Los Angeles — The Pie Hole, a fast growing gourmet pie and coffee shop, has solidified a multi-unit franchise agreement to bring its signature specialty pies to Saudi Arabia. The deal gives exclusive rights to the territory to local franchisee Abdulrhman Alrajhi, who will begin with a 10-unit development plan. Alrajhi has sights set on opening the first location of The Pie Hole in Saudi Arabia’s capital city, Riyadh, but is looking for additional sites in territories throughout the entire country.
franchise development
Brookfield, Conn. — The Hummus & Pita Co., one of the country’s leading and fastest growing Mediterranean fast-casuals, will mark the official start of national expansion with the opening of its first franchised store in Brookfield, Conn., on August 11, 2018. The brand’s newest outpost is part of a franchise deal inked earlier this year. This marks the first of five grand openings in five new markets.
Irvine, Calif. — Potbelly Sandwich Shop has selected a location for its first California shop. Currently slated to open in early 2019, the brand’s first shop in the Golden State will be located in Irvine. Three more Orange County locations will follow.
Lexington, Ky. — Fazoli’s has successfully opened over seven new restaurants in the first half of the year, with plans to open up to five additional locations by the end of the year — setting the brand up to achieve its highest number of openings in nearly 10 years.
Atlanta — Saladworks, the nation’s leading salad-centric franchise brand, has opened its first Atlanta-area location, with extensive plans to develop the market, perhaps with at least 20 locations. Atlanta-area markets under consideration include Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Buckhead, Midtown and Perimeter. The company hopes to have at least a dozen stores open in the next 3 years.
Miami — Locali, a popular Los Angeles-based healthy convenience concept, has recently signed a multi-unit franchise agreement with Viable Foods, LLC to expand the rapidly-growing brand into the greater South Beach/Miami area. This deal marks the first expansion outside California for Locali, which plans to introduce its innovative ‘healthy convenience’ model to markets nationwide.
Orlando, Fla. — Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More®, a locally-owned, high-technology garment decorating retail store where customers have the freedom to design their own apparel, plans to add 30 stores in Florida through strategic franchise partnerships over the next 2 years.
Sun Prairie, Wis. — Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse plans to expand in the state of Wisconsin. Johnny’s currently has a foothold in the state with two existing locations in Eau Claire and Middleton. Its newest restaurant is projected to open in Sun Prairie, Wis., in August. The growing restaurant franchise plans to bring five additional locations to the area over the next 3 years.
Lexington, Ky. — With the countdown to its 100th anniversary underway, A&W Restaurants, America’s first restaurant chain, is continuing to reappear along the roadsides that made it famous. After opening 15 franchise locations in 2017, the iconic brand expects to open another 12 this year.