Aventura, Fla. — Not many restaurants can triple in size during a global pandemic, but Smokey Bones is doing just that by expanding its virtual restaurants, The Wing Experience and The Burger Experience, to all of its brick-and-mortar restaurants. The virtual restaurants are delivery-only and operate out of existing Smokey Bones’ brick-and-mortar kitchens, and out of the Smokey Bones’ ghost kitchen in Chicago. The menus feature Smokey Bones’ burgers and wings, including unique recipes created specifically for each virtual restaurant brand. “By opening these new virtual restaurants, we can shine …
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Dallas — Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is rapidly expanding its non-traditional store count with the development of seven new food trucks units. The 79-year-old barbecue franchise reports an uptick in interest from both new and existing franchisees in its food truck model as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to make an impact on restaurant dining rooms. “The pandemic is sure to have a lasting impact on consumer behavior and as a legacy brand it’s important to us that we continue to meet the evolving needs of our guests, while staying true to …
Playa Vista, Calif. — California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) is the latest fast-casual restaurant chain to file for bankruptcy protection due to strain brought on by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on July 30, 2020 in order to “close unprofitable locations, reduce its long term debt load and quickly emerge from bankruptcy as a much stronger company,” according to the filing. The Playa Vista, Calif.-based company did not release a list detailing which …
— By Katie Lee — How Slim Chickens is not only surviving — but thriving — during COVID-19. During the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Slim Chickens was able to turn on a dime: transforming its parking lots into dining rooms, boosting digital channels, investing in marketing and operations, as well as new safety protocols, and continuing to sell franchise locations — tallying almost 50 new units so far this year. While the Fayetteville, Arkansas-based fast-casual brand had to scale back its original 2020 development plans to open 30 …
Burleson, Texas — Muscle Maker, Inc., the parent company of Muscle Maker Grill, Healthy Joe’s and MMG Burger Bar, has opened its first delivery-only ghost kitchen in the Chicago market. Located at 3517 N. Spaulding Ave. the kitchen will showcase menus from Muscle Maker Grill, Healthy Joe’s and Muscle Maker Grill’s new Meal Plan concept: Meal Plan AF. Guests can order dishes from any of the three concepts through third-party delivery platforms, which include DoorDash, GrubHub, UberEats, Postmates, ChowNow and Caviar. As the demand for delivery increases due to social …
Irvine, Calif. — Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading handcrafted smoothie, açaí bowl and raw juice chains, has promoted Susan Taylor to president and chief executive officer. She joined Juice It Up!’s senior leadership team last September as vice president of operations. A restaurant industry veteran of nearly 30 years, 14 of which were with Jamba, Taylor will lead Juice It Up!’s next phase of growth. Celebrating its 25-year anniversary in 2020, the Juice It Up! brand was acquired in 2018 by SJB Brands, LLC, a partnership between …
Fort Mill, S.C. — Diversey, a leading global hygiene and cleaning company, has launched its new Clean and Ready Program. The program is designed to respond to the new era of cleanliness, as facilities worldwide begin the process of reopening following the pandemic. The program will be launched globally across the full range of sectors in which Diversey operates, including: hospitality, foodservice, education, offices — specifically targeting building service contractors (BSCs) — and in retail environments. “There is now an urgent need to convey a visible commitment to the highest …
Miami — Miami, a major U.S. city that continues to experience a spike in COVID-19 cases, recently signed an emergency order limiting restaurants to outdoor dining only. To help businesses survive and keep locals safe, the City of Miami has curated a city-wide outdoor dining pilot program to allow restaurants to expand onto city streets, parking spaces and sidewalks until January 31, 2021. Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood has officially closed Fuller Street as part of the city-wide program — after receiving Miami’s only street closure approval — and has since transformed the …
Los Angeles — FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc. is resuming its “healthcare heroes initiative” by bringing its Fatburger “Fatmobile” food truck to local hospitals to cook fresh, tasty meals for healthcare workers across the L.A. region. During the pandemic in April and May, the Fatmobile made stops at dozens of area hospitals serving up a total of 25,000 meals for local healthcare heroes. Now, as cases have started to rise in L.A. and the surrounding area, Fatburger plans to dish out an additional 10,000 meals to healthcare heroes. “Since …
Lexington, Ky. — Same-store sales at A&W Restaurants’ franchised gas and convenience store locations jumped by double digits in June, although Americans were driving fewer miles and buying less gas than usual. Sales at A&W’s more than 90 C-store locations were up 10.5%, following an 8.3% increase in May. They were an average of 11% higher during the January-February period before falling off in March and April, the result of the coronavirus pandemic. The strong performance comes as the iconic brand prepares to expand its convenience store and travel center …