News

franchise developmentNewsretailers

Plato’s Closet® Hits Milestone with 500th Store

by Katie Lee

Minneapolis — Winmark Corporation, North America’s leading franchisor of sustainable resale brands, has opened the 500th store of its industry-leading teen and young adult resale concept, Plato’s Closet®. The landmark new store opened on December 1, 2022, in Windsor, Ontario. “500 Plato’s Closet locations is a huge accomplishment and a testament to our collective efforts with our franchise partners, their employees, and the team at Winmark to achieve this milestone. To see the impact that this brand has had on our franchise partners and their communities is inspiring,” says Renae …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newsrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Rubio’s Coastal Grill Partners with SMG

by Katie Lee

Kansas City, Mo. — Service Management Group (SMG), a global customer, employee and brand experience management partner to more than 500 brands, has formed a new partnership with Rubio’s Coastal Grill. The fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Baja-inspired Mexican food selected SMG to improve real-time, prescriptive feedback across its guest journey. Based in Carlsbad, Calif., Rubio’s has more than 150 locations across California, Arizona and Nevada. Co-founder Ralph Rubio opened the first location as a walk-up taco stand in 1983 in San Diego’s Mission Bay, and the brand’s reputation and …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newsretailers

MINISO Expands U.S. Operations, Opens 6 New Stores on Thanksgiving

by Katie Lee

Guangzhou, China — On November 25th, MINISO opened four new stores in Texas and two in Florida, doubling the global value retailer’s store count in these states. The six new stores, all located in malls, added to the Thanksgiving spirit by providing fun, trendy destinations for families to enjoy. At the grand opening of the Dolphin Mall store in Miami, shoppers and influencers gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, celebrating MINISO’s entry into the coastal metropolis. The Dolphin Mall store, as well as the Stonebriar Center store in Dallas, features MINISO’s …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Chicken Salad Chick Debuts in Chicago Area

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — Chicken Salad Chick, the nation’s only fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, will open its first-ever location in the Chicago metro area and the fourth in Illinois on Jan. 10, 2023. Located at 220 North Randall Rd., Chicken Salad Chick Batavia is opening in the former Crabby Boil building in front of Menards and features a drive-thru as well as a private event space. Kim and Garrett Seaman of Fox Valley Chick, LLC are the duo bringing Chicken Salad Chick to the Chicago area. The husband-and-wife team met when …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Current Rooftop Solar Deptford NJ large
energy managementgreen newsNewsretailersvendors

The Home Depot Purchases 100 MW of Solar Energy from National Grid Renewables

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — According to The Home Depot, 100 MW of solar energy purchased from National Grid Renewables at its solar and storage project in Denton County, Texas (known as Noble) will generate the approximate equivalent of nearly 8% of The Home Depot’s total electricity usage. The solar farm is National Grid Renewables’ largest solar energy project to date, and its first utility-scale energy storage project. The Home Depot has pledged to produce or procure 100% renewable electricity equivalent to the electricity needs for all Home Depot facilities by 2030, expanding …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newsrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Paytronix Partners with Voicify to Bring Voice-Based Ordering to Restaurants

by Katie Lee

Newton, Mass. — Voicify, a conversational AI (Artificial Intelligence) platform used to deliver custom voice assistants, and Paytronix Systems, Inc., the most advanced digital guest experience platform for restaurants and retail, have formed a new partnership that enables restaurants to incorporate voice ordering across all customer touch points. Integrating the Voicify voice food ordering assistant with the Paytronix customer experience platform (CXP) allows both organizations to accelerate business development goals in the restaurant industry while offering expanded digital products and services to shared customers. Restaurant ordering options range from mobile …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

Smoothie King Makes 3 Key Additions to Executive Leadership Team

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Smoothie King has made three key additions to its executive leadership team: Marianne Radley, chief marketing officer; Juan Salas, chief information officer; and Laura Scavone, chief people officer. All three have been added to the brand’s C-suite and will be responsible for leading effective, cross-functional teams to achieve Smoothie King’s strategic business goals. “We’re excited to have Marianne, Juan and Laura join our growing leadership team. They are exemplary leaders in their respective segments, each possessing a wealth of experience in the QSR industry and will undoubtedly make …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
franchise developmentNewsretailers

Pet Supplies Plus Operator Signs Deal for 29 Wag N’ Wash Stores

by Katie Lee

Livonia, Mich. — The largest multi-unit operator of Pet Supplies Plus, US Retail Holdings, has signed a deal to purchase 29 Wag ‘N Wash stores. This agreement follows their previous development announcement to open 20 additional Pet Supplies Plus stores over the next 5 years. The entrepreneurs behind US Retail Holdings are Aaron Young, Chad Bush and Doug DeLozier, who collectively have over 60 years of PSP experience and own and operate 49 Pet Supplies Plus stores across Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and Texas. Over the next 4 years, …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

FAT Brands Opens First Tri-Branded Location

by Katie Lee

Los Angeles — FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc. has opened its first tri-branded location: a Fatburger, Buffalo’s Express and Hot Dog on a Stick. This unique new location is situated in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Valley Village. “Since 2013, we have been able to effectively scale the co-branded model of Fatburger and Buffalo’s Express,” says Mason Wiederhorn, chief brand officer of FAT Brands. “As FAT Brands has continued to expand its portfolio, we have been exploring other like-minded brands to join together, most recently, Johnny Rockets and Hurricane …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Bonchon Opens 20th Location in Virginia

by Katie Lee

Virginia Beach, Va. — Bonchon is continuing to grow in the state of Virginia. The popular restaurant, known for its crispy, hand-brushed Korean fried chicken, has a new opening in the Hilltop West shopping center in Virginia Beach, Va. The new location opened on November 22. The Virginia Beach Bonchon location has full table service and everything on the menu is available for takeout and delivery. Founded in Busan, South Korea, in 2002, Bonchon today has more than 390 locations across eight countries including Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Australia, …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts