Phoenix — QDOBA, America’s rapidly growing #2 restaurant brand in the Mexican fast-casual category, will expand into Arizona for the first time, with the upcoming opening of two new restaurants in Phoenix and Scottsdale later this month. The new locations mark QDOBA’s first standalone restaurants in Arizona, which join existing, on-campus locations at Grand Canyon University and Arizona State University. “QDOBA is an exceptionally well positioned brand in one of the most attractive restaurant categories with the greater Phoenix area offering significant growth potential,” says Jeremy Vitaro, chief development officer …
restaurants
Los Angeles — Dave’s Hot Chicken, a rapidly growing Nashville-style hot chicken concept, has opened its 250th restaurant — and its first in the United Kingdom. Located at 40 Shaftesbury Ave., in the heart of London, the two-floor, 90-seat venue features an extraordinary street art display, paying homage to the humble East Hollywood parking lot where Dave’s began back in 2017, and takes inspiration from the world-famous Piccadilly Circus nearby. Dave’s Hot Chicken has opened nearly 80 new stores this year, with 2025 planned to be a year of equal …
San Diego — Jack in the Box Inc. is undergoing a strategic leadership restructure. Tony Darden, senior vice president and chief operating officer, who has been a valued member of the Jack in the Box executive team since June 2021, will depart from his role. Darden’s departure is consistent with a planned restructure that includes Ryan Ostrom, currently serving as executive vice president, chief marketing & digital officer, assuming responsibility for Jack in the Box operations in addition to his current function. Ostrom has been named chief customer & digital …
Houston — Houston-based Shipley Do-Nuts, a large and fast-growing donut brand first founded in 1936, will expand its presence in Florida and Tennessee under a 22-unit franchise agreement with the hospitality arm of private investment platform Virentes Partners Group. Virentes operates multiple franchise brands through its subsidiary, Virentes Hospitality. Its development agreement with Shipley is the brand’s largest commitment inked in 2024. “We exhaustively researched dozens of franchise concepts to expand our hospitality portfolio, and Shipley came out on top with craveable and highly differentiated products and an outstanding leadership …
Minneapolis — Alissa Partee, chief people officer (CPO) at Restaurant Technologies, has transitioned into a new role as the company’s chief operations officer (COO). In her previous role, Partee led the human resources team at Restaurant Technologies and joined the company as CPO in 2020. During her tenure, the company grew from 1,000 employees to over 1,500 nationwide. In addition to her role as CPO over the last year, Partee led the implementation of a new 9-person operations excellence team — a team that she will continue to lead in …
Houston — On the heels of its franchise program launch in October, Taco Cabana is readying to open its second TC 3.0 restaurant prototype in Houston before year’s end. The sleek new footprint boasts a streamlined, franchise-ready design that combines modern functionality with Taco Cabana’s rich heritage to fuel the brand’s new growth-focused era. Crafted with franchising in mind, the TC 3.0 prototype is purpose-built for efficiency and adaptability, featuring: • A condensed footprint that lowers initial investment for franchise partners. TC 3.0’s 2,500-square-foot model reduces the brand’s previous footprint …
Miami — Subway has announced that John Chidsey, global chief executive officer (CEO), will retire from the company at the end of 2024, after 5 years of leadership in the role. Carrie Walsh, Subway’s current president of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and former global chief marketing officer (CMO), will assume the role of Iinterim CEO, while a search is conducted to identify Chidsey’s permanent successor. Chidsey joined Subway in 2019 as the brand’s first CEO outside of the founding family and led a multi-year transformation of the business. …
Winter-Proofing Your Business: Essential Steps to Prepare Restaurants, Retail Stores for the Cold
Winter storms and plunging temperatures present special challenges to restaurants and retailers. To keep customers and employees comfortable until spring, operators should act now to winterize their properties and perform preventive maintenance before a crisis occurs. “When you know that winter is coming, it’s always better to be proactive than reactive,” says Michael Garcia, regional service manager in the Dallas office of Colt Facility Maintenance, a maintenance service provider. Winterization should begin before the cold sets in and while there is still time to address vulnerabilities discovered in buildings or …
Dallas — Smoothie King, the world’s largest smoothie brand and the first health and fitness fast-casual brand of its kind, has appointed Jyoti Lynch as its new chief information officer (CIO). Lynch started in late October, and in this role, she leads the brand’s technology strategy, ensuring that innovation continues to enhance Smoothie King’s digital transformation and guest experience. Lynch brings more than 25 years of experience as a proven technology expert with a successful track record in building and transforming well-known restaurant, retail and technology brands; growing company revenue, …
Denver — Tom’s Watch Bar, a rapidly expanding premier venue for sports viewing and entertainment, has appointed Brooks Schaden and Shannon McNiel as co-CEOs. Schaden and McNiel are both co-founders, along with fellow industry veterans Tom Ryan and Rick Schaden, both of whom remain with the company as board members and active advisors. Rick Schaden remains chairman of the board. “Brooks and Shannon have demonstrated the strength of their partnership over the past 7 years, together successfully driving Tom’s Watch Bar’s growth to 12 — soon to be 13 — …