Shelton, Conn. — Budderfly, a preferred sustainability partner for commercial businesses with repeatable footprints, has acquired a grid-edge distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) from Sunverge Energy. Former Sunverge employees with decades of DERMS and energy market experience will join Budderfly’s growing team of almost 400 employees. Using Sunverge’s technology, Budderfly can aggregate distributed energy resources (DERS) across its sites, positioning it to create virtual power plants (VPPs) capable of providing flexibility to the grid, increasing resiliency for customers and growing new revenue streams. With greater control over its energy …
restaurants
Columbia, S.C. — Surcheros® is expanding into South Carolina. The fast-casual favorite plans to open 4 new locations in the Columbia area over the next 4 years, with the first restaurant in Forest Acres set to open in November 2024. Surcheros also recently announced plans to enter Tennessee. Surcheros currently operates 30 restaurants across Georgia and Florida. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to open 100 restaurants within the next 5 years, with 15 to 20 locations expected to open in the next 10 to 18 months. “This is …
New York City — Mexican restaurant chain Rosa Mexicano has appointed hospitality veteran Matthew Licciardello as its new chief operating officer. “Licciardello is very accomplished with a wealth of experience and a proven track record in the hospitality industry. He will lead our operations team with excellence and innovation,” says Jim Mazany, CEO of Rosa Mexicano. Licciardello’s experience in the hospitality industry includes serving as senior vice president of operations at SPB Hospitality, where he led brands such as Rock Bottom Brewery, Gordon Biersch and Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom. …
Pittsburgh — Dave’s Hot Chicken, the Los Angeles-based street food sensation turned break-through fast-casual brand, has signed a multi-unit agreement to open 10 locations over the next 5 years across Pittsburgh. The 10-unit deal is with established entrepreneurs and business partners Danny Costa, Michael Costa and Jonathan Wise along with Raj Patel, who already owns seven Dave’s Hot Chickens across Chicago and Indiana. The Costas and Wise, who own and operate 75 Dunkin’ locations in Pennsylvania and Maine, along with Patel, who owns and operates over 100 franchise locations with …
San Diego — QDOBA has inked a series of franchise development agreements that will significantly expand the brand’s presence with 39 new locations across key markets in the United States. Led by franchise operators Cafua Management Company and Mountain View Management among other experienced franchisees, this announcement underscores QDOBA’s aggressive growth strategy aimed at doubling its footprint to 1,500 units over the next 7 years. Leveraging their success with Dunkin’ franchises, Rick Albert and Mark Cafua are expanding into QDOBA with five new restaurants some of which are planned for …
— By Lindsey Walker — Why asset tracking software is good for your restaurant business. Operating a foodservice or restaurant business involves managing various appliances, each essential for daily tasks like cooking and refrigeration. Integrating these appliances into a system that gathers data for decision-making can be time-consuming. The Internet of Things (IoT) offers a solution by utilizing appliance data to optimize property management and enhance business performance with real-time insights. From ensuring customer satisfaction to maintaining quality standards, running a restaurant or café requires careful attention to detail to …
Milton, Ga. — Knuckies Franchise Company LLC has formed a partnership with Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer. This partnership offers an opportunity for franchisees to open a Knuckies Hoagies location within select Walmart stores. Founded in 2019 with the opening of its first location in the northern Atlanta suburb of Milton, Ga., Knuckies Hoagies has quickly made a name for itself in the restaurant industry. Recently it was named to the 2023 QSR 40/40 list as one of the hottest 40 brands under 40 locations. Its success and growth have …
Boston — Gong cha, a premier bubble tea brand with more than 230 locations throughout 20 states as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico in the U.S., and nearly 2,200 stores across the globe, has appointed Mark Treptow as vice president of franchise sales & development for the Americas. A seasoned executive in franchise sales and development, Treptow brings a wealth of experience, and a track record of transforming emerging restaurant concepts into large national and international brands. Before joining Gong cha, Treptow served as senior director at Fransmart, …
Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International, Inc. and its board of directors have appointed Todd Penegor as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. He has also joined the board. Penegor, who joins Papa Johns from Wendy’s, succeeds Ravi Thanawala, who has served as interim CEO since March 2024 and will continue in his role as chief financial officer. Penegor was most recently president and chief executive officer of The Wendy’s Company. He is a proven leader with 20 years of experience in the restaurant and consumer goods industries. During …
Newport Beach, Calif. — Juice It Up!, a leading handcrafted smoothie, raw juice and açaí and superfruit bowl chain, has opened three new locations in the first half of the year, debuting in Long Beach, Bakersfield and Reedley, Calif., with another nine locations on track to open this year. With 30+ locations in the development pipeline, Juice It Up! is set to reach its 100-location milestone by the end of 2024, setting the brand on pace to surpass its 200-unit goal by 2028. “We are extremely happy to close the …