Los Angeles — The Pie Hole, a fast growing gourmet pie and coffee shop, has solidified a multi-unit franchise agreement to bring its signature specialty pies to Saudi Arabia. The deal gives exclusive rights to the territory to local franchisee Abdulrhman Alrajhi, who will begin with a 10-unit development plan. Alrajhi has sights set on opening the first location of The Pie Hole in Saudi Arabia’s capital city, Riyadh, but is looking for additional sites in territories throughout the entire country.
restaurants
Hollywood, Fla. — Hard Rock International (HRI) is starting to eliminate plastic straws at properties worldwide, effective September 1, 2018, in addition to existing green initiatives already in place at Hard Rock Cafe and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino locations globally.
Brookfield, Conn. — The Hummus & Pita Co., one of the country’s leading and fastest growing Mediterranean fast-casuals, will mark the official start of national expansion with the opening of its first franchised store in Brookfield, Conn., on August 11, 2018. The brand’s newest outpost is part of a franchise deal inked earlier this year. This marks the first of five grand openings in five new markets.
Irvine, Calif. — Potbelly Sandwich Shop has selected a location for its first California shop. Currently slated to open in early 2019, the brand’s first shop in the Golden State will be located in Irvine. Three more Orange County locations will follow.
Fairbanks, Alaska — Firehouse Subs is opening its first Alaska location in Fairbanks on August 8, 2018, under the ownership of Greg and Catharine Persinger. This is the first restaurant for the Persingers, who are fourth- and fifth-generation Alaskans. For the Firehouse Subs brand, Alaska marks its 45th state.
Lexington, Ky. — Fazoli’s has successfully opened over seven new restaurants in the first half of the year, with plans to open up to five additional locations by the end of the year — setting the brand up to achieve its highest number of openings in nearly 10 years.
Atlanta — Saladworks, the nation’s leading salad-centric franchise brand, has opened its first Atlanta-area location, with extensive plans to develop the market, perhaps with at least 20 locations. Atlanta-area markets under consideration include Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Buckhead, Midtown and Perimeter. The company hopes to have at least a dozen stores open in the next 3 years.