Las Vegas — Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop and Wing Zone signed 18 new franchise agreements during the second quarter which will add 62 stores — 37 Capriotti’s and 25 Wing Zones — across the country. The brands have more than 430 stores under development, with 90 set to open between the two brands by the end of 2022. New markets for Capriotti’s include Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Las Vegas, and the Inland Empire and Bay Area in California. Wing Zone will expand to Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Sacramento, Houston, …
franchise development
Dallas — Smoothie King has appointed Chris Bremer as its new chief development officer. He will be responsible for implementing strategies to meet Smoothie King’s ongoing expansion plans and overseeing the franchise development, real estate, design and construction departments. He joins Smoothie King from Nothing Bundt Cakes. “We are thrilled to welcome Chris Bremer to our executive leadership team,” says Wan Kim, CEO of Smoothie King. “Chris is an exemplary, purposeful leader, possessing a passion for leading teams in the food & beverage and hospitality industries and will undoubtedly make …
Hartland, Wis. — In the past 3 months, Batteries Plus has signed franchise deals for 19 new locations throughout the country. This places the brand at 37 signed agreements and 18 total openings for 2022 thus far. The company projects to have over 740 units in full operation by year end, with approximately 60 units stemming from efforts this year alone. In large part, the brand’s increased presence has been a result of its efforts to break ground in new markets. The second quarter saw Batteries Plus its first locations …
Naples, Fla. — Beyond Juicery + Eatery is expanding beyond its Midwest roots, inking a multi-unit agreement to develop two locations in Southeast Florida. Wall Street veteran and business leader Steve LaFontaine will open the brand’s first Florida location in Naples. “Through decades of experience, I’m very familiar with the operational and brand support needed to make a business successful — and it was clear from the start Beyond Juicery + Eatery had that and more,” says LaFontaine. “Behind every growing brand is a passionate founder. Mijo was one that …
Wilmington, N.C. — Clean Eatz, one of the nation’s leading wellness concepts in the QSR space, is on pace to achieve a rate of expansion in 2022 that will surpass any year prior for the restaurant franchise. The guiding metric for the brand’s success leading into 2023 is to establish 100 active locations by year-end. The franchise has signed 15 new agreements over the course of the past several months, bringing the total in development to over 80 headed into the third quarter. In addition, the brand has seen five …
League City, Texas — Pokemoto, Muscle Maker, Inc.’s expanding Hawaiian poke bowl restaurant concept, has signed a new Pokemoto franchise agreement for the Gallatin, Tenn., market near Nashville. This new franchise agreement marks the first entry for Pokemoto into Tennessee. Pokemoto has now signed 40 new franchise agreements and continues to focus its growth strategy on franchising while also opening company-owned “seed” locations in select markets. The Hawaiian poke chain currently has eight locations in the development and construction stages along with multiple LOIs submitted for lease negotiations. “We’re excited …
Wichita, Kan. — Fast-casual restaurant concept Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers® plans to further expand its Texas footprint with 57 new locations added to its development pipeline. The stores are set to be built throughout the state in markets that include Dallas/Fort Worth and several counties in both East and West Texas. This announcement comes on the heels of the brand’s debut in North and South Dakota. “Our 63 operating locations in Texas have continued to perform exceptionally well, and we have witnessed firsthand how Freddy’s resonates with the local …
Pizzeria Uno Launches New Restaurant Conversion Franchise Strategy to Help Hotel Owners Increase F&B Revenue
Boston — Pizzeria Uno, the neighborhood pizzeria franchise known all over the world as the birthplace of Chicago-style deep dish, is launching a new restaurant conversion franchise opportunity for hotel owners. Prospective franchisees now have the chance to leverage the brand’s menu, support infrastructure and ROI potential to open a full-service Pizzeria Uno restaurant connected to their hotel. This new growth strategy comes after the company converted three in-hotel restaurants in the Midwest into Pizzeria Uno locations earlier this year, all of which saw an impressive increase in their food …
Austin, Texas — Chicken Salad Chick, the nation’s only fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, has signed franchise agreements that will bring nearly 20 new restaurants to Texas over the next 5 years. The brand has signed two major deals over the past year in Texas— one for eight units in San Antonio in October 2021 and most recently one for eight units in Austin. Chicken Salad Chick already has 21 existing locations across Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston. The brand plans to open five new locations in Texas this year, …
New York City — As part of an aggressive expansion plan for North America, German Doner Kebab USA (GDK USA) has hired Robert Bray (pictured) as operations director and Mark Treptow as director of franchise development, along with recent hires Georgina Cavendish, chief financial officer, and Darren Cooke as marketing director. GDK was founded in 1989. Reporting to Nigel Belton, GDK North America’s managing director, Bray has more than 20 years of operations experience with YUM! Brands and was most recently senior regional franchise director at Church’s Chicken. Treptow has …