Dallas — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise which features dine-in and drive-thru in the “better chicken” segment, has signed a multi-unit deal with franchisee Ray Johnson to develop 10 restaurants across Texas’s Collin and Denton counties. The first location is slated to open in 2021. Johnson is pursuing sites in lively towns like Highland Village, Flower Mound and Bartonville, to name a few. There are seven thriving Slim Chickens restaurants open today in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. An experienced restaurant operator, Johnson formerly owned over half-a-dozen units of the …
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Coralville, Iowa — As Pancheros continues to see increased month-over-month sales, loyalty program growth and three new restaurant openings, the brand has hired two new executives to lead its operations strategy as it ramps up for growth and expansion. Erik Ivey has been appointed as vice president of operations and Saúl Muñiz has been named director of operations. “Pancheros is focused on bringing the right group of people to the table,” says Rodney Anderson, president at Pancheros Mexican Grill. “Erik and Saúl have shown great integrity and will bring a …
Rockville, Md. — To make indoor dining comfortable again and to honor its commitment to employee and customer health and wellness during the coronavirus pandemic, Silver Diner founders are installing a unique, Veteran LED customized interior air filtration and purification system to make dining indoors as close you can come to outdoor dining. This is the first time this comprehensive and customized system has been used in restaurants. The system includes germicidal UV-C light, bipolar ionization technology and HEPA filtration. Air purifiers, mounted throughout each restaurant, work to continuously clean …
Detroit — Little Caesars Pizza, one of the largest pizza chains in the world, is continuing its international expansion with its first restaurants in Colombia. The global brand, which currently operates in 27 countries and territories, including in Peru and Chile in South America, will open two stores in Bogotá this month. The restaurants in Colombia are owned and operated by LCPZ Colombia S.A.S., which is part of the Pequeño Caesarmex family of companies, which also owns and operates Little Caesars locations in Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. …
New York City — Steak n Shake Inc. is bringing to market 15 restaurants the company closed during the last 12 months. Keen-Summit Capital Partners LLC and NAI Global have been retained to run a sale process of the portfolio with a bid deadline of August 31 and auction date of September 4. It is anticipated additional properties will be sold by Keen-Summit Capital Partners through an auction during September. “Real estate investors and restaurants looking to expand their portfolio are in a position to take advantage of this opportunity, …
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 …
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 …