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Cilantro Taco Grill Set for Nationwide Growth, Secures 110 Units Across 4 States

by Katie Lee

Chicago — After a record year of growth, Cilantro Taco Grill is set to open outside Chicagoland for the first time in April 2025, a significant milestone following the brand’s first franchise opening in November. The nation’s fastest-growing authentic Mexican fast-casual franchise secured six franchise agreements in 2024, bringing 110 units into development in its first full year of franchising. “As we continue to expand into new communities, it’s fulfilling to know more guests will taste the authentic flavors of Jalisco and the love my family has put into the …

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Nathan’s Famous Opens Location Featuring New Freestanding Restaurant Design

by Katie Lee

Jericho, N.Y. — Nathan’s Famous, Inc., an American tradition serving New York favorites for more than 100 years, has opened a new franchised restaurant in Rock Hill, S.C.; the location features Nathan’s new freestanding restaurant design and its full menu. The new freestanding restaurant design features modern New York City loft-style elements next to classic features of historic architecture while boasting a state-of-the-art drive-thru experience with a double drive-thru and enhanced POS system. “We’ve opened and remodeled many new franchised and licensed locations in travel plazas, airports and other inline …

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Sweetgreen Opens 250th Location, First in Richmond, VA

by Katie Lee

Richmond, Va. — On March 18, Sweetgreen opened its first Richmond, Va., location in Carytown. The 2,162-square-foot location marks another milestone as Sweetgreen’s 250th restaurant. “Sweetgreen was founded just a couple of hours from Richmond with the goal of bringing communities together through fresh, high-quality food,” says Jonathan Neman, co-founder and CEO of Sweetgreen. “We’re honored to carry that mission forward in Carytown, partnering with local businesses and serving delicious meals made with real ingredients. Opening our 250th location here makes this moment even more special, and we couldn’t be …

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Dine Brands International Unveils 2025 Development Plans

by Katie Lee

Pasadena, Calif. — Dine Brands International is set to expand its dual-branded Applebee’s and IHOP concept in 2025. This expansion includes entering the Costa Rican market with franchisee BLT UK Holdings Limited, and opening the first non-traditional restaurants in Mexico with franchisees Grupo Shogua and ATH Group. The dual-branded format, combining Applebee’s and IHOP under one roof, has been a key part of Dine Brands’ international growth strategy. Currently, there are 18 dual-branded locations across seven markets: Mexico, Canada, UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Honduras and Peru. In 2025, the company …

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16 Handles Names New VP of Franchise Development

by Katie Lee

New York City — National frozen dessert brand 16 Handles has named Fred Frey, an accomplished restaurant franchise development leader with an extensive background in finance and business growth, as its new vice president of franchise development. He joins the company from Shipley Do-Nuts. Most recently, Frey served as director of franchise development at Shipley Do-Nuts, where he played a key role in the company’s largest expansion to date, securing 117 franchise agreements in 2024 alone. Prior to that, he was franchise development manager for iced tea brand HTeaO, leading …

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Jollibee Launches Franchising Program in the U.S.

by Katie Lee

West Covina, Calif. — Jollibee, a global fast-food fried chicken concept based in the Philippines, is launching its first franchising program in the U.S. The quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain is the flagship brand of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), also known as the Jollibee Group, one of the world’s fastest-growing restaurant companies. Jollibee opened its first North American location in 1998 in Daly City, Calif., and currently operates 76 stores spanning 14 states in the U.S. and 28 stores in Canada. Jollibee’s projected expansion goal is to have 350 stores across …

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Mountain Mike’s Pizza Names Chief Operations Officer

by Katie Lee

Irvine, Calif. — Mountain Mike’s Pizza, a leading family-style pizza chain for over 45 years, has named Steven Adyani as chief operations officer. With 30+ years of experience in the restaurant industry, including at Mountain Mike’s Pizza, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, The Cheesecake Factory and with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, Adyani brings a wealth of operational expertise to the position. Most recently, he served as vice president of operations. Since joining Mountain Mike’s in 2020, Adyani has been instrumental in refining and optimizing brand operations across a thriving network of …

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CKE Restaurants Appoints New Chief Executive Officer

by Katie Lee

Franklin, Tenn. — CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., parent company of Carl’s Jr.® and Hardee’s®, has appointed Joe Guith as chief executive officer, effective immediately. He joins CKE from Church’s Texas Chicken. Guith arrives at CKE with extensive experience in franchising, restaurant management and the expansion of consumer brands. Previously, he served as CEO of Church’s Texas Chicken, where he successfully repositioned the brand and built stronger relationships with the franchisee community, leading to significant improvements in unit-level profitability, record sales and traffic growth. These changes led to expanding the Church’s …

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A&W Restaurants Promotes New CEO and President

by Katie Lee

Lexington, Ky. — A&W Restaurants, an all-American QSR with over 100 years of experience in business, has promoted Betsy Schmandt to chief executive officer and president of A&W Restaurants. Previously serving as the chief operating officer and president for the brand, Schmandt will inherit the responsibility from former CEO, Kevin Bazner, who will continue his tenure as chairman. Schmandt spent the last 18 months as COO and president of A&W Restaurants where she led day-to-day operations, ensuring efficiency, productivity and alignment with the businesses’ long term strategic goals. Prior to …

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Bonchon Opens 150th U.S. Restaurant

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Bonchon, a global leader in Korean fried chicken, is marking a franchise milestone with its 150th U.S. location, which opened in February. The Jonesboro, Ark., location was Bonchon’s first restaurant in the state with additional Arkansas stores to open this year. Bonchon’s strong start to 2025 also involved entering new markets in Florida, Arkansas and Iowa. “This year is off to an exciting start with new store openings and franchise agreements, bringing Bonchon’s craveable Korean fried chicken to even more guests,” says Bonchon CEO Suzie Tsai. “We’re accelerating …

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