News

Miami — According to José Cil, CEO of Restaurant Brands International, industry veteran Tom Curtis has been appointed president of Burger King U.S. & Canada. “Tom joined us a few months ago and has quickly established a strong leadership position in the business and trust with our franchisees, informed by his 35 years of previous restaurant experience as both a franchisee and senior operations executive,” says Cil. “Tom will lead the acceleration of our business to deliver on our vision that Burger King should always be our guests’ first choice …

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Minneapolis — Target plans to expand to over 160 Disney shop-in-shop locations by the end of 2021. The Minneapolis-based retailer began opening Disney shops in select stores in 2019. The new stores will offer a collection of Disney items including toys and costumes ahead of the busy holiday shopping season. Target’s fiscal report for the second quarter of 2021 showed that toys have been a growing category for the company, according to CNBC. The news outlet also reports Target plans to join with FAO Schwarz to offer a 70-piece toy …

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Brooklyn Park, Minn. — Taco Bell is building a restaurant with a new drive-thru concept in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis. Construction is underway on the 3,000-square-foot, two-story restaurant. Completion is scheduled for summer 2022. Known as Defy, the new restaurant concept was developed in partnership with Minneapolis-based Vertical Works Inc., a design company that works with quick-serve restaurants, retailers and healthcare tenants. In 2020, Border Foods, one of the largest privately held Taco Bell franchisees in America, enlisted Vertical Works to create a new restaurant design. With Defy, …

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Seattle — Amazon, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant, is planning to open a chain of department stores to boost its sales in clothing, household items, electronics and other areas. The news comes from a Wall Street Journal report citing “people familiar with the matter.” The first stores are expected to open in Ohio and California and, at around 30,000 square feet, will be smaller than a typical department store. “It is unclear what brands Amazon will offer in the stores, although the company’s private-label goods are expected to feature prominently,” the …

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San Diego, Calif. — Jack in the Box Inc. has awarded 16 franchise development agreements year-to-date through the end of third quarter of fiscal year 2021 to build 64 new locations in Arizona, California, Idaho, Texas and Utah. The announcement follows the relaunch of Jack in the Box’s franchise development program earlier this year. “Relaunching the franchise opportunity has been exciting and was one of our main priorities going into 2021. Over the last year and a half, we’ve proven to be pandemic-resistant and we’re eager to grow with our …

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Atlanta — Savi Provisions, neighborhood destination for locally-sourced gourmet foods, fine wines and spirits, is opening a new store in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at Concourse B. Located in the former Café Intermezzo space, this location will be operated by Crews Airport Concessions Operating Company. It is slated to open in mid-September. Founded in 2009 by Paul Nair, Savi Provisions aims to provide its airport customers the same high-end, affordable and healthy market experience as offered to its neighborhood locations, while fulfilling hasty travelers’ need for convenience and efficiency. “It’s …

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Hamilton, Ohio — Kaivac, developers of the No-Touch Cleaning® system and other smart cleaning machines, has appointed Keith Hartman to be the company’s vice president of marketing. He will be replacing long-time vice president of marketing, Tom Morrison, who is retiring at the end of this year. Hartman has a long history in the professional facility services industry, having spent 21 years working for Cintas. His many roles at Cintas included director of sales and operations, director of training and development, and senior marketing manager. “We are lucky to have …

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Cheyenne, Wyo. — Taco John’s International Inc., a leading quick-service Mexican franchise, has inked its biggest area development agreement to date with the largest Wendy’s franchisee, Meritage Hospitality Group, Inc. The group will build 50 new Taco John’s restaurants by March 31, 2026 with options to develop an additional 150 restaurants. “Taco John’s is the perfect fit for our company. While exploring concepts to expand our portfolio, we were quickly attracted to Taco John’s,” says Gary Rose, president and COO of Meritage Hospitality Group. “We are excited about the Mexican …

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Clearwater, Fla. — Pinch A Penny Pool Patio Spa, the nation’s largest swimming pool retail, service and repair franchise, has opened its newest franchised location in Lake Arlington, Texas. The new store marks the brand’s fourth location in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and 20th overall in the state of Texas. Behind the Lake Arlington opening is first-time franchising duo, Rob Stafford (pictured) and Tim Brandle, with a combined three decades of retail industry experience. The Lake Arlington store continues an aggressive development pipeline for the brand throughout Texas. Earlier …

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Chicago — Potbelly Corporation, the iconic neighborhood sandwich shop, has appointed David Daniels as its chief marketing officer (CMO) effective August 23, 2021. In this senior leadership role, he will report to Bob Wright, president and chief executive officer of Potbelly. Daniels will lead the branding, marketing and digital teams. “We are very excited to welcome David to the Potbelly family,” Wright says. “He brings significant executive experience and success leading some of the world’s best-selling brands, delivering top- and bottom-line growth. We will immediately benefit from his broad experience …

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