Canton, Mass. — As previously announced in its Q4 2019 earnings call in February, Dunkin’ remains on track to close 450 locations inside Speedway convenience stores by the end of 2020. According to Michelle King, senior director, global public relations for Dunkin’ Brands, the closures are specific to Speedway-owned and operated limited menu Dunkin’ locations only. “As we stated during our 2019 fourth quarter and fiscal year earnings call in February, Dunkin’ reached an agreement with Speedway earlier this year to exit the approximately 450 Speedway owned and operated limited …
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Riverside, Calif. — Farmer Boys® has hired restaurant industry and finance veteran Joseph Ortiz to serve as its new vice president of finance and accounting. In this position, Ortiz is responsible for leading the finance and accounting teams through proactive coaching and mentorship, creative strategies and improved workflow. Ortiz brings with him over 14 years of finance, strategy and organizational leadership experience, much of which has been within the quick-service restaurant industry. He most recently held the position of director of finance at Bakemark and has also led successful teams …
Georgetown, Texas — According to its founder, Gordon Logan, the Sport Clips Haircuts board of directors has elected Edward Logan to succeed him as the new CEO of Sport Clips, Inc., the franchisor of the Sport Clips Haircuts system. “Edward has grown up in the business and played a key role in the company’s growth since he joined full-time in 2010, setting new standards for excellence as president and chief operating officer. It’s been rewarding working closely with him these past 10 years, and his leadership during the COVID-19 crisis …
San Francisco — Gap Inc. has launched a B2B product program focused on offering large organizations high-quality reusable, non-medical grade cloth face masks to supply to their employees as they welcome them back to work. With the tremendous impact COVID-19 has on the world, Gap Inc. has leaned in and worked quickly to serve customers in compelling and differentiated ways. As employers look to provide their teams and customers with a safe and healthy work environment, Gap Inc. has leveraged its deep supply chain relationships and agile operations to provide …
San Francisco — Uber Technologies, Inc. and Postmates Inc. have reached a definitive agreement under which Uber will acquire Postmates for approximately $2.65 billion in an all-stock transaction. This transaction brings together Uber’s global Rides and Eats platform with Postmates’ distinctive delivery business in the U.S. Postmates is highly complementary to Uber Eats, with differentiated geographic focus areas and customer demographics, and Postmates’ strong relationships with small- and medium-sized restaurants, particularly local favorites that draw customers to the Postmates brand. Additionally, Postmates has been an early pioneer of “delivery-as-a-service,” which …
Smokey Bones Fully Reopens All Restaurants, Adds a New Location with Ghost Kitchen and Virtual Restaurant
by Katie Lee
Aventura, Fla. — Smokey Bones reopened all of its 61 restaurants in 16 states on June 30. During the pandemic, Smokey Bones created and opened its 61st restaurant, a ghost kitchen in Chicago and opened a new brand, The Wing Experience, in June as a virtual restaurant located inside its ghost kitchen. “We are proud to not only have reopened all of our restaurants, but we have demonstrated, with the launch of our ghost and virtual kitchens, that Smokey Bones is a growth brand, now and in the future,” says …
Bentonville, Ark. — Walmart, in partnership with Tribeca Enterprises, is creating a touring drive-in movie theater that will transform 160 Walmart parking lots into contactless outdoor cinemas. There, in the parking lots, customers can safely gather to watch movies programmed by the Tribeca Drive-in team. “Summer hasn’t really felt like summer yet, and I know I hear every day, ‘Mom, I’m bored!’” says Janey Whiteside, chief customer officer, Walmart. “We’re hoping to bring some summer fun to families across the country. We know Walmart plays a role in our communities …
Helena, Mont. — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise which features dine-in and drive-thru in the “better chicken” segment, is expanding into Montana. Mike Sartwell, who is an existing multi-unit franchisee with Slim Chickens, is bringing four new restaurants to Montana. The first location, which is a conversion, will be located at 1450 Prospect Ave. in Helena. Sartwell has an extensive portfolio of restaurants across North Dakota, Montana, Missouri and Illinois. His portfolio consists of quick-service and fast-casual brands. “Our group has developed Slim Chickens restaurants in North Dakota, and …
Minneapolis — Leading casual and quick-serve restaurant brand veteran Aric Nissen has joined Restaurant Technologies as chief marketing officer. Previously, Nissen served as vice president of revenue management for Subway, helping build out revenue strategies for the global chain. His role at Restaurant Technologies, a top provider of foodservice cooking oil and hood and flue management solutions, will be to lead the company marketing efforts through the next stages of growth, following on the successful acquisitions of AutoMist and Grease Lock. These solutions, along with the company’s flagship Total Oil …
Leawood, Kan. — AMC Theatres has delayed its U.S. reopening date until July 30. The company will resume operations of 450 U.S. theaters as part of a phased plan that is expected to bring the 600-plus U.S. theaters to full operation by early August. AMC says the new reopening date aligns with updated release timing for major movies such as “Tenet” on Aug. 12 and “Mulan” on Aug. 21. Previously, AMC had expected to be fully open globally in July when Christopher Nolan’s spy film “Tenet” was scheduled to release …