Newport Beach, Calif. — Chipotle Mexican Grill has opened of its first restaurant in Asia in Seoul, South Korea, in partnership with Sangmidang Holdings (formerly SPC Group). Along with Sangmidang Holdings, Chipotle plans to continue its expansion with two additional locations in South Korea by the end of 2026, followed by its first restaurant in Singapore in 2027. South Korea will serve as a reference market for Chipotle’s expansion across Asia, establishing a model for how the brand can enter new markets while maintaining its culinary and operational standards. The …
restaurants
San Diego — QDOBA Mexican Eats has signed a new development agreement for 17 restaurants across San Diego County in California. The agreement is led by Hyperion Brands, LLC, a San Diego based multi-unit operator. “California is a priority growth market for QDOBA,” says Jeremy Vitaro, chief development officer at QDOBA. “We’re excited to grow the brand with the Hyperion Brands team, a proven, operations-first organization that also brings a strong development track record and a hometown advantage.” QDOBA and its franchise partners currently operate approximately 875 restaurants, with plans …
— Interview With Kristen Nowak — R&R: Where are you based? Kristen Nowak: “Unlimited Service Group is headquartered in Addison, Illinois, just outside of Chicago; we operate through 40 locally operated service companies and more than 140 branch locations across the U.S. and Canada.” R&R: What services do you offer? Nowak: “We provide commercial kitchen food equipment repair, installation and maintenance. We service hot, cold, beverage and, in most of our branches, HVAC equipment. We acquire companies with great teams and great leaders, and when they come on board, they …
Englewood, Colo. — Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. has completed most of its refranchising transactions as previously announced on May 28 and June 15, 2026. Across three separate transactions, the company sold 108 company-owned units for approximately $89.4 million in gross proceeds. The sale of eight additional restaurants under one of the transactions is expected to close by the end of Red Robin’s 2026 fiscal year and generate approximately $6.6 million, bringing the total proceeds across all three transactions to approximately $96 million from the sale of 116 restaurants, consistent …
Los Angeles — Cartwheel, an AI-powered delivery platform for restaurants, has teamed up with Hungry Howie’s Pizza to modernize delivery operations. The top 10 U.S. pizza chain is adopting Cartwheel’s Hybrid Delivery technology, following a successful pilot, that will implement a phased rollout across its nearly 500-location system, with all locations targeted to be live by second quarter 2027. Cartwheel’s Hybrid Delivery gives franchisees a single view of in-house and third-party delivery, with fulfillment powered by DoorDash Drive. Hybrid Delivery prioritizes in-house fleets based on configurable factors such as proximity …
Parts Town Unlimited Opens Global Fulfillment Center to Serve the Southeast
Chicago — Parts Town Unlimited, a global leader in the high-tech distribution of genuine OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts for commercial foodservice, residential appliances and HVAC equipment, has signed a full building lease in Pendergrass, Ga. Parts Town Unlimited will occupy the 538,450-square-foot facility by the end of this year. The new facility will expand the company’s global fulfillment network to the Southeast, joining existing global fulfillment centers in Chicago, Phoenix and Munich (Germany). Additionally, this facility is the company’s first LEED-certified global fulfillment center. LEED is a globally recognized …
Louisville, Ky., and Stamford, Conn. — Yum! Brands, Inc. has completed the sale of Pizza Hut — excluding Mainland China — to LongRange Capital for approximately $1.5 billion, with the opportunity for Yum! to receive an additional earn-out of $75 million by 2030 based on future performance. LongRange Capital is a Stamford, Conn.-based private equity firm. Together with the previously announced sale of Pizza Hut in Mainland China to Yum China Holdings, Inc., which closed on August 7, 2026, the LongRange transaction completes Yum!’s sale of Pizza Hut through two …
Detroit — Little Caesars®, the third-largest pizza chain in the world, is building on its commitment to serving military communities with four new locations planned across U.S. Navy installations. The expansion follows the brand’s first military base opening at Pearl Harbor in 2025 and marks another step in its continued non-traditional growth. “Military communities are an important part of Little Caesars and our commitment to supporting those who serve,” says Sally Rampersad, director of non-traditional and development services for Little Caesars. “Since 2006, the Little Caesars Veterans program has helped …
St. Petersburg, Fla. — WOWorks, the parent company of better-for-you restaurant brands Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, The Simple Greek, Barberitos and Zoup! Eatery, has opened 23 new restaurants so far this year, with 15 additional locations currently in development. This brings WOWorks’ total footprint to nearly 240 restaurants nationwide and puts the company on pace for nearly 40 new stores by year’s end. New restaurants have launched across the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast — including Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Georgia and Texas — as …
Woodbury, Minn. — Moe’s Southwest Grill is bringing its bold flavors and signature hospitality to the Twin Cities area with the opening of its first traditional restaurant in the market. Slated to open by late September in Woodbury, Minn., the new location marks a milestone in the brand’s regional expansion and introduces local guests to the full Moe’s restaurant experience. While Moe’s currently serves travelers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the new 2,605-square-foot Woodbury restaurant is the brand’s first brick-and-mortar location in the Twin Cities area. “The Twin Cities area …