Chula Vista, Calif. — FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc., parent company of Hurricane Grill & Wings and eight other restaurant concepts, has opened Hurricane Grill & Wings in Chula Vista, Calif. This marks the restaurant brand’s first location in California and its first fast-casual restaurant concept nationwide. “We are excited to expand fan-favorite Hurricane Grill & Wings into the California market,” says Andy Wiederhorn, CEO of FAT Brands. “While we have had great success with our full-serve model, we see a huge appetite and demand for a fast-casual experience …
franchise development
Atlanta — Jamba®, a global lifestyle brand leader, has signed a 50-unit deal to expand in Japan. With two Tokyo locations now open, ADASTRIA eat Creations Inc. — a subsidiary of one of the largest fashion and apparel companies in Japan — is driving Jamba’s Japan expansion. ADASTRIA has opened two locations in Tokyo and has plans to expand to 50 locations across Japan by 2025. “As we strategically expand our brand portfolio in select countries around the world, we believe that Japan is an ideal market for Jamba as …
Chattanooga, Tenn. — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise in the “better chicken” segment, has inked a deal that will bring 10 locations to cities throughout Tennessee. The Davis Group, which consists of Scott, Ricky and Cody Davis, will bring the restaurants to Jackson, Knoxville and Chattanooga. The Davis Group is partnering with David Hull, Greg Rowden and Josh Rowden to co-own and operate existing Slim Chickens restaurants in Memphis and Arkansas. They will continue development in those markets as well. “We are so excited to expand our Slim Chickens …
Cheyenne, Wyo. — Taco John’s International Inc., a leading quick-service Mexican franchise, announced that same-store sales are up at the brand for the third month in a row. From May through August, comp sales were up by an average of 6.85% each month. “The way our system has been able to maneuver and grow through this pandemic is incredible and speaks to the recession-resistant nature of our franchise model,” says Brooks Speirs, vice president for franchise development at the legacy brand. Taco John’s has celebrated nearly half a dozen openings …
Milwaukee — Seattle-style teriyaki restaurant Teriyaki Madness is planning its first foray into Wisconsin, with five new locations set to open by the end of 2020, plus a sixth in Illinois. The first shop will open at 920 S. Moorland Rd. in Brookfield in mid-September, with additional shops set to open in Hales Corners, Wauwatosa, Germantown and Pewaukee, Wis., and another to open across the Illinois border in Rolling Meadows later this year. Milwaukee-based FirstPathway Partners is responsible for bringing the restaurants to the area, which will be operated through …
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 …
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 …