Columbus, Ohio — True Food Kitchen has opened its first Ohio restaurant at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio. The restaurant brand was founded in 2008 by Sam Fox and Dr. Andrew Weil, creator of the anti-inflammatory diet, which involves selecting foods that help fight chronic inflammation. True Food Kitchen serves a variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. As a result of COVID-19, the restaurant is currently offering family to-go meals and carryout cocktails. The dining room includes 27 tables that are spaced 6 feet apart. The restaurant also …
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San Francisco — Gap Inc. has appointed Nancy Green as the president and CEO of Old Navy, the company’s largest brand. Green will report to Sonia Syngal, CEO of Gap Inc., and will serve on the company’s senior leadership team. Green has served as interim head of Old Navy since March and was previously president and chief creative officer of the brand. “Nancy is a visionary leader who brings deep customer empathy to her role every day. She has led the brand through one of the most challenging periods in …
Hartland, Wis. — Batteries Plus, the nation’s largest and fastest-growing battery, light bulb, key fob and repair franchise, has been ranked No. 131 on Franchise Times’ Top 200+ List, the most comprehensive ranking of the 500 largest franchise systems in the United States. The prestigious list is based on Batteries Plus’s global system sales and number of locations. The brand joins the list among some of the nation’s most recognizable brands. In 2020, Batteries Plus signed 20 franchise agreements and is on track to have 20 new agreements signed by …
Greensboro, N.C. — Jeff Linville has been named vice president of operations at Biscuitville Fresh Southern®. For more than 20 years, Linville has served in various C-suite and senior management roles within franchised, private equity firms as well as other quick-service restaurants. “Jeff is a veteran of restaurant operations and senior management, having worked with some of the industry’s leading brands,” says Kathie Niven, president of Biscuitville. “He will take the lead role in the continuing evolution of Biscuitville operations. Jeff is an outstanding operator, and his people-first leadership style …
Hudson, Wis. — Refrigerated Solutions Group (RSG), an industry leader in refrigerated equipment and service, has added to its commercial sales team. Chris Carney and Howard McCann were recently named regional sales managers for the portfolio of brands. Both Carney and McCann will report directly to Bob Stevens, director of dealer sales for RSG. “Chris and Howard’s expertise in regional sales gives me great confidence that both will be strong assets as the regional sales managers for the Master-Bilt and Nor-Lake brands,” says Stevens. “Both have vast foodservice equipment experience …
Perris, Calif. — Farmer Boys, a Southern California-based fast-casual concept, will celebrate its 100th restaurant opening the weekend of October 23-24 in Perris, Calif. — the same city where it all began nearly 40 years ago. “We are thrilled to open the 100th Farmer Boys restaurant in the city where we first opened nearly 40 years ago,” says Larry Rusinko, vice president and chief marketing officer for Farmer Boys. Since opening in 1981 in Perris, Farmer Boys has prided itself on establishing a loyal customer base throughout its nearly 40 …
Knoxville, Tenn. — Regal Cinemas will temporarily suspend operations at all of its 536 U.S. theaters beginning Thursday, Oct. 8. British owner-operator Cineworld owns Knoxville, Tenn.-based Regal Cinemas, which has about 7,000 screens across its U.S. portfolio of theaters. Cineworld also announced plans to close all of its theaters in the United Kingdom this week. The closures will impact about 40,000 employees, according to Cineworld. “This is not a decision we made lightly, and we did everything in our power to support a safe and sustainable reopening in the United …
Miami — CAO Bakery & Café, a South Florida staple known for blending traditional Cuban baking with the inviting atmosphere of American-mainstay cafés, plans to expand its pastelito portfolio through franchise opportunities. This will allow Cuban American Original (CAO) to reach new markets beyond its nine Miami-Dade and three Broward locations. As the retail bakery market in the Miami metro area grew a robust 13% between 2017 to 2018, nationwide, the bakery-café industry is projected to grow at a 2.3% annual rate over the next 3 years. CAO plans to …
East Rutherford, N.J. — Triple Five Group has reopened the American Dream shopping and entertainment destination in East Rutherford, located just outside New York City. American Dream is located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex by MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Jets and Giants and features some 3 million square feet of retail and entertainment space. According to local media reports, marquee attractions such as the Nickelodeon Universe theme park, DreamWorks water park, Angry Birds mini-golf and an NHL-sized ice skating rink are now open under limited capacities. Masks …
Atlanta — The Home Depot®, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, has named Edward “Ted” P. Decker as president and chief operating officer, effective October 5, 2020. Decker, a 20-year veteran of the company, has served as executive vice president of merchandising since 2014. As the company’s chief merchant, he has been responsible for all store and online merchandising departments, merchandising strategy, services and vendor management, marketing and in-store environment. In his new role, he will assume additional responsibility for global store operations, global supply chain, and outside sales and …