franchise development

Chattanooga, Tenn. — Ford’s Garage, a one-of-a-kind dining concept inspired by the heritage of the Ford Motor Company, is officially open in Chattanooga, marking the brand’s first restaurant in Tennessee and its 36th in the U.S. Located near Hamilton Place Mall, the new 8,000-square-foot restaurant offers seating for approximately 250 guests. The restaurant joins one of Chattanooga’s busiest retail and dining corridors, near popular attractions including Lookout Mountain, Ruby Falls and Rock City. Known for its immersive automotive-themed atmosphere, Ford’s Garage combines vintage 1920s service station décor and Ford memorabilia …

New York City — Tropical Smoothie Cafe has signed a 40-unit franchise development deal across New York and Connecticut with franchisee Aurify Kingstar. The first location is planned to open in early 2027. With more than 1,750 cafes and a robust development pipeline, the brand is on track to open its 1,800th location by the end of 2026.  As part of its continued investment in franchise development, Tropical Smoothie Cafe recently appointed Joe Sieve to the position of chief development & growth officer. The 40-unit deal will expand Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s …

Charlotte, N.C. — Krispy Kreme, Inc. has signed a franchise development agreement with Original Entrepreneurs LLC to open 33 Krispy Kreme shops across the New York metro area over the next 5 years. The shops will be developed in New York City and the surrounding region, including Long Island and New Jersey. The Original Entrepreneurs group, a long-time Krispy Kreme franchisee and experienced quick-service restaurant operator, currently operates 12 Krispy Kreme shops. “We’re pleased to continue growing with Original Entrepreneurs,” says Josh Charlesworth, CEO of Krispy Kreme. “This development agreement …

Florida — Hawaiian Bros Island Grill, a fast-growing, island-inspired restaurant concept, has signed a 52-unit development agreement with Southern Rock Restaurants, LLC/Southern Rock Hawaii, LLC. The deal marks the brand’s entry into Florida, with Southern Rock planning to develop the 52 restaurants across Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tampa and Orlando during the next 6 years, including 24 restaurants planned in the next 3 years. Leading the development is Southern Rock CEO Max Piet, a restaurant industry veteran with more than 35 years of experience and extensive knowledge of building and running multi-unit …

Pasadena, Calif. — Dave’s Hot Chicken opened its 500th restaurant, in Phoenix, on Oct. 8. The growing brand had reached its 400th restaurant earlier in 2026; shortly after, the brand opened a record eight restaurants in a single day in April across markets from Connecticut to Utah. In total, Dave’s has added approximately 100 restaurants since April. What started in 2017 as a late-night pop-up, Dave’s made the leap to brick-and-mortar within months, eventually catching the attention of Wetzel’s Pretzels co-founder Bill Phelps, who partnered with the founders to begin …

Atlanta — Zaxbys®, an Atlanta-based QSR franchise, is entering the travel hospitality sector through a multi-unit agreement with Areas USA, the nation’s largest privately held travel hospitality company. The deal will develop five restaurants at Florida Turnpike service plazas, and the team recently opened the first unit on Sept. 29 at the Turkey Lake Service Plaza in Orlando, Fla. The deal marks Zaxbys’ largest non-traditional development agreement to date. As consumers increasingly seek recognizable restaurant brands wherever they travel, Zaxbys is expanding beyond traditional freestanding restaurants into heavily frequented destinations …