Salt Lake City — Mercato Partners has launched its inaugural food and beverage fund, Savory. This new fund of $90 million will make investments into compelling, up-and-coming restaurant concepts by providing access to capital together with a team of experienced
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Las Vegas — Online retailer Barbell Apparel, in conjunction with International Retail Group (IRG), is set to open its first brick-and-mortar store in Las Vegas on June 8. The new store will be in the heart of Downtown Summerlin, a
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Greenwood Village, Colo. — Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., a full-service restaurant chain, expects to have reopened approximately 270 dining rooms with limited capacity by June 7, 2020, representing approximately 65% of currently open company-operated restaurants. “With our relentless focus
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Cincinnati — Pet Wants®, the Cincinnati-based high-quality pet food and supplies franchise, has hit a major milestone: reaching 100 franchise locations. The 100 franchise units — 25 retail stores and 75 mobile operations — all offer free delivery, making the
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Redwood City, Calif. — Presto, known for its in-house ordering tablets, has pivoted its business to help out the restaurant industry and is now offering a free Contactless Dining kit. The new kit enables restaurants to provide an end-to-end contactless
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Louisville, Ky. — May 2020 sales at Papa John’s restaurants were up 33.5% in the U.S. and Canada on a year-over-year basis, marking the second month in a row that the pizza chain recorded its highest sales on record, according
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Minneapolis — Minnesota-based discount retailer Target has temporarily closed six stores in four states in response to protests that turned violent over the weekend. The looting and destruction of commercial property took place in the days following the death of
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Rosemont, Ill. — US Foods Holding Corp. is giving away free reopening kits to qualifying independent restaurant owners to help support restaurant reopening efforts in communities across the U.S. The reopening kits provide independent restaurant operators with must-have supplies such
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Philadelphia — Five Below, Inc., an extreme-value retailer for tweens, teens and beyond, has reopened 75% of its 900+ store fleet. In addition to reopening over 700 stores since April 21, Five Below has opened 40 brand new stores so
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Glendale, Calif. — The board of directors of Dine Brands Global, Inc. has retained executive search firm Spencer Stuart to assist the company in identifying an individual to succeed its chief executive officer, Steve Joyce. Joyce’s employment agreement expires February
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Plano, Texas — J. C. Penney recently reopened 150 stores in 27 states, bringing the total to 304 reopened stores nationwide after temporarily closing due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Additionally, five stores are currently offering contact-free curbside pickup only.
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Baltimore — Under Armour has laid out details for the phased reopening of its owned stores in North America. The company reopened its first U.S. stores to customers on May 15th and opened additional stores the week of May 18th.
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Cleveland, Ohio — Repair and maintenance contractors who service commercial buildings often perform all or part of their work on the roof, which presents several dangers if the roof has not been properly outfitted to prevent falls and protect the
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Dallas — Tuesday Morning Corp. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Dallas-based retailer says the actions are in response to “the immense strain the COVID-19 pandemic and related store closures have put on the business.” Tuesday Morning is
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Irvine, Calif. — Wienerschnitzel, the world’s largest hot dog franchise, has signed a new area development agreement with Lake Charles, La.-based Henderson Family Restaurants, LLC to build 20 new Wienerschnitzel restaurants throughout the state of Louisiana over the next 13
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Alpharetta, Ga. — Agilysys, Inc., a leading global provider of next-generation hospitality software solutions and services, will promote Dave Wood, its current vice president – corporate strategy and investor relations, to chief financial officer on June 1, 2020. The appointment
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Villa Rica, Ga. — Harrison Contracting Company, LLC celebrates 25 years in business and launches an updated company website dedicated to sharing the company’s heart, expertise and philosophy. In February 1995, Deryl Harrison started Harrison Contracting Company with a very
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Savannah, Ga. — Stoner’s Pizza Joint, a quick-service pizza franchise, will expand with three new units from existing franchisee John Stetson in the Georgia market. The first new location, which was slated to open on May 20, is located in
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Durham, N.C. — Rise Southern Biscuits and Righteous Chicken, the nation’s fastest growing biscuits and fried chicken chain with over 100 units in development across the country, has signed an area development agreement for the state of Virginia. BDVA Holdings,
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Cypress, Calif. — The Elevator & Escalator Division of Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc., headquartered in Cypress, Calif., has introduced an elevator call system application for smartphones. In this era of COVID-19, touch-free call interface with elevators can protect passengers and
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New Albany, Miss. — After a full review of its business opportunities, market conditions and other options, Refrigerated Solutions Group (RSG) has reached the difficult but necessary decision to begin the process of permanently closing its manufacturing facility located in
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Bal Harbour, Fla. — With carefully considered planning, following CDC guidelines and in alignment with state and local officials, Bal Harbour Shops opened on May 18 with increased safety precautions to protect customers, retailers and employees. In keeping with Miami-Dade
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Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has unveiled a $10 million plan to donate essential items to those affected by COVID-19. The ‘Bringing Home Everywhere’ program will deliver products that provide home comfort and essential support to communities
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Austin, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released plans for the second phase of the state’s plan to reopen the economy at a press conference on May 18, notably giving bars the option to begin reopening on May 22. Under
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Tampa, Fla. — 2020 has been difficult for facility managers (FMs), especially those in small businesses. Challenges surrounding cash flow, remote work and personal safety are understandably top of mind. In addition to all these COVID-19 related challenges, hurricanes and
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Fort Worth, Texas — Pier 1 Imports, Inc. has filed a motion seeking Bankruptcy Court approval to begin an orderly wind-down of the company’s retail operations as soon as reasonably possible after store locations are able to reopen following the
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Cleveland — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise which features dine-in and drive-through in the “better chicken” segment, will open its first location in Cleveland in the first quarter of 2021. The forthcoming restaurant comes out of the brand’s recent
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