Dallas — Nestlé® Toll House® Café by Chip® has named Thayne Thompson as the premier bakery café chain’s “2016 Franchisee of the Year.” His café is located in Overland Park Mall in Overland Park, Kan.
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Hampton, N.H. — Planet Fitness, Inc., a franchisor and operator of fitness centers in the U.S., has partnered with Solar Energy Management at its St. Petersburg club to become the first 24/7 Planet Fitness to be a net-zero energy building. The updated, energy-efficient Planet Fitness is now 99.5% reliant on sustainable solar power.
Dallas — In a new franchise development deal that includes parts of New York and New Jersey, Pie Five Pizza will soon be expanding to the East Coast. The first locations are planned for Franklin Park in South Brunswick and Summerhill Square in East Brunswick.
Franklin, Tenn. — CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. (CKE), parent company of Carl’s Jr.® and Hardee’s®, has made two strategic appointments and a promotion to the executive leadership team in its effort to accelerate business and redefine the QSR category. Jeff Jenkins joins as chief marketing officer, Tom Brennan joins as chief operating officer, and Chip Seigel has been promoted to chief legal officer.
Framingham, Mass., and New York City — On June 29, 2017, Staples, Inc. and Sycamore Partners, a leading private equity firm, entered into a merger agreement in which investment funds managed by Sycamore Partners will acquire Staples for approximately $6.9 billion.
Westlake, Ohio — The fun family casual-dining franchise Quaker Steak & Lube has hired industry veteran Bruce Lane as vice president of franchise services. TA Restaurant Group, which acquired Quaker Steak & Lube in 2016, appointed Lane as part of its aggressive strategy to reinvigorate the 43-year-old brand and grow Quaker Steak & Lube into a nationally recognized concept through franchising.
Atlanta — Three-time GRAMMY award-winning artist Zac Brown, of Zac Brown Band, has teamed up with the Atlanta Hawks to open the next restaurant under the Southern Ground family of brands, Zac Brown’s Social Club, in the heart of Atlanta, Philips Arena.