Atlanta — Melting Pot, the nation’s premier fondue dining experience, has announced that four of its Atlanta-area restaurants are now under the sole ownership of Layla Haddad Gunn, who plans to renovate all four restaurants as part of the Melting Pot Evolution, a companywide initiative upgrading dining rooms, bars and other areas to elevate the guest experience. All four Atlanta-area Melting Pots — located in Midtown, Duluth, Kennesaw and Roswell — are getting a fresh, modern look with new fabrics, flooring, paint, artwork and lighting, as well as new hospitality …
remodels
Holbrook, N.Y. — Regency Centers has begun the redevelopment of the 280,000-square-foot former SunVet Mall in the Long Island community of Holbrook. Regency has rebranded the 50-year-old property as The Shops at SunVet and plans to reposition it as a 168,000-square-foot, open-air shopping center with six outparcels. Whole Foods Market will anchor the center. Demolition of the existing structure is underway, and new construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2024. SBLM Architects is the lead architect on the project. SOURCE: www.REBusinessOnline.com
Wendy’s Next Generation
— By Katie Lee — The QSR leader never stops innovating — from the current rollout of its new Global Next Gen restaurant design to the highly anticipated launch of its future high-capacity kitchen. It’s hard to imagine that quick-service restaurants once existed without drive-thrus, but someone had to start somewhere. In 1970, Wendy’s Founder Dave Thomas popularized the “Pick-Up Window” at a freestanding Wendy’s restaurant and that innovation became, essentially, one of the first modern drive-thrus. While the pick-up window wasn’t brand new, no one had made it work …
— By Alicia Chandler — Franchise remodeling for maximum benefits. If you’ve been notified that your franchisor is requiring you to remodel your restaurant, you may be thinking of the headaches you’re likely to encounter. While it’s true that remodeling a franchise restaurant comes with challenges, it can have big payoffs in terms of increased sales. Planning for challenges can help you manage any difficulties that do arise and maximize the benefits to come. Why Remodel? Outside of the obvious reason — the franchisor requires it — remodeling can lead …
Bentonville, Ark. — On Nov. 3, Walmart will reopen 117 stores nationwide, the largest single-day rollout of re-grand openings in company history. The re-grand opening projects represent more than half a billion dollars in capital investments across 30 states. Walmart plans to continue modernizing its stores across the country in 2024. “We’re investing more than $9 billion over a 2-year period to upgrade and modernize more than 1,400 of our stores across the U.S.,” says John Furner, chief executive officer of Walmart U.S. “With nearly 90% of the U.S. population …
Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. — Graycor has completed the renovation of two DICK’S House of Sport and Golf Galaxy locations in Baybrook and Katy, Texas. These newly redeveloped retail spaces included interior and exterior updates. “Truly a one-of-a-kind destination, DICK’S House of Sport brings customers an experiential retail space like no other,” says Evan Wisthuff, project executive with Graycor Construction Company Inc. “We were honored DICK’S Sporting Goods entrusted Graycor with these conversion projects. We place a high value on teamwork, collaboration and communication — all of which are essential when …
Webinar: How to Plan & Finance a Successful QSR Remodel
The Oct. 12 webinar “ How to Plan & Finance a Successful QSR Remodel,” hosted by Retail & Restaurant Facility Business and sponsored by First Franchise Capital, discussed best practices and strategies for planning, financing and executing remodels for quick-service restaurant (QSR) projects. In this brief, 30-minute webinar, expert panelists covered financing options, industry challenges and information on how to drive more traffic through remodeling. Why is remodeling important and how can it fit into a franchise’s growth strategy? What options do franchisees have when it comes to remodeling, refreshing or re-imaging their …
— By Sean Gillespie — 5 important reasons you should repaint your commercial building. When it comes to building a solid, consistent image, many owners overlook the power of paint. A good paint job can have a direct impact on your marketing efforts by creating a sophisticated look and feel that makes your business more inviting to potential clients. There are lots of reasons that painting your commercial building is beneficial, so let’s dive into the details. First Impressions Matter A person’s first impression of something is influenced by surface …
Dublin, Ohio — The Wendy’s Company is opening its first Global Next Gen restaurants, while also finalizing a new Global Next Gen High-Capacity Kitchen design option for the highest customer demand. Both digital-first designs were created to enhance customer, crew and franchisee experiences, accelerating growth across Wendy’s® global restaurant footprint. Since unveiling the Global Next Gen restaurant design standard less than 1 year ago, the first Wendy’s Global Next Gen restaurants are now open in Kansas and Oklahoma, with more than 200 Global Next Gen restaurants slated to open through …
Tampa, Fla. — The Melting Pot, a 94-unit experiential dining fondue franchise, has had a hot start to the year with over 30 restaurants reopening after a push to remodel, a new pair of franchise owners joining the system and strong trends in guest count. “We’re beating last year’s numbers in terms of sales and guest count,” says Collin Benyo, franchise growth strategist. “There are great results that are exceeding our standards, and both the franchisees and guests are feeling that.” With over 30 restaurants remodeled in line with the …