Birmingham, Ala. — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise which features dine-in and drive-thru in the “better chicken” segment, will open its first location in Alabama in fourth quarter 2020. The forthcoming restaurant comes out of the brand’s recent multi-unit franchise agreement in the Birmingham market. Jeff and Andrea Goldt are the franchisees bringing Slim Chickens to the state and are multi-unit owners in the greater Atlanta area. The couple owns multiple fast-food restaurant franchises and has more than 25 years of restaurant ownership experience. “The Goldts are exactly the …
restaurants
Auburn, Ala. — Chicken Salad Chick, a Southern-inspired, fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, has quickly adapted operations to adhere to mandates across the nation suspending restaurant dine-in services by introducing online ordering, curbside pickup and local Quick Chick delivery options at all locations. For added convenience and to further limit interaction while still providing residents with quality meals, Chicken Salad Chick has introduced pop-up drive-thrus and is currently testing third party delivery, at select locations. Quick Chick deliveries allow the brand to provide preordered and prepackaged sizes of their chicken …
Denver — The Good Times Restaurants Inc. board of directors has named Ryan Zink as the new chief executive officer of Good Times Restaurants Inc., effective immediately. Zink has served as acting chief executive officer and chief financial officer since October 2019. “I have the utmost confidence in Ryan. As acting CEO, he has demonstrated outstanding leadership and the ability that will be needed to lead the company out of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and into a bright future,” says Geoff Bailey, chairman of the board of directors. …
— By Katie Lee — Tropical Smoothie Cafe has opened more than 100 restaurants each year for the past 3 years — and continues to grow on pace to reach 1,000 locations by 2021. When Retail & Restaurant Facility Business last interviewed Tropical Smoothie Cafe (TSC) more than 3 years ago, we were talking about its milestone 500th location. Now, with more than 830 cafes open — 124 opened in 2019 alone — the fast-growing concept remains on track to reach 1,000 locations in 2021 and 1,500 locations …
Jericho, N.Y. — Nathan’s Famous, Inc., an American tradition serving New York favorites for more than 100 years, is overhauling its technology resources aimed at aiding franchisees in everything from daily operations to online ordering and driving customer loyalty. “In the fall of 2019, we embarked on a journey to update our technology across the board in restaurants nationwide,” says James Walker, senior vice president, restaurants. “It’s been quite some time since this brand took on an initiative like this one, and we believe the partnerships we’ve created since then …
Chicago — On April 6, 2020, Potbelly Sandwich Shop launched Potbelly Pantry, which allows fans to stock up on their favorite Potbelly staples, like its famous hot peppers, fresh hand-sliced meats, cheeses, breads and even pre-portioned A Wreck® and Italian sandwich ingredients. Orders can be made at Potbelly.com or through the Potbelly app for curbside pickup or delivery. “Potbelly fans can make our famous Wreck or Italian sandwiches at home anytime they want — they just need our amazing, authentic ingredients,” says Ryan LaRoche, executive chef at Potbelly. “Because life’s …
Los Angeles — On April 1, sweetgreen, the seasonal restaurant with the mission of connecting people to real food, launched the Sweetgreen Impact Outpost Fund. The fund was created in partnership with World Central Kitchen (WCK), the international not-for-profit organization founded by chef José Andrés that uses the power of food to heal and strengthen communities in times of crisis. Through the fund, corporations, sponsors and customers are able to join sweetgreen and WCK’s efforts to feed more front line medical personnel working in hospitals, while also helping fund new …
Atlanta — Tropical Smoothie Cafe®, a national fast-casual concept known for its better-for-you smoothies and food with a tropical twist, will donate 100,000 smoothies nationwide to local healthcare workers and first responders to help support those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. “In cafes across the country, the Tropical Smoothie Cafe family is working tirelessly to support our local communities, which are currently facing unprecedented hardship,” says Charles Watson, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC. “Our safety is dependent upon the selfless, hard work of our local healthcare …
Vancouver, B.C. — Ready, a financial technology company that offers seamless self-pay and food ordering solutions to hospitality venues across North America, launches its “virtual ordering kiosks” to businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, waiving its standard fees until June 1 so the venue will pay no extra than the cost of the transaction to continue to operate. This technology allows restaurants to shift to a contactless on-premise pickup ordering model, supporting the safety of the community and allowing businesses to remain operational. “The safety of the …
San Francisco — As cities around the country shut down amid COVID-19 fears, few industries are feeling the effects quite as harshly as restaurants. The long term impact on restaurants and their staff is predicted to be devastating. In a matter of weeks, restaurants have gone from service as usual to, in many cases, a 100% loss in income. According to a report by the Job Quality Index (JQI), a research project from Cornell Law School and the Coalition for a Prosperous America, in the restaurant industry alone more than …