Chicago — Starbucks Coffee Co. has opened its Reserve Roastery in downtown Chicago. The 35,000-square-foot, five-story roastery opened to the public on November 15, 2019 and is the largest Starbucks location. The store is located on the Magnificent Mile in
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Dallas — MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes plans to provide its guests and franchise owners with a fresh and elevated dining experience. The “better burger” fast-casual franchise plans an interior and logo refresh that will roll out beginning in the
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Atlanta — Moe’s Southwest Grill will be the first brand in the Mexican fast-casual space to open an all-digital/kiosk-only location. The first two restaurants are slated to open in Pittsburgh and Charlottesville, Va., in first quarter 2020. Each store will
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— By Katie Lee — At Mamoun’s Falafel, it’s one big, happy (growing) family — with over 40 new franchises soon to join the fold. As one of the oldest falafel restaurants in New York City, Mamoun’s Falafel
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Boston — Figs by Todd English, the casual dining concept founded by award-winning celebrity chef and restaurateur Todd English, is now franchising with the help of Fransmart, an industry-leading franchise development company, to bring its original thin crust pizza and
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Atlanta — The Krystal Company has hired two senior executives with extensive QSR experience to lead its ongoing revitalization plan. Tim Ward fills the newly created position of president and chief operating officer, and Bruce Vermilyea joins the brand as chief financial
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Cincinnati — International retail design firm FRCH NELSON has partnered with KFC SOPAC to design an innovative, pilot project in Newcastle, Australia, opening to the public this week. With a growing number of consumers ordering through online channels, the goal
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Los Angeles — The Dolly Llama, a popular waffle concept that currently dominates the Los Angeles dessert-scene with its own unique take on Hong Kong’s iconic Bubble Waffle, has signed with DCV Franchise Group as its franchising partner to expand
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Atlanta — This is it! Southern Kitchen and BBQ, an Atlanta-based Southern home-style restaurant brand, has launched its franchising program and signed professional NBA player Paul Millsap as its first area developer for Greater Atlanta. The newly revamped Southern food
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Denver — Slater’s 50/50, a full-service restaurant concept known for first creating the 50/50 burger patty made with 50% ground bacon and 50% ground beef, will soon make its Colorado debut. The restaurant will open at in Denver’s RiNo Arts
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Chicago — Jeffrey K. Hoffmann, a veteran banking executive who has provided strategic advice and capital solutions to operators of some of the biggest restaurant brands in North America, has joined A&G Real Estate Partners as a senior managing director
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Spartanburg, S.C. — Eggs Up Grill has appointed Todd Owen as its new vice president of franchise development. Owen brings a rich background in successful franchise development, leading sales and business development with brands that included Qdoba Mexican Eats, spearheading
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Atlanta — The Krystal Company plans to refranchise approximately 100-150 company-owned restaurants to well-capitalized multi-unit operators as part of its ongoing business and fleet revitalization. To that end, Krystal has engaged The Cypress Group, a specialized investment banking firm, to manage the
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Littleton, Colo. – Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh has debuted its fresh new prototype in the southwest Denver suburb of Littleton. The restaurant is the first new ground-up buildout of a GARBANZO restaurant to open in the Denver metro area since 2014,
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Minneapolis — Moe’s Southwest Grill®, a fast-casual restaurant franchise that serves southwestern food, opened its first restaurant in the state of Minnesota on October 18. The restaurant is located between Terminals E and F in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. The
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Chicago — Pinstripes, Inc., a best-in-class experiential dining and entertainment concept, has formed a partnership with Simon Property Group that includes new leases for three future locations within the Simon portfolio, in addition to its existing Clearfork development in Fort
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Chicago — Aloha Poke Co., a fast-casual brand that 3 years ago pioneered Poke concept restaurants in the Midwest, plans to expand through franchising. Solidified already in five U.S. markets as the top spot for innovative poke bowls inspired by
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Boston — Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, a leading fast-casual Mediterranean franchise, is coming to Boston. This will be the fast-growing brand’s first location in New England. The restaurant is opening this winter at 134 Boylston St. and will be followed by
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Fayetteville, Ark. — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise which features dine-in and drive-through, has launched an aggressive multi-unit growth initiative to expand its presence in key markets across the United States. With a goal to reach 600 locations over
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Tampa, Fla. — Anna Schmidt Interior Design has been selected for work on Free the Cork Wine Bar, a wine tasting and small plates restaurant coming to Sparkman Wharf, Tampa’s transformational Water Street Tampa neighborhood. Free the Cork Wine Bar,
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Jacksonville, Fla. — Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. has acquired Maple Street Biscuit Co. for $36 million in an all-cash deal. Maple Street’s portfolio comprised 28 company-owned and five franchise-owned restaurants in seven states at the time of sale.
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Atlanta — Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a leading national fast-casual cafe concept, has awarded 64 franchise agreements in the third quarter. The brand plans to sign 200 franchise agreements, open 130 cafes and grow same-store sales by 5 percent in 2019.
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Chicago — Potbelly Sandwich Shop, the iconic neighborhood sandwich shop, has signed a multi-unit franchise agreement to open shops in Macy’s department stores, adding to the fast-casual brand’s significant multi-unit franchise growth in 2019. “This franchise agreement marks a major
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Miami — As the redevelopment of CocoWalk continues to advance, a new confectionery concept with a celebrity following has signed a lease in anticipation of the lifestyle center’s phased reopening, slated to begin in spring 2020. Salt & Straw, the
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Atlanta — On September 9, 2019, Velvet Taco opened its first Atlanta restaurant in Buckhead. The 2,500-square-foot establishment is situated at 77 W. Paces Ferry Rd. within a Whole Foods Market-anchored shopping center. The late-night joint (most locations stay open
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Jackson, Miss. — Newk’s Eatery has reopened all seven locations in its home market of Jackson, Miss., with a new restaurant prototype inspired by the brand’s ‘Project Strive’ initiative. At the milestone of 15 years since the first unit opened
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— By Rusty Amarante — The future looks bright for service-based franchises. Providing specialized and on-demand services, service-based businesses currently represent a large portion of the franchise establishments in the United States. For almost a decade, service-based franchises have
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