Chula Vista, Calif. — FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc., parent company of Hurricane Grill & Wings and eight other restaurant concepts, has opened Hurricane Grill & Wings in Chula Vista, Calif. This marks the restaurant brand’s first location in California and its first fast-casual restaurant concept nationwide. “We are excited to expand fan-favorite Hurricane Grill & Wings into the California market,” says Andy Wiederhorn, CEO of FAT Brands. “While we have had great success with our full-serve model, we see a huge appetite and demand for a fast-casual experience …
restaurants
Orlando, Fla. — Darden Restaurants Inc. has reported its sales fell 28.4% in its fiscal first quarter, which ended Aug. 30. The Orlando, Fla.-based company owns restaurant brands including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Eddie V’s. Darden reported that sales in its fine dining restaurants fell 38.9% year-over-year. Sales at Olive Garden slid 27.7%, while LongHorn saw a decrease of 16.3%. At the beginning of its first quarter, Darden had 68% of restaurants in its portfolio open, compared …
Orange County, Calif. — Rodeo 39 Public Market will be Southern California’s newest culinary and community experience when it opens in mid-October. Not your typical food hall, Rodeo 39 features expansive hangar doors that open up for an inside/outside setting, original artwork and murals from five different Southern California artists and several first-to-market retail and restaurant concepts. “We wanted to do something different and we were committed to breathing new life into this stretch of Orange County, right here in Stanton,” says Dan Almquist, managing partner of Frontier Real Estate …
Atlanta — Jamba®, a global lifestyle brand leader, has signed a 50-unit deal to expand in Japan. With two Tokyo locations now open, ADASTRIA eat Creations Inc. — a subsidiary of one of the largest fashion and apparel companies in Japan — is driving Jamba’s Japan expansion. ADASTRIA has opened two locations in Tokyo and has plans to expand to 50 locations across Japan by 2025. “As we strategically expand our brand portfolio in select countries around the world, we believe that Japan is an ideal market for Jamba as …
Davenport, Iowa — The state of Iowa’s first and only non-alcoholic bar called Unimpaired, located at 246 W. 3rd St. in the heart of downtown Davenport, has now opened. Unimpaired’s mission is to provide excellent customer service with the highest standards of integrity, as well as an environment where patrons can enjoy a non-alcoholic drink, relax and socialize in a space where fun times aren’t foggy and make memories to remember forever. At Unimpaired, locals and visitors can tap into a non-alcoholic environment and experience all the amenities of a …
Chattanooga, Tenn. — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise in the “better chicken” segment, has inked a deal that will bring 10 locations to cities throughout Tennessee. The Davis Group, which consists of Scott, Ricky and Cody Davis, will bring the restaurants to Jackson, Knoxville and Chattanooga. The Davis Group is partnering with David Hull, Greg Rowden and Josh Rowden to co-own and operate existing Slim Chickens restaurants in Memphis and Arkansas. They will continue development in those markets as well. “We are so excited to expand our Slim Chickens …
Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International, Inc. plans to open a new global headquarters in metropolitan Atlanta, where menu innovation; marketing; customer experience; HR; diversity, equity and inclusion; communications; and development functions will be located. IT, supply chain and legal teams will remain in the Louisville, Ky., headquarters. Papa John’s also maintains a headquarters office outside of London where its international operations are managed. The opening of the new Atlanta location and related organizational changes are expected to be completed by summer 2021 and do not affect Papa John’s company-owned …
Cheyenne, Wyo. — Taco John’s International Inc., a leading quick-service Mexican franchise, announced that same-store sales are up at the brand for the third month in a row. From May through August, comp sales were up by an average of 6.85% each month. “The way our system has been able to maneuver and grow through this pandemic is incredible and speaks to the recession-resistant nature of our franchise model,” says Brooks Speirs, vice president for franchise development at the legacy brand. Taco John’s has celebrated nearly half a dozen openings …
Irvine, Calif. — Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading handcrafted smoothie, açaí bowl and raw juice chains, has appointed Carlo Verdugo as director of operations and business development. An industry veteran with nearly two decades of franchise experience, Verdugo has served in various leadership roles for national chains including Jack in the Box and nearly a decade with Jamba, where he served as the senior director of global growth. As Juice It Up!’s director of operations and business development, Verdugo will lead a variety of initiatives supporting Juice …
Lake Forest, Calif. — Del Taco Restaurants, Inc., the nation’s second-largest Mexican quick-service restaurant*, has appointed Erin Levzow to the new position of vice president, marketing technology. Levzow brings a wide breadth of experience in marketing, marketing technology, mobile apps and ordering technology, as well as building loyalty and rewards programs, across multiple industries. “As the technology space becomes more critical for customer engagement every year, we continue to plan and execute against building competitive and innovative systems for our brand,” says Tim Hackbardt, chief marketing officer of Del Taco. …