restaurants

Atlanta — Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a leading national fast-casual cafe franchise known for its better-for-you smoothies and food with a tropical twist, has promoted its former senior vice president of operations, Richard Key, to chief operations officer, effective immediately. Key has served on the brand’s senior leadership team since joining the company in 2018. In his new role, he will help grow and evolve field support teams and lead internal initiatives that prioritize the Tropical Smoothie Cafe guest experience and franchise profitability. “Over the past 3 years, Richard and his …

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Orlando, Fla. — Another Broken Egg Cafe, a full-service breakfast, brunch and lunch franchise, has seen its focus on seasonality, service and guest experience both on- and off-premise pay off this year. Same-store sales are up nearly 20% from pre-pandemic levels, and that momentum is attracting new franchisees as well as inspiring many of the brand’s existing franchisees to develop more locations. “Between our sales increases and new cafe openings, we expect system-wide growth to exceed 35% this year,” says Paul Macaluso, president and CEO of Another Broken Egg Cafe. …

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57% of consumers believe restaurant employees have more control over their experience than the brand itself.   Chicago — Labor demand is continuing to outstrip labor supply by a wider margin despite record job openings. The hospitality industry is just one industry taking hard hits, with some restaurants reporting temporarily closing or cutting hours due to the labor shortage. But just as restaurants look to robotics, apps and digital tools to fill the voids in the frontline workforce, consumers are pressing pause, expressing their desire for more human experiences. Big Red …

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Seattle — MOD Super Fast Pizza Holdings, LLC, a fast-casual pizza concept, has appointed Becky Mulligan to the role of senior vice president, operations, effective immediately. She brings to MOD over 25 years of experience at leading brands. In her new role, Mulligan will oversee all aspects of operations across 420+ company-owned and operated stores, focusing on continuous improvement of MOD’s operational execution and the development and support of field leadership teams, in order to deliver a consistently exceptional experience. She will lead the field operations and operations excellence teams, …

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Scottsdale, Ariz. — P.F. Chang’s has opened its Royal Hawaiian location as an upgraded flagship restaurant. The Honolulu dining destination was the focus of significant investment recently completing a 6-month renovation, resulting in significant upgrades to design, décor and ambiance at the 10,000-square-foot site. The new flagship at 2201 Kalakaua Ave. opened on September 7. “P.F. Chang’s prides itself in offering an immersive Asian dining experience, and this new flagship location allows us to do so in a distinctly differentiated way,” says Tana Davila, chief marketing officer at P.F. Chang’s. …

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Holmdel, N.J. — Somerset Development has signed a lease with Oink and Moo BBQ & Burgers at Bell Works in Holmdel, N.J. Oink and Moo will open in October. The Southern-inspired menu offers classic barbecue dishes, and is created with a mix of styles from each region of the southern ‘Barbecue Belt.’ Every meal is made from scratch. “We’re constantly seeking one-of-a-kind restaurants and retailers to add to Bell Works’ blooming ecosystem of business and culture,” says Ralph Zucker, president of Somerset Development. “Oink and Moo BBQ & Burgers is …

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Pasadena, Calif. — Dog Haus has selected Dallas-based Harrison to bring its new prototype to life. Harrison is applying its award-winning strategic branding, interior design and architectural expertise to create building plans and schematic designs that cover every detail of the prototype: Design Evolution. In keeping with Dog Haus’ current contemporary aesthetic of a modern industrial space, Harrison’s interior design will have a post-modern look and feel with new décor, materials and textures. To fulfill new consumer behaviors and deliver increased off-premise sales while ensuring a convenient guest experience, exterior …

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New York City — Newmark Retail has signed a 2,230-square-foot lease at 885 Eighth Ave. for the newest P.F. Chang’s To Go. This marks the fifth such lease in the city in the past 18 months as P.F. Chang’s expands its off-premise dining concept throughout the country. P.F Chang’s began to grow its new To Go concept in 2019, before the pandemic, and has strategically continued openings throughout 2020 and into 2021. Open P.F. Chang’s To Go locations in New York City include 240 West 40th St., 630 Third Ave., …

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New York City — An affiliate of Garnett Station Partners, LLC, a New York-based principal investment firm, has agreed to sell Twin Peaks, a national sports bar & grill franchise company, to FAT Brands for $300 million. Twin Peaks is based in Dallas and was founded in 2005. “Twin Peaks is a truly unique concept within the casual dining industry, with a best-in-class management team and committed franchisees, as demonstrated by its significant growth and consistently strong financial results throughout its partnership with Garnett Station,” says Matt Perelman, partner at …

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Dallas — Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, the world’s largest barbecue franchise, is embarking on a huge development push in the Northeast. The company has signed a multi-unit area development agreement with Chaac Foods, LLC to develop 48 Dickey’s locations in 5 years. Chaac Foods is led by CEO and President Luis Ibarguengoytia, a veteran restaurant operator, who teamed with Gauge Capital to form Chaac Foods, which currently develops and operates Pizza Hut and Bojangles restaurants. “We look forward to entering the barbecue category by joining forces with the world’s fastest growing …

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