Wichita, Kan. — Fast-casual restaurant concept Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has opened its first international location in the Dubai Mall. The brand’s second international location is slated to open at the Mall of the Emirates in the coming weeks. The restaurants are owned and operated by Tastebuds Group, which will continue to drive Freddy’s growth throughout the Middle East, with plans to open locations in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman and Qatar. “The training and support that we’ve received from Freddy’s since signing …
franchise development
New York City — Blink Fitness, a premium-quality, value-based fitness concept, has appointed franchising industry veteran Thomas Flaherty as president of franchising, a newly created position. In this role, Flaherty will oversee the entire franchise business, including directing the brand’s expansion across key markets in the United States and internationally. In his previous position as president and CEO of Agile Pursuits Franchising, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, Flaherty oversaw the Tide Dry Cleaners franchise and Mr. Clean Car Wash license. Flaherty helped to grow Tide Dry Cleaners …
San Jose, Calif. — Beginning in March, Togo’s store of the future — named Togo’s 3.0 — started gaining momentum thanks to the completion of both physical and operational renovations at its Emeryville, Fremont and San Jose, Calif., stores. The popular West Coast sandwich innovator completely remodeled one corporate and two franchise owned locations to dramatically improve the overall guest experience with faster speed of service and a more contemporary dining environment. “We wanted a store that reflected our nearly 50 years of leadership in the premium sandwich category,” says …
Denver — Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, a leading fast-casual Mediterranean franchise concept, has launched an aggressive franchise growth initiative to increase its presence across the U.S. Planning to add 50 new locations to the brand’s development pipeline annually, expansion will focus on territories from the Rocky Mountain states to the Midwest and down south through Texas. The concept has put itself on an impressive growth trajectory. GARBANZO recently completed two major franchising deals that stand to spark growth in key markets — a five-store deal for the Boston area, and a …
New York City — Blink Fitness, a premium-quality, value-based fitness concept, has launched a focused franchise initiative targeting key U.S. markets. The strategy targets six regions, including Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas-Fort Worth; Phoenix; Raleigh, N.C.; Las Vegas and Kansas City. The announcement comes on the heels of a 20-unit franchise development agreement in the greater Sacramento area with Yadav Enterprises, Inc. and its president and founder Anil Yadav. Highly regarded in the franchise industry, Yadav Enterprises, Inc. operates more than 350 restaurants covering six brands; Jack in the Box, Denny’s, El …
Chillicothe, Ohio — Chillicothe, Ohio-based Petland Inc. has opened its first store in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, Petland began the expansion process into the Middle East North Africa region with the signing of a master franchise agreement that includes rights to develop stores in United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and Bahrain. Petland has 135 locations in international markets, including stores in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, China, El Salvador and South Africa. The Saudi Arabian store, located in Jeddah, opened May 26, 2019 and features a complete line of …
Ocala, Fla. — Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Celebrity’s Soul Food has selected Southlake, Texas-based N3 Real Estate and affiliates as its exclusive national developer and master broker for the United States. N3 will be responsible for all aspects of Celebrity’s real estate selection and development process across the country. With 200 units planned within the next 24 months, founders Dr. Fredrick Jacobs (a.k.a. Dr. J, The Counselor) and Taja Jacobs, along with their franchisee partners, will bring soul food cuisine to the nation in a classy and elegant atmosphere that treats …
Houston — Russo’s New York Pizzeria, the nation’s only chef-driven New York-style, Italian restaurant and pizzeria franchise concept, announces its latest franchise opportunity: an authentic Italian microbrewery. Conceptualized by Chef Anthony Russo, Russo’s New York Italia Pizza Kitchen & Brewery will open its first location in 2019. The innovative Pizza Kitchen & Brewery will feature Russo’s infamous Italian menu with pizza and pasta-focused dishes, as well as unique craft beers, brewed in-house. The brewery will range from 3,500 to 5,000 square feet; the new design features a full view pizza …
Lake Forest, Calif. — Del Taco Restaurants, Inc., the second largest Mexican-American quick-service restaurant chain by units in the United States, recently commenced the marketing of certain company-operated restaurants across four non-core Western markets. The refranchising of these restaurants is expected to be completed by summer 2020 and is planned to help shift company ownership to approximately 45% of the Del Taco system while stimulating growth in new restaurants and existing restaurant AUVs. Del Taco first announced its Restaurant Portfolio Optimization plan in January 2019 and subsequently retained The Cypress …
Dallas — MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, the “better burger” fast-casual franchise, has hired key executives — including president and COO — that will enhance franchisee support and prepare for rapid franchise development. The company has added a new president and COO, Tony Darden, who comes to MOOYAH after serving as COO at Taco Bueno. Prior to Taco Bueno, Darden spent more than a decade at Panera Bread and more than 15 years at Bennigan’s. MOOYAH also added a new director of supply chain, a real estate and development manager, …