new franchise venture will be led by Vin Mehta and his son Rohit through Mehta Investment Group, a family-owned enterprise with experience across multiple industries and a strong track record of building successful operations. Vin Mehta, president of Mehta Investment Group, will guide the …

Pasadena, Calif. — Dine Brands Global, Inc., the parent company of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar® and IHOP®, is continuing the rapid expansion of its dual-branded restaurant concept with the opening of a new location in San Antonio. Less than 2 years after launching the first standalone U.S. dual-branded restaurant in nearby Seguin, Texas, the two iconic brands are approaching 50 dual-branded locations nationwide. The new restaurant is the eighth dual-branded Applebee’s | IHOP location in the greater San Antonio market, underscoring the region’s strong embrace of the concept. “We …

Atlanta — Smalls Sliders is opening its first-ever college campus locations at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). The milestone marks Smalls Sliders’ official entrance into collegiate dining and the beginning of a long term strategy to bring the brand to more high-traffic, non-traditional environments across the country. The UCF location is slated to open in September, with the Ole Miss location expected to open in October. The two locations showcase the versatility of the Smalls Sliders concept while bringing the brand directly …

Atlanta — Chicken Salad Chick, the nation’s only fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, plans to open its first restaurant in New York, which will expand the brand’s footprint to 27 states. The grand opening will take place on Sept. 22 at The Shops at Village Plaza in Clifton Park, N.Y. Chicken Salad Chick of Clifton Park is the first restaurant to open under a 25-unit franchise agreement bringing locations to the Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and the Upper Hudson Valley areas across New York. The agreement represents Chicken Salad Chick’s …

San Diego — QDOBA Mexican Eats has signed a new development agreement for 17 restaurants across San Diego County in California. The agreement is led by Hyperion Brands, LLC, a San Diego based multi-unit operator. “California is a priority growth market for QDOBA,” says Jeremy Vitaro, chief development officer at QDOBA. “We’re excited to grow the brand with the Hyperion Brands team, a proven, operations-first organization that also brings a strong development track record and a hometown advantage.” QDOBA and its franchise partners currently operate approximately 875 restaurants, with plans …