News

Newport Beach, Calif. — Mountain Mike’s Pizza, a leading family-style pizza chain for more than 40 years, has opened its first Idaho location in Meridian. The new restaurant is owned and operated by Gem State Pies, the franchise group that recently inked a multi-unit deal with Mountain Mike’s Pizza to open five locations throughout Idaho’s Treasure Valley. “We are proud to bring Mountain Mike’s Pizza to the great state of Idaho, and it’s not lost on us how clearly the values of Idaho residents overlap with the family and community-based pillars on which …

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Charlotte, N.C. — Sonic Automotive, Inc., one of the nation’s largest automotive retailers, has promoted Thomas “Tim” Keen to become the first chief operating officer of EchoPark Automotive, the company’s rapidly growing nationwide pre-owned vehicle segment. Keen has spent nearly 30 years in the automotive industry and has been with Sonic Automotive for the past 15 years, holding a variety of regional leadership positions with the company’s franchised dealerships. In 2014, Keen was named divisional vice president of EchoPark Automotive, where he was instrumental in developing the EchoPark model and …

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Charlotte, N.C. — Clean Juice®, a national USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise, has signed its 100th franchise ownership group in 6 years of franchising. This coveted milestone was captured by Dr. Glenn and Kathleen Leavitt of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and several family members. The Leavitt family will open its doors to the Idaho Falls community in late summer 2022. “This is an exciting milestone in Clean Juice’s historic rise from a concept conceived in our family kitchen to one of the fastest-growing, all organic fast-casual brands in the nation,” says …

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Milwaukee, Wis. — On February 15, Kohl’s unveiled the list of the 400 stores that will be adding Sephora at Kohl’s shops this year. From Alaska to Maine, the 400 stores will span 36 states, eight of which are brand new homes to Sephora at Kohl’s. The addition of 400 stores brings the Sephora at Kohl’s location total to 600 and puts the partnership on track to meet its 850-store goal by 2023. “We’re thrilled to be bringing Sephora at Kohl’s closer to millions more of our customers nationwide through …

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Boston — Squadle, a workflow automation company that enables multi-unit operators to simplify complex operations and streamline food safety, is partnering with Aloha Poke Co., the nation’s premier fast-casual poke restaurant concept. Aloha Poke is deploying Squadle Food Safety in nine of its company-owned restaurants across the upper Midwest. Squadle will ensure that Aloha Poke maintains operational consistency across all its stores with focus on ensuring the highest level of food safety standards as the brand continues to expand nationwide. Squadle Digital Food Safety gives Aloha Poke a quick and …

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Danbury, Conn. — Ethan Allen, a leading global interior design company and a renowned manufacturer and retailer of quality home furnishings, has opened its seventh location in Connecticut: a new Design Center in Westport. The Design Center showcases Ethan Allen’s unique vision of American style while putting the value of Ethan Allen’s complimentary interior design service, enhanced by 3D digital design tools, at the fore. Clients will have space to work with professional interior designers at fully equipped workstations, viewing both detailed 3D floor plans and before-and-after images of their …

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Atlanta — Chicken Salad Chick, the nation’s only fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, opened 30 new restaurants in key target markets throughout 2021, resulting in a 17% increase in unit count year-over-year. The openings included market debuts with multiple locations in Indianapolis, Western Virginia and South Florida. The brand also signed franchise agreements with both new and existing franchisees to develop 32 new restaurants over the next several years in target states. These will be part of the plan to open over 50 new restaurants in 2022. In addition to …

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Leawood, Kan. — AMC Theatres, the largest theatrical exhibitor in the United States and in the world, has made a critical hire as it prepares to expand its business into the multibillion-dollar retail popcorn industry. Ellen Copaken, formally of Frito-Lay and Hostess Brands, will join AMC as the vice president, growth strategy, beginning February 18. In this newly created role, Copaken will lead AMC’s implementation of growth ideas related to the sale to consumers of popcorn outside AMC’s historic in-theatre channel. She will report to Mark Pearson, chief strategy officer, …

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Troy, Ohio — Founded in 1897, Hobart is marking its 125th anniversary in 2022. Hobart manufactures and services innovative cooking, dishwashing, food preparation, weighing and wrapping equipment used in the foodservice and food retail industry. From the first-ever introduction of motorized mixers, coffee grinders and dishwashers in the late 1800s and early 1900s to the advanced, WiFi-enabled devices of today, Hobart continues to support the needs of commercial and institutional kitchens, groceries, bakeries and delis worldwide. “Reaching a milestone of 125 years in business is more than just celebrating our …

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Fort Worth, Texas — PVI, a Watts brand, has introduced Centurion, a compact, 2000 MBH direct-fired domestic water heater that features state-of-the art combustion controls technology and superior reliability. With an advanced design and controls technology, Centurion water heaters are ideal for a variety of commercial applications and offer the industry’s longest standard warranty of 15 years for lower cost of ownership. “We’re thrilled to introduce Centurion. Centurion’s advanced Edge® Controller incorporates dynamic feed-forward sensing for precise modulation of its high turndown air/fuel delivery system. It’s also the first water …

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