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Smoothie King Marks Growth Milestone With 1,200th Store Opening

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Smoothie King, the world’s largest smoothie brand and the first health and fitness fast-casual brand of its kind, has opened its 1,200th domestic store, located in Roanoke, Texas. The new store, located near Smoothie King’s corporate headquarters in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, celebrated its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 14. In addition to the Roanoke opening, Smoothie King is accelerating its expansion in the Chicago area — one of its fastest-growing markets — with 10 new locations in various stages of development. This includes recent openings in Dekalb on …

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facilities managementNewsProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

ResQ Celebrates Tradesgiving, Honors FM Vendors

by Katie Lee

Miami — ResQ, a leading modern facility management platform, is shining a spotlight on the unsung heroes behind the success of restaurants and hospitality businesses this November with ‘Tradesgiving.’ To celebrate its vendors and their tradespeople, ResQ is offering a limited-time promotion for new vendor selections on the ResQ directory. Customers can enjoy 15% off (up to $100) their next work order when they choose a new vendor from November 1 through November 30, 2024. “Rising labor, inventory and repair costs make it increasingly difficult for hospitality operators to find …

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Nothing Bundt Cakes Appoints Chief Development Officer

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Nothing Bundt Cakes®, the nation’s largest specialty cake company, has appointed franchise development veteran Joel Larkin as chief development officer to lead the 635-unit brand’s continued expansion. Larkin brings over two decades of franchise development and operations expertise to Nothing Bundt Cakes. He most recently served as chief franchise and development officer at European Wax Center, where he oversaw its expansion to more than 1,000 locations. “Joel’s background is uniquely suited to the fast-paced growth we are undertaking here at Nothing Bundt Cakes,” says Dolf Berle, CEO of …

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Newspeoplerestaurants

Krispy Krunchy Chicken Appoints New COO

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — Krispy Krunchy Chicken®, one of the fastest-growing hot food concepts in the convenience store business, has named Matt Testa its chief operations officer. He will focus on strengthening the sales and operations teams for the brand which licenses over 3,000 locations. Testa joins the company from Pilot Flying J. “Matt brings us a proven track record of success and growth in c-stores. He has a visionary approach for leading teams to maximize impact, efficiency and ease for operators,” says Jim Norberg, chief executive officer for Krispy Krunchy Chicken®. …

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Chipotle COO is Named Next CEO

by Katie Lee

Newport Beach, Calif. — Chipotle Mexican Grill has appointed Scott Boatwright as chief executive officer and a member of the board, effective immediately. Prior to being named interim CEO in August, Boatwright served as chief operating officer, reporting directly to the company’s CEO since 2017. Responsible for more than 125,000 employees and over 3,600 restaurants, Boatwright has been a driving force for improving the company’s overall guest experience. In addition to contributing to the strategy and growth of the business, he led the integration of new technology into restaurants, built …

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franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue Names Director of Franchisee Communications

by Katie Lee

Honolulu — L&L Hawaiian Barbecue has appointed Kyler Kokubun as director of franchisee communications. In this role, Kokubun will focus on enhancing the relationship between the franchisor and franchisees, supporting franchisee operations and aligning marketing strategies with the brand’s vision. Kokubun brings nearly 15 years of experience in marketing, customer service and community engagement from his previous tenure at Consolidated Theatres, Hawaii’s oldest and largest movie theatre chain, where he was promoted from service associate to marketing and events manager for all locations across Hawaii. He has been instrumental in …

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Bill Schaphorst Holiday Shopping Maintenance
Content Partnerexterior services/landscapingfacilities managementFeaturesHVAC/RMaintenXpaintingparking lotsproperty managementrestaurantsretailersroofingwaste management/recycling

Holiday Prep for Retail Success: Why Maintenance Matters Before the Holidays

by Sarah Daniels

The holiday season can present an existential challenge for retailers, testing the skills and endurance of marketing and sales teams in a six-week race to reach revenue targets by the end of the year. It is not a time to inconvenience customers and staff with building maintenance or repairs. “There’s a reason they call it Black Friday,” says Bill Schaphorst, vice president of business development at MaintenX, a commercial facility maintenance and repair company. “Because of the surge in traffic and sales on the fourth Friday in November, that typically …

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kitchen equipmentNewsProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Checkmate Raises $10 Million to Scale Restaurant Voice AI and Kiosk Solutions

by Katie Lee

New York City — Checkmate, a leader in AI-powered ordering solutions for enterprise restaurants, has secured $10 million in Series B funding led by Tiger Global. The round will enable Checkmate to accelerate the adoption of its voice AI and kiosk technologies across the industry. Checkmate has already developed expertise in integrating digital orders into restaurant point-of-sale (POS) systems. This foundation serves as a critical advantage in entering these new business segments. Checkmate offers best-in-class phone ordering and drive-thru AI solutions to some of the country’s largest brands, all seamlessly …

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The Placemaker

by Katie Lee

— By Katie Lee — PREIT is redefining the role of malls by transforming them into vibrant community hubs. As a premier developer and operator of retail and entertainment destinations all over the country, in some of the most sought-after, high barrier-to-entry MSAs, PREIT has long understood the importance of creating a “sense of place.” But with more than 6 decades of experience and a foresight to see beyond the traditional malls or power centers of its early years, today PREIT and its 17 premier properties offer so much more …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Cousins Maine Lobster Opens 75th Unit

by Katie Lee

South Portland, Me. — Cousins Maine Lobster opened its 75th unit in early November, located in Jacksonville, Fla. The brand, which launched in April 2012 by real-life cousins Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, now has 4 restaurants and 71 food trucks with reach across more than 30 states. In addition to celebrating 75 units, the brand is also welcoming new franchisees to the system, business partners Mandy Ottesen and Damon Cole. From their initial training in Maine to the opening of their first truck, they’ve been able to launch their …

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