Tampa, Fla. — FSC Franchise Co., the parent company of Beef ‘O’ Brady’s and The Brass Tap, had a record year in 2023. In addition to acquiring Newk’s Eatery, a fast-casual café concept, the franchisor opened 10 Brass Tap locations and one Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, and it awarded another 36 and four, respectively. “We’ve been looking to add something to our platform for several years, and we think that Newk’s is the perfect complementary brand. It’s fast-casual with average unit volumes of $2.2 million, and it has the same geographical …
restaurants
Atlanta — Sterling Hospitality has promoted two team members to new roles within the company. Ben Krawiecki has been elevated to the role of director of culinary and purchasing, and Mike Fickett has been promoted to director of support and client relations. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with Ben and Mike’s contribution to Sterling Hospitality and the growth of our concepts during their tenure across the board,” says John C. Metz, executive chef, CEO and co-founder of Sterling Hospitality. “Their relationships, attention to detail and hospitality will enhance our offerings …
Dallas — Fogo de Chão is starting off the year with a strong development pipeline with new locations planned through 2025. The addition of more than 20 new restaurants is slated to open through 2025. The development pipeline includes the following new lease signings and restaurant openings, with the brand’s 100th restaurant opening milestone on track to occur by the end of 2024: Previously announced 2024 openings include: • Brooklyn, N.Y. • Richmond, Va. • Miami, Fla. – Dadeland • Bridgewater, N.J. • Seattle • Orlando, Fla. – Vineland Pointe …
Redding, Calif. — Black Bear Diner, one of the fastest-growing restaurant franchises in the country, has announced its plans for growth in 2024 with 14 planned new diner openings. The company will open at least nine new franchise-owned diners and five new corporate-owned diners. In addition to growth plans with current franchise partners for openings in California, Texas and Arizona, Black Bear Diner has also welcomed two new franchise partners to its system: LVP Foodservice and Gursavri Group. LVP plans four 2024 openings in Kansas, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado; Gursavri …
— By Russ Spencer — Why restaurant technology doesn’t have to come at the cost of guest experience. The restaurant industry has slowly been shifting its business model over the past decade but was drastically accelerated in 2020, with the culprit being none other than the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants were forced to change how they operate and interact with customers due to social distancing requirements surrounding the virus, with some forced to close their doors for good. Now, 3 years on, restaurants are open with little to no restrictions, but …
Newton, Mass. — Paytronix, a leading digital guest engagement platform for restaurants and convenience stores, has appointed Eric Steele as chief financial officer. He replaces acting CFO Lee Barnes, who will continue to serve as Paytronix’s chief data officer and take on additional responsibility as chief of staff. Steele joins Paytronix from Snap One, where he played a key role in scaling the business to a public company with more than $1 billion in revenue. At Snap One, he most recently served as senior vice president of finance & corporate …
Dallas — As part of a company-wide revitalization initiative, TGI Fridays® plans to close 36 underperforming locations in select markets across the U.S. The company has also sold eight previously corporate-owned restaurants in the Northeast to former CEO Ray Blanchette, who will now lead the locations into a new phase of revitalization. The news follows recent moves to bolster TGI Fridays’ leadership team, including the recent appointments of Weldon Spangler to chief executive officer, Ray Risley to U.S. president and chief operating officer and Nik Rupp to president and COO …
San Francisco — Slice House by Tony Gemignani, the fast-casual pizza franchise by world renowned pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani, has expanded its nationwide footprint to 100 franchise units open or under development. This achievement reflects the brand’s rapid growth since launching franchising efforts 18 months ago in California and marks its entry into two new key markets: Colorado and Utah. In 2024, Slice House projects the signing of 100 more units into development. “We are incredibly proud to celebrate 100 units for Slice House by Tony Gemignani, a testament to the …
Golden, Colo. — Good Times Restaurants Inc., operator of Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar and Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard, has named Keri August as senior vice president of finance and accounting. August joins the company after having served as a consultant to Good Times from August 2023 through the date of her appointment. Prior to that, she was employed by InfoSync Services, a restaurant-focused accounting outsourcing services firm where she was most recently a vice president FAO, a position she held since April 2022. “I am delighted to officially …
Philadelphia — honeygrow, a Philadelphia-based fast-casual restaurant, has opened its 40th location. The new restaurant opened on Dec. 21, 2023 at the Simon-owned Ocean County Mall in Toms River, N.J. honeygrow opened nine new locations in 2023 as part of a growth strategy that extends into 2024 with more than double the number of restaurants in the pipeline. “Our latest venture in Toms River is more than just a restaurant opening; it’s a celebration of our remarkable journey as a team. Now with 40 locations, [2023] has been a whirlwind …