franchise development

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 …

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 …

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 …