Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International, Inc. has signed its largest traditional store development agreement in North America in over 20 years, accelerating growth of the Papa John’s brand in the Philadelphia area. Under the agreement, HB Restaurant Group, which currently owns 43 restaurants in the Mid-Atlantic area and has been a Papa John’s franchisee since April 2019, is to open 49 new stores in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey between 2021 and 2028. “Papa John’s has long offered franchise investors one of the fastest paybacks in our industry. Recent …
franchise development
Auburn, Ala. — Chicken Salad Chick, a Southern-inspired, fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, will be expanding in North Carolina with its newest restaurant in Cary. Marking the brand’s first restaurant in the greater Raleigh area and first in the Triangle region, the Cary opening comes just a month after the recent opening in High Point and highlights Chicken Salad Chick’s continued development in North Carolina. The Cary restaurant will celebrate its grand opening on September 22. Chicken Salad Chick is closely following North Carolina’s state and local guidelines for COVID-19 …
Lexington, Ky. — Sales at franchised A&W restaurants soared 12% in July, the third straight month of double-digit same-store sales growth. July’s success follows a 15% jump in May and 16% in June. In addition to a rebound in traffic, overall system sales are being bolstered by the strong openings of five restaurants this year. Since franchisees acquired the company from YUM! Brands in 2011, average unit sales have increased by 38%. “Several factors explain why A&W is doing so well,” says CEO Kevin Bazner. “First is the brand itself. …
East Rutherford, N.J. — Mamoun’s Falafel, New York City’s oldest falafel restaurant and the fastest growing Middle Eastern restaurant chain in North America, has opened a new location in East Rutherford, N.J. It is the fourth of 25 Mamoun’s Falafel franchise locations coming to New Jersey as part of a deal with Prospect Capital Restaurants. Located in a 2,000-square-foot space at Rutherford Commons at 150 Route 17 in East Rutherford, the new restaurant joins Mamoun’s corporate locations in Hoboken and Princeton and three other locations run by franchisees, Prospect Capital …
Longmont, Colo. — Ziggi’s Coffee, which was recently ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies, has signed an agreement with new franchisees David and Amber King to open the company’s first unit in the state of Texas. The couple will begin with this Katy, Texas, unit and plan to expand from there. “Once this one goes well and we’ve hit it out of the park, our long term plan is to expand and build as many as we can before we’re old and gray,” says David …
Dallas — Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is expanding its franchise opportunities to feature another non-traditional franchise model: virtual kitchens. The barbecue franchise has executed area development agreements to bring more of Dickey’s slow-smoked, Texas-style barbecue to Chicago, Houston and Orlando, as well as make its debut in Providence, R.I. All locations will serve guests via delivery through a virtual kitchen facility. The virtual kitchen model allows restaurants to maximize delivery coverage without the upfront investment that a traditional brick-and-mortar location requires. Because the facility includes a kitchen for restaurants to prepare …
Charlotte, N.C. — Clean Juice®, the first and most prolific USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise, has added nine new stores across the nation since July 1, 2020, continuing its rapid expansion despite the headwinds of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Clean Juice’s continued growth in a surging, health-conscious environment is attributed to the strength of its development system, its franchise support structure and the power of its brand, which is built on USDA-certified organic food and beverage offerings. Three of the newly awarded units were expansions by existing franchise partners in …
Atlanta — Edible®, a leading gift and treat destination, is reflecting on a record-breaking 6 months. A resilient and essential business, the brand has signed a total of 37 new franchise agreements since January. Now, with a larger franchise development team in place, Edible is aiming for its next ambitious growth goal: to sign 80 to 100 new franchise agreements in the U.S. and to find new franchisees for five international countries between now and the end of the year. “We have an entrepreneurial and experienced management team in place …
Auburn, Ala. — Chicken Salad Chick, a Southern-inspired, fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, has promoted five existing brand leaders amid the company’s ongoing growth and success. The brand has promoted three executives to its C-suite, including Jim Thompson as chief operating officer, Terry McKee as chief development officer and Tom Carr as chief marketing officer. Additionally, the company has appointed Mary Lou Atkins as vice president of human resources and Carrie Evans as vice president of franchise development. Chicken Salad Chick has grown exponentially in recent years, more than quadrupling …
Dallas — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise which features dine-in and drive-thru in the “better chicken” segment, has signed a multi-unit deal with franchisee Ray Johnson to develop 10 restaurants across Texas’s Collin and Denton counties. The first location is slated to open in 2021. Johnson is pursuing sites in lively towns like Highland Village, Flower Mound and Bartonville, to name a few. There are seven thriving Slim Chickens restaurants open today in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. An experienced restaurant operator, Johnson formerly owned over half-a-dozen units of the …