New York City — Fransmart, the industry-leading franchise development company, will officially represent Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, the soon-to-open, 24/7 quick-service restaurant serving creative, flavor-packed dumplings with hands-free technology, in its global franchising endeavors. The restaurant’s flagship location is opening in Manhattan’s East Village this December. Fransmart was drawn to Brooklyn Dumpling Shop’s unique concept, which reimagines dumplings in 32 unique varieties along with the latest in restaurant tech innovation. “This is all about disruption,” says Stratis Morfogen, co-founder of Brooklyn Dumpling Shop. “Disrupting the QSR industry, disrupting traditional kitchen operations, …
restaurants
Newport Beach, Calif. — Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to launch a digital restaurant concept dubbed Chipotle Digital Kitchen. Customers will be required to order in advance via the Chipotle app, website or third-party delivery service; there will not be a dining area or line to order food. The Newport Beach-based restaurant chain says the footprint is designed for urban areas but will open its first location near West Point Academy in Highland Falls, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 14. The announcement of the restaurant opening comes on the heels of the …
Auburn, Ala. — Chicken Salad Chick, the nation’s only Southern-inspired, fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, has named Marianna Magee as director of marketing and Jon Musser as director of supply chain. These additions to the brand’s rapidly growing corporate team come on the heels of the promotions of longstanding leaders Jim Thompson, Terry McKee, Tom Carr, Mary Lou Atkins and Carrie Evans in August. Chicken Salad Chick, which now has more than 175 locations in 17 states, has opened 34 new locations year-to-date, with four more projected to open before …
New York City — The Halal Guys, the fast-casual American halal restaurant famous for pioneering halal fare, is celebrating its 30th anniversary since opening its first cart in Manhattan in 1990. Thirty years ago, The Halal Guys’ three founding partners — Mohamed Abouelenein, Ahmed Elsaka and Abdelbaset Elsayed — emigrated from Egypt to New York City to pursue their dreams of becoming successful entrepreneurs. Starting at the corner of 53rd and 6th Avenue in New York City, fast forward to 2020 and The Halal Guys is the original and largest …
San Diego — QDOBA Mexican Eats®, the largest franchise opportunity in the fast-casual Mexican segment, continues to grow its non-traditional footprint across universities, airports and other venues. Since August, the brand has opened eight locations on college campuses across the country — including University of Cincinnati, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Purdue University, University of Pittsburgh-Bradford, ASU Polytechnic, North Carolina A&T University, Kentucky State University and Northern Illinois University. An additional two non-traditional locations are slated to open by the end of the year. This year’s non-traditional openings add to a collection …
Darien, Conn. — On November 6, Playa Bowls, the Jersey Shore’s original acai bowl shop, is opening its milestone 100th location in the United States & Puerto Rico. The 100th store, located in Darien, Conn., is Playa Bowls’ third store in the state. Over the past 6 years, Playa Bowls has grown organically with a mix of franchised and company locations, employing 2,500+ team members in 16 states and territories. In 2019 alone, Playa Bowls sold more than 6 million bowls, and was on track to sell up to 10 million in …
Wilbraham, Mass. — FIC Restaurants Inc., which operates the Friendly’s brand, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and entered in an agreement to sell all of its assets to Amici Partners Group LLC. Nearly all of Friendly’s 130 corporate-owned and franchised restaurant locations, known for burgers, sandwiches and ice cream, are expected to remain open subject to COVID-19 limitations. Friendly’s stated that it has sufficient cash on hand to continue operations, meet its obligations to employees, franchisees and vendors. Upon the sale closing, Amici expects to retain most employees at …
Atlanta and Canton, Mass. — Inspire Brands has agreed to acquire fast-food breakfast chain Dunkin’ Brands in a transaction valued at $11.3 billion. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. Atlanta-based Inspire Brands is the parent company of restaurant chains such as Arby’s, Jimmy John’s, Sonic Drive-In and Buffalo Wild Wings. In addition to its namesake coffee and breakfast chain, Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Brands also owns ice cream parlor chain Baskin-Robbins, which respectively have about 12,500 and 8,000 locations worldwide. Dunkin’ has about 9,600 locations …
Dallas — MUTTS Canine Cantina®, a fast-growing pet eatertainment brand that provides a unique urban oasis for dogs and their owners, has signed a multi-unit franchise deal to bring locations to El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, Ariz. New franchisee April Mendoza of Pups and Pals, LLC, plans to open multiple MUTTS® locations, with a focus on the Southwest I-10 corridor. “It is an exciting time to join the MUTTS Canine Cantina family. While 2020 has been a year filled with unexpected challenges, one thing is certain — people have been …
Chicago — Dickey’s Barbecue Pit unveiled its first virtual kitchen on Oct. 30 in Chicago. This model, which services guests solely through online ordering and third-party delivery, is the first of its kind to open for the Texas-based, family-owned franchise. Barbecue fans in the surrounding 10-mile area can get their Dickey’s fix by ordering delivery directly to their doorstep through www.dickeys.com or the Dickey’s app. “As an industry leader we are continually adapting our restaurant models to fit the needs of both the economic climate and the fluctuations of guest …