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BBQ Holdings Hires New VP of Franchise Sales and Real Estate

by Katie Lee

Minnetonka, Minn. — BBQ Holdings, Inc., the multi-brand restaurant company behind concepts such as Famous Dave’s and Granite City Food and Brewery, and the newly acquired Village Inn and Bakers Square, has hired Manny Packing as the brand’s new vice president of franchise sales and real estate. Most recently, Packing was the director of international real estate and construction for Inspire Brands, the owner and franchisor of several legacy franchise brands, including Arby’s, Sonic Drive-In, Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins. While there, Packing was responsible for onboarded new franchisees and led efforts …

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Silver Diner is First Restaurant Group in Mid-Atlantic to Offer On-Site Vaccination

by Katie Lee

Rockville, Md. — Silver Diner is taking the lead in ensuring that its employees are vaccinated and offering a convenient way for its guests to get vaccinated. The restaurant is partnering with Kaiser, the company’s primary insurance carrier, and the Fairfax County Department of Health, and bringing a mobile van to Silver Diner locations throughout the Washington, D.C., region and Baltimore. Kaiser has partnered with Silver Diner on health and wellness programs for the past 15 years. Now, they have a mobile health unit they began bringing to various Silver …

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Pokemoto Continues Non-Traditional Expansion with New College Locations in Northern Virginia

by Katie Lee

League City, Texas — Pokemoto, a growing Hawaiian poke bowl concept and subsidiary of Muscle Maker Inc., has opened as the exclusive food and meal provider at four new locations along with two coffee shops on campuses at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). The NightHawk Cafés will offer various grab-and-go menu items, coffee, breakfast, a snack on the run, or dine-in options with a poke bowl, burrito or salad. The four new Pokemoto NOVA locations in Alexandria, Loudoun, Manassas and Woodbridge, Va., will continue Muscle Maker’s non-traditional growth strategy and …

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Saladworks and Frutta Bowls Debut First U.S. Walmart Location

by Katie Lee

Rochester, N.Y. — WOWorks, the parent company of health-centric fast-casual brands Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh and The Simple Greek, has debuted its first location in a Walmart grocery store in Rochester, N.Y. The ghost kitchen location will include Saladworks, the nation’s leading fast-casual entrée salad franchise, and Frutta Bowls, the nation’s fastest-growing superfoods café, alongside other mouthwatering brands. This opening comes after WOWorks signed a deal for 90 non-traditional retail presences with Ghost Kitchen Brands in the spring of this year. Saladworks currently has over 150 locations across …

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Tropical Smoothie Cafe Names Chief Operations Officer

by Katie Lee

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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construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Another Broken Egg Cafe Sales Rise 20% From Pre-Pandemic Levels

by Katie Lee

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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Industry Voicesrestaurantssoftware/technology

JLL Survey: Frontline QSR Workers Favored Over Technology by Consumers

by Katie Lee

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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MOD Pizza Names New Senior Vice President, Operations

by Katie Lee

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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P.F. Chang’s Launches Flagship Location in Hawaii

by Katie Lee

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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Oink & Moo BBQ and Burgers to Open Second Location

by Katie Lee

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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