restaurants

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 …

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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 …

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— 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 …

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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 …

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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, …

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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 …

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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 …

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Denver — Good Times Burgers and Frozen Custard is debuting a new, modernized prototype for all of its units, with the goal of completing the systemwide redesign over the next 2 years. So far, five Good Times units have been updated, one is in progress and 10 are slated to undergo remodels in 2025. All locations are expected to be completed by 2026. The popular Colorado brand — born in Boulder 37 years ago — aims to preserve its heritage of fast drive-thru burgers and frozen custard while modernizing the …

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Reno, Nev. — Melting Pot, the 92-unit fondue franchise that has built a brand around providing a one-of-a-kind experiential dining atmosphere, has signed a franchise agreement in Reno, Nev. — returning to Reno 20 years after the last location closed. It also marks Melting Pot’s re-entry into the state of Nevada. “It was in the early 2000s when Melting Pot left Nevada,” says franchisee Bruce Witmer. “We had previously had family dinners there and really enjoyed it. Since it closed, we would go to Sacramento to eat at Melting Pot. …

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Phoenix — GoTo Foods, the parent company of Auntie Anne’s®, Carvel®, Cinnabon®, Jamba®, McAlister’s Deli®, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Schlotzsky’s®, has expanded Moe’s Southwest Grill into Arizona with a five-unit franchise agreement that will bring locations to the greater Phoenix area. Behind the deal are serial entrepreneurs and father-son team, Tony and Namit Mangat. “As proud Arizona residents, my son and I are excited for the opportunity to be the first to bring Moe’s Southwest Grill to the state,” says Tony Mangat. “We’ve wanted to make the jump into the …

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