Monday, December 1, 2025
Read the Magazine Subscribe

restaurants

construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Moe’s Casa Mexicana to Make International Debut in India

by Katie Lee

Gurugram, India — Moe’s Casa Mexicana™, the global evolution of the popular U.S. fast-casual chain Moe’s Southwest Grill®, is entering the Indian market with franchise partner Unify Foodworks. The brand’s international flagship restaurant will open on Dec. 6, 2025, at Elan Miracle with a second location set to open at Ambience Mall Vasant Kunj. “We are thrilled to bring Moe’s Casa Mexicana to New Delhi and make India our first international market,” says Steven Yang, senior vice president, APAC at GoTo Foods, parent company of Moe’s Casa Mexicana. “Unify Foodworks …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Bonchon to Debut in Puerto Rico with 6 Units in 2026

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Bonchon, a global leader in Korean Fried Chicken, is expanding to Puerto Rico. The company signed a 6-unit deal with a new franchise partner with the first restaurant slated to open in late 2026. “We’re thrilled to expand into a new market with strong demand for Korean cuisine and a trusted, experienced partner,” says Suzie Tsai, CEO, Bonchon. “As Korean food continues to gain global popularity, Puerto Rico presents an exciting opportunity for Bonchon to introduce our signature Korean Fried Chicken. Through our turnkey franchise program, we’re committed …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Dairy Queen to Open 187 New Restaurants Internationally

by Katie Lee

Minneapolis — International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ), through its wholly owned subsidiary American Dairy Queen Corporation, has signed deals to open DQ® restaurants in new markets Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and grow the number of DQ restaurants in Qatar. The deals commit to opening 187 DQ restaurants throughout the four markets. “Entering new markets and growing existing markets is a key component of our growth strategy,” says Nicolas Boudet, COO international at International Dairy Queen. “With 7,700 DQ restaurants in more than 20 markets, we’re pleased to add to …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Layne’s Chicken Fingers Signs 44-Unit Deal, Largest in Brand History

by Katie Lee

Frisco, Texas — Layne’s Chicken Fingers has signed a monumental 44-unit franchise agreement with Eli Cohen, an experienced real estate and restaurant developer, across its home state of Texas. Layne’s will expand across West Texas, San Antonio and the Coastal Bend. With this deal, the Texas market is now over 90% sold out, leaving room for expansion in just El Paso and a few smaller, single-unit territories. “Sealing an over-40-unit deal in our home state is a major milestone for us as we approach 100% market saturation across Texas,” says …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
energy managementfacilities managementIndustry Voicesrestaurantsretailerssoftware/technologyvendors

From Reactive to Proactive

by Katie Lee

— By Etrit Demaj — Smart tech rewrites the retail maintenance playbook. Retail and restaurant operators have long accepted reactive maintenance as the cost of doing business. When equipment breaks, facility teams respond, often at high cost and with little warning. But this break-fix cycle no longer works in today’s environment of shrinking margins, energy mandates and rising customer expectations. A growing number of multi-site operators are shifting to a proactive, tech-enabled maintenance model that prevents problems, instead of waiting for them to arise. This approach turns building systems into …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

Marco’s Pizza Appoints Vice President of Franchise Growth

by Katie Lee

Toledo, Ohio — Marco’s Pizza has appointed Brad Smith as vice president of franchise growth. The appointment reflects Marco’s continued investment in world-class leadership as it pursues aggressive multi-unit growth, international expansion (particularly across LATAM and the Caribbean) and non-traditional development opportunities. “Brad brings a rare combination of strategic vision, operational expertise and global franchise insight,” says Gerardo Flores, chief development officer of Marco’s Pizza. “As we continue to scale with purpose, his leadership will be instrumental in accelerating growth, deepening our operational excellence, and expanding our reach with high-caliber …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newspeoplerestaurants

Papa Johns Names New CFO and President, North America

by Katie Lee

Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International, Inc. has promoted Ravi Thanawala to chief financial officer and president, North America. Most recently, he served as chief financial officer and executive vice president, international. In his new role, he will lead the company’s North American business, including restaurant operations and development strategies along with his CFO responsibilities. In connection with his appointment, the company’s international business will be led by Chris Lyn-Sue, who has been promoted from senior vice president, head of international markets to senior vice president, general manager of international. …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
construction and designfranchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

Bagels & Co. Taps Restaurant Industry Veteran as New COO

by Katie Lee

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — Kevin Armantrout, who has held executive roles with several nationally recognized brands, has been named chief operating officer for Bagels & Co. which has several locations now open in Pennsylvania and Florida with plans to expand to additional cities across the U.S. Armantrout has built a distinguished career leading high-growth restaurant and hospitality brands through expansion, operational transformation and cultural renewal. His extensive experience in management, site selection, construction and building a strong foundation for franchising from the ground up are an asset to Bagels & …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Bill Schaphorst proactive maintenance quote from article
Content Partnerenergy managementexterior services/landscapingfacilities managementFeaturesHVAC/RIndustry Contentkitchen equipmentkitchen exhaust/grease controllightingMaintenXplumbingproperty managementrestaurantsroofing

Proactive Maintenance: The Key to Avoiding Costly Restaurant Downtime

by Sarah Daniels

For restaurants, few things are more disruptive or expensive than an equipment failure during working hours. Whether it’s a failed refrigerator, a backed-up drain or an HVAC unit that quits in the height of summer, a single breakdown can halt operations, spoil inventory, drive away customers and result in lost revenue and trust. Yet most of these expensive emergencies can be prevented through proactive maintenance. “Regular inspections and cleaning schedules are the simplest way for restaurants to safeguard uptime and extend the lives of their critical systems,” says Bill Schaphorst, …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurantsretailers

Wienerschnitzel Opens First Walmart Store Restaurant in Arizona

by Katie Lee

Tempe, Ariz. — Wienerschnitzel, the world’s largest hot dog franchise, is celebrating its first restaurant opening inside a Walmart Supercenter, located in Tempe, Ariz., this month. This milestone marks the beginning of a broader non-traditional growth initiative, with six franchised restaurants planned for Walmart stores across the U.S. As Wienerschnitzel accelerates its expansion strategy, the opportunity with the retail giant represents a major step forward in bringing the legacy brand’s signature menu to high-traffic, convenience-driven environments. Additional restaurants are slated for Puyallup, Wash.; Alamogordo, N.M.; Reno, Nev.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts