Boca Raton, Fla. — I Heart Mac & Cheese, a fast-casual concept specializing in customizable, made-to-order macaroni and cheese bowls, grilled cheese sandwiches and specialty salads, has signed an agreement with franchise group G5 Services, LLC, to open a new location in Augusta, Ga. Slated to start construction later this year, the Augusta location will be owned and operated by Kimberly and Brian Grotz, opening in winter 2019. G5 Services, LLC is led by husband-and-wife duo and first-time entrepreneurs, Kimberly and Brian Grotz. “We are so thrilled to have Kim …
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Conshohocken, Pa. — IKEA U.S.’s first city center location in the country — the IKEA Planning Studio — will open on April 15, 2019 in Manhattan. Located at 999 Third Ave. in New York City, the new IKEA touchpoint will focus on providing inspiration and smart solutions for city living and small spaces. “We conducted extensive research about city living, and we believe New Yorkers will see their needs reflected this new concept,” says Leontyne Green Sykes, chief operating officer, IKEA Retail U.S. “We hope the Planning Studio will serve …
Greenwood Village, Colo. — Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., a full-service restaurant chain, has retained The Cypress Group, a leading restaurant and franchise investment banking firm, to manage Red Robin’s refranchising initiative. Cypress has more than 25 years of multi-unit M&A and corporate refranchising experience in the restaurant industry, including engagements with a number of major casual dining brands. “Strategically refining our real estate portfolio and pursuing development opportunities with high-quality franchisees is a key component of future growth for Red Robin. We are excited to partner with The Cypress …
Nashville, Tenn. — LifeWay, a Christian bookseller based in Nashville, Tenn., plans to close all 170 of its physical bookstores. The bulk of the company’s stores are in the Southeastern United States, with a large concentration of locations in Texas and Ohio. A full list can be found here. LifeWay expects to close all of its physical locations by the end of the year, and the timing of store closings will vary depending on local circumstances. In January, the company announced it would reduce the number of its retail locations …
Chicago — SMS Assist has hired Graham Blackwell as chief strategy and revenue officer. A deeply experienced operating executive, Blackwell will lead SMS Assist’s strategy, pricing, marketing and sales organizations and help the company continue to innovate and evolve its strategy as it rapidly grows. Blackwell, most recently an executive vice president with Bain Capital’s North American private equity team, has spent nearly two decades building businesses through the sharpening of strategy and execution. His experiences have been particularly focused on the technology, retail and business services industries. “SMS Assist …
Denver — Sage Restaurant Group, a Denver-based independent restaurant group, has made several new hires and internal promotions as the company expands its corporate leadership team and continues to grow nationally. SRG has hired Adam Titze as vice president of culinary operations, and has promoted Meaghan Goedde to senior vice president of operations and Bev McCrory to director of people resources. “We believe success starts with talented individuals,” says Brent Berkowitz, COO of SRG. “Extraordinary people are dedicated to delivering extraordinary guest experiences, and we seek to hire and retain …
Mount Laurel, N.J. — Agilence, Inc., a leader in vertical business intelligence for restaurant operators, has partnered with Omnivore, provider of the universal POS API and digital marketplace that helps to optimize the digital restaurant experience. The Agilence 20/20 Data Analytics platform is now integrated with the Omnivore API, giving more restaurant operators access to advanced analytics regardless of their point-of-sale (POS) system of choice. This new partnership drastically decreases integration times, leading to a greater impact on results and a faster ROI. “We are very excited to be partnering …
St. Louis — Bryon Muir has been promoted to senior project manager at Knoebel Construction. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of select retail center, restaurant, grocery and retail store construction projects, both in St. Louis and nationally. He joined Knoebel Construction as project manager in 2011. Knoebel Construction, Inc. is a national general contractor specializing in retail center, multi-use, restaurant, grocery, healthcare and retail store construction. Projects range from major regional shopping centers to local restaurants. Founded in 1981 and centrally based in the St. Louis region, Knoebel …
Glendale, Calif., and Karachi, Pakistan — Dine Brands Global Inc. has signed a deal with several principals of Gerry’s Group, a leading Pakistan-based logistics and food-and-beverage group, to bring the IHOP brand to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The deal calls for 19 IHOP locations throughout the country over the next 9 years, nine of which will be franchised by the principals of Gerry’s Group with the other 10 sub-franchised. The first location is expected to open in Karachi by the end of 2019 and continues the brand’s expansion into …
Cincinnati — LSI Industries, Inc. has appointed Nelson Wesley as vice president strategic initiatives. He will oversee initiatives focused on improving sales, driving operational efficiency and ultimately improving financial performance of the company. He will report to the CMO, Scott Coleman. Wesley joins LSI Industries with over 20 years of marketing, sales and product management experience. He started his career at Ingersoll Rand and most recently he served as vice president of sales, marketing and aftermarket, involving direct management of sales, marketing, aftermarket and bid teams at Ellis & Watts …