Seattle — Seattle-based Starbucks has started reopening its company-operated stores across the United States. Operating under modified operations and hours, including heightened safety protocols, the company has approximately 85% of stores open now and expects to have more than 90% of stores open by early June. The company is using its experience in China, where more than 98% of its stores are open and operating under revised protocols, as the foundation for its reopening in the United States amid the continued concerns of the global COVID-19 pandemic. “We have adapted …
restaurants
Lehi, Utah — On May 7, 2020, R&R BBQ appointed industry veteran Neil Harfert as president to lead the fast-growing restaurant chain in its next chapter of growth. Founders Rod and Roger Livingston, who are brothers, will be retiring to pursue other interests. “Neil is a proven and respected leader who has delivered strong operating results through a long career in the food and beverage industry, with powerhouse brands like Qdoba, Modern Market Eatery and MOD Pizza,” says Greg Warnock, a member of the R&R BBQ board of directors and …
East Rutherford, N.J. — German Doner Kebab (GDK), a fast-casual restaurant chain, plans to open 350 restaurants in the United States over the next 7 years. The first location will be within American Dream in East Rutherford, N.J. The Glasgow, Scotland-based company specializes in doner kebab, which is a slow-cooked meat often served on a flatbread. GDK operates more than 70 locations in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Dubai, Abu-Dhabi, Oman and Bahrain. GDK also plans to open locations in Ireland and Saudi Arabia. New York City-based JAACRES is representing GDK …
Westlake, Ohio — TravelCenters of America Inc. has commenced a company-wide reorganization, which is a key step in the company’s strategic, long term plan to improve its operational efficiency and profitability. The reorganization plan includes significant leadership changes with the addition of new senior vice presidents for a newly created hospitality department — under which the areas of restaurants, gaming and convenience stores will be consolidated — as well as in information technology. TA has also appointed a new senior vice president of corporate development, a new department initially tasked …
Indianapolis — Simon Property Group has released plans for reopening several of its malls in the first half of May. The openings are based on current state and/or local stay-at-home orders put in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously scheduled to open May 1, some properties in Georgia and Indiana have been delayed to a May 4 opening. View the reopening schedule here. Indianapolis-based Simon says its protocols have been reviewed and approved by experts in epidemiology and environmental health and safety. The protocols are in effort …
San Francisco — Curry Up Now, the nation’s largest and fastest growing Indian fast-casual concept, has launched its ‘Roll it Forward’ campaign in an effort to show gratitude for healthcare workers across the country and help those whose lives and jobs have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The initiative, which will be offered at all 11 of Curry Up Now’s restaurants from coast-to-coast, invites guests to purchase $12 Donation Meals that Curry Up Now will match meal-for-meal. Guests can add any denomination of Donation Meals to their ‘cart’ — …
Covington, Ky. — Papi Jocho’s Street Dogs and Cantina will launch its first restaurant location on May 5, 2020. The concept will focus on Mexican-inspired street dogs and is designed to be a fast-casual restaurant with endless energy and an edgy personality. Papi Jocho’s, conceptualized by the owners of the popular Agave & Rye Tequila and Bourbon Hall, launches at a time when many restaurants are learning how to adapt to the current pandemic. Instead, the new restaurant will cater to the unique experience many Americans are facing today — …
Roark Capital Invests $200 Million in The Cheesecake Factory Amid Pandemic-Related Closures
by Katie Lee
Atlanta and Calabasas Hills, Calif. — Roark Capital Group, a private equity firm based in Atlanta, has invested $200 million in The Cheesecake Factory Inc., owner and operator of the chain of restaurants of the same name. The Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based company also owns and operates the North Italia chain, as well as a collection of restaurants within the Fox Restaurant Concepts subsidiary. The funds will be used to immediately help The Cheesecake Factory navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, in which its dine-in service has been closed. The company, which has …
Alpharetta, Ga. — Neal Freeman, visionary of LakePoint Sports in Emerson, Ga., will begin construction in May on Fairway Social, a golf and entertainment concept that Freeman is bringing to Alpharetta, Ga. The 11,000-square-foot entertainment destination, Fairway Social, will be located in The Maxwell, a joint development between Mayfair Street Partners, LLC and The Providence Group of Georgia, LLC. A total of 44,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office at The Maxwell will be complemented with 138 residential units. “We have been actively seeking this unique blend of food, …
Baton Rouge, La. — While the majority of its 500 restaurants are open and serving customers through its drive-thrus, Raising Cane’s dine-in only restaurant has shifted operations to make masks instead of its signature chicken fingers. Raising Cane’s crew members have begun sewing 3-ply cloth masks to ease the shortage at local hospitals, donating more than 600 masks after the first week of production. As crew members get more proficient, the numbers are expected to grow significantly in coming weeks. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of our …