News

Johnson City, Tenn. — FACE Hospitality, subsidiary of FACE Amusement Group, has resumed construction on its highly anticipated Chicken Guy! Restaurant in Nashville, Tenn. Located off Second Avenue and Commerce Street in downtown Nashville, the restaurant was one of several structures damaged in the explosion that shook Music City on Christmas Day 2020, bringing the project to a sudden halt. Construction has now resumed on the new franchise, which is slated to open this summer, continuing the one-of-a-kind partnership between FACE, famed chef, restaurateur and television personality Guy Fieri, and …

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Chadds Ford, Pa. — RWS Facility Services (RWS), a provider of comprehensive managed facility services, has appointed Tom LaMartina to the role of vice president of facility managed services. In this role, LaMartina will be responsible for overseeing the RWS sales and service organization that provides support services to facilities in manufacturing, distribution, pharma and commercial offices in the company’s growing national footprint of facility services clients. LaMartina joins RWS after 7 years at ISS Facility Services, most recently as senior vice president for the specialized services division. He previously …

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Pleasanton, Calif. — Final touches are being made in preparation for the grand opening of Lucky California’s newly remodeled flagship store and innovation lab on May 12 in Pleasanton, Calif. The neighborhood grocery store has been extensively remodeled and rebranded from Lucky to Lucky California. The Eatery offers tri tip barbeque and juicy burgers, create your own noodle and rice bowls, familiar comfort food favorites, and fusion burritos with savory Indian, Chinese and Korean sauces. Everything is made fresh. Eatery meals can be enjoyed at the outdoor patio, taken to …

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Albuquerque — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise which features dine-in and drive-thru in the “better chicken” segment, has signed a multi-unit agreement with Dennis Ekstrom to develop 10 restaurants across New Mexico and in El Paso, Texas. The first location is slated to open in 2021. New Mexico cities being pursued by Ekstrom include Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces. Ekstrom is a multi-unit owner of 10 Del Taco restaurants and has more than 30 years of restaurant ownership experience. “Dennis is exactly the kind of franchisee we’re seeking …

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Ankeny, Iowa — Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has hired Paul Suarez as its chief information security officer. This is a newly created role that will lead the cybersecurity team at the fourth largest convenience retailer. Suarez will report to Adrian Butler, chief information officer. He joins the company from Walmart. “Paul’s longtime retailer experience paired with his cybersecurity expertise will take Casey’s security strategy to the next level,” says Butler. With 35 years of experience in cybersecurity, network operations and telecommunications, Suarez will provide strategic leadership and direction for Casey’s …

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Newport Beach, Calif. — Mountain Mike’s Pizza, LLC, a leading family-style pizza chain for over 40 years, has started 2021 strong with first quarter same-store-sales (SSS) up 23.4% over 2020. This news closely follows Mountain Mike’s reporting that 2020 was the brand’s best year ever in terms of sales and growth. Along with steady sales increases in Q1, Mountain Mike’s opened six new restaurants and secured 13 new franchise commitments consisting of three multi-unit out-of-state agreements to open restaurants in Utah, Idaho and Colorado. Additional franchise deals are in development …

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Boise, Idaho — Albertsons Companies, Inc. has hired Danielle Crop to join the company as senior vice president and chief data officer. Crop was most recently chief data officer at American Express. Crop will be responsible for building and executing a world-class central data strategy that delivers benefits for the customer regardless of whether they shop in store or on the company’s digital platforms. Crop’s work will use machine learning and advanced data science capabilities to enhance performance across our businesses and markets. “Today, excellence in delighting customers can be …

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Houston — Aloha Poke Co., a premier fast-casual poke restaurant concept, plans 11 new locations in the Houston metro market by 2025. The Houston expansion nearly doubles Aloha Poke’s total franchise location holdings and is the first move into the Texas market. This first wave of development in the Lone Star State leads a long term development plan across other metroplex areas including Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin. “Aloha Poke Co is excited and extremely proud to launch into Texas with these first stores already in development within the Houston market,” …

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San Francisco — In honor of Earth Day on April 22, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is setting a science-based target (SBT) for emissions reduction across its value chain by 2030, including the goal of carbon neutrality in the company’s own operations by 2025. Williams-Sonoma is one of the first in its industry to work with the Science-Based Targets initiative to reduce its emissions in line with climate science. Aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement, the company has set a SBT that will help keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius to avoid …

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Dallas — Throughout the first quarter, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit signed 67 franchise agreements to its pipeline throughout Colorado, Florida, Texas, Washington, California, Tennessee, Arizona, Michigan, Montana and Oklahoma. Among the deals, existing franchisees in Cincinnati and Southern California signed on to further expand their Dickey’s portfolio. Along with executing several development deals, the family-owned franchise opened 60 new locations across 13 states during the first quarter. Additionally, Dickey’s celebrated the revitalization of its non-traditional franchise model when its 95th convenience store location opened in Carrollton, Texas. “With 80 years of …

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