New York City — Shake Shack Inc. and licensee Maxim’s Caterers Limited have expanded their partnership, with plans to open a minimum of 15 Shacks in South China by 2030, including locations in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Fuzhou and Xiamen. The Shenzhen location is slated to open next year. Together, Shake Shack and Maxim’s Caterers Limited plan to operate 55 Shacks in mainland China by 2030. Maxim’s currently operates Shake Shack locations in Shanghai and Hong Kong, with Beijing and Macau in development with goals to open later in 2020. As a …
restaurants
Hauppauge, N.Y. — BOSS Facility Services’ Robert S. Keingstein lost his battle with cancer on June 20, 2020. He was 68 years old. Bob was a true industry professional with a passion and knowledge of the HVAC industry for over 51 years. Bob started his career as an HVAC apprentice for Forman Air Conditioning at the age of 17 and instantly fell in love with the trade. At the age of 23 he started his first HVAC company and never looked back. He became involved with ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors …
Lexington, Ky. — A&W Restaurants is expanding from California to New York and from Louisiana to Minnesota, the result of agreements signed with 10 new franchisees. The latest multi-unit deal, signed this month, will bring three locations to Lafayette, La. The popular fast food chain has opened 12 restaurants in the last 18 months. It now has 16 in development, with four being built by current franchisees. The new locations will be in major cities, such as Chicago and St. Louis, as well as mid-size and smaller communities. Seven will …
Pittsburgh — Moe’s Southweast Grill has opened its first ever kiosk-only restaurant. Located in Pittsburgh, the kiosk-only restaurant is owned and operated by Moe’s multi-unit franchisee Mike Geiger, seats 16 and features Moe’s new brand design. The build took approximately 10 months to complete, with the final inspection scheduled for one day after the city shut down due to COVID-19 (March 13). This timely launch provides a more contactless ordering option in the time of COVID-19, as well as additional sanitation efforts have been put in place in accordance with …
Waterbury, Conn. – Wing It On!, a New England-based wing joint, has formed a strategic franchising initiative that will accelerate its U.S. expansion. With 12 locations open and in development, Wing It On! has now set its sights on targeted franchise growth, zeroing in on key regions throughout the Northeastern and Southeastern sections of the United States. “We’ve been patient with our growth, primarily because we wanted to give all of our energy to our fans and the business at our first few locations. In the last 18 months or …
Tampa, Fla. — As of June 7, 2020, more than 760 company-operated U.S. restaurants (approximately 74% of U.S. restaurants) have reopened with limited in-restaurant dining capacity in accordance with local mandates, according to a business update from Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. “Since the onset of the pandemic, we have been nimble in adapting our business,” says David Deno, chief executive officer. “This included a pivot to an off-premises model as dining rooms were forced to close. We were able to triple our off-premises sales per restaurant while our dining rooms were …
— By Christine Cunning, CIC — Considerations for restaurants converting to delivery during coronavirus. These are incredibly challenging times for individuals and small businesses across the country. Few industries have been hit as hard as the restaurant industry. Often working on short margins in the best of times, the industry encounters numerous roadblocks ranging from weather, a sometimes fickle and impatient clientele and stiff competition. These challenges can all also be viewed as opportunities to outperform and shine. The developments caused by this recent state of pandemic has …
San Diego — Garden Fresh Restaurants, LLC, operating as Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes, is liquidating all assets under their Chapter 7 Bankruptcy filing. The chain, which employed thousands, was a popular place to dine with self-service food bars but was not able to survive the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and permanently closed all 97 restaurants and three distribution centers nationwide in early May. It is to-date the largest restaurant bankruptcy and liquidation as a result of the pandemic. The restaurants’ equipment and other contents are being auctioned online from …
Lexington, Ky. — A&W Restaurants posted double-digit, year-over-year sales in May, with some franchise locations doubling their sales. Other burger chains, on average, managed only a 2% increase, according to Black Box Intelligence. The iconic brand’s performance comes as it reduces royalties for new franchisees. The incentive program lowers royalties in the first year of all new development agreements from the standard 5% to 3%. Second year royalties are 4%. Initial fees on multi-unit agreements also are being discounted. “The incentives give franchisees extra cushion in their first few years …
Riverside, Calif. — Farmer Boys®, the farm fresh fast-casual chain, has named David Wetzel, its current senior vice president of operations, as its new president and chief operating officer. The promotion comes alongside the announcement that Farmer Boys’ current president and COO, Karen Eadon, has retired after 6 years with the company and nearly 40 in the restaurant industry. In his new role as president and COO, Wetzel will be responsible for driving overall brand strategy, corporate and franchised development and restaurant performance. Wetzel joined the Farmer Boys team in …