Tuesday, August 5, 2025
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Stick With It

by Katie Lee

— By Mickie Bollinger — How to get a grip on floor safety. Slips, trips and falls have unfortunately provided the source material for countless viral videos on social media, but business owners and facility managers know they’re no laughing matter. Whether it’s a team member who’s at risk due to unsafe working conditions, or a customer who encounters slippery floors when they enter your building, there’s great potential for injuries and liability claims if you’re not all in on floor safety. Slips, Trips and Falls by the Numbers The …

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construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

QDOBA Plans to Double in Size Over the Next Decade

by Katie Lee

San Diego — QDOBA, America’s #2 fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand, is planning for rapid expansion. With 750 restaurants in 45 states, the privately held company expects to double in size over the next decade, with plans to open 40 new restaurants this year, followed by 60 in 2024, and 80+ annually beginning in 2025. “QDOBA is an exceptionally well positioned brand in one of the most attractive restaurant categories. We possess long-standing momentum, strong unit economics, a compelling operating model, an extraordinarily passionate guest following and significant untapped geographic potential,” says …

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construction and designNewspeoplerestaurants

Captain D’s Names New Chief Financial Officer

by Katie Lee

Nashville, Tenn. — Captain D’s has named Jeff Wilson as its new chief financial officer. He joins Captain D’s at a time when the fast-casual seafood franchise is expanding its geographic footprint, introducing new menu offerings and offering an exceptional customer experience with streamlined digital, drive-thru and delivery options. Wilson joins Captain D’s from Cracker Barrel. “We are pleased to have Jeff join the Captain D’s executive team, bringing with him a wealth of finance, operations, and profitability enhancement skills in both public and private companies,” says Phil Greifeld, CEO and …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Playa Bowls Opens 200th Location; Plans 33 More By Year End

by Katie Lee

Belmar, N.J. — Playa Bowls, a leading superfruit bowl franchise, has opened its 200th shop. This new opening marks Playa Bowls’ 71st franchise agreement this year, demonstrating the brand’s dedication to growth since first launching in Belmar, N.J., in 2014. The brand plans to open 33 additional shops before the end of the year. “Playa Bowls once began as a patio table outside of a pizza shop, and now, nearly a decade later, we’ve reached 200 locations across the nation,” says Abby Taylor, chief marketing officer of Playa Bowls. “With …

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Checkers and Rally’s Rolls Out Hi Auto’s First-Ever Spanish Language Drive-Thru Voice AI Ordering

by Katie Lee

Dayton, Ohio — Hi Auto and Checkers and Rally’s Drive-in Restaurants have added Spanish drive-thru voice AI ordering, representing a milestone development both for the QSR industry and for North America’s more than 50 million Spanish and bilingual speakers. Already operational at more than 350 of the restaurant group’s locations, Hi Auto’s is the world’s most widely deployed drive-thru voice AI ordering technology. Following beta testing over the past 2 months at five of its drive-thrus, Checkers and Rally’s is ready to expand the Spanish drive-thru voice AI rollout to …

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Fogo de Chão to be Acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity from Rhône Capital

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Fogo de Chão, the internationally renowned restaurant brand from Brazil, has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity to accelerate its growth and expansion. Fogo will continue to operate under its current management team, led by CEO Barry McGowan. Funds affiliated with Rhône Capital (together with certain of their affiliates) have owned Fogo since taking the company private in 2018. Financial terms of the private purchase were not disclosed. Founded in Southern Brazil in 1979, Fogo elevates the centuries-old cooking technique of …

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construction and designCover StoryFrom The Magazinerestaurants

Better Together

by Katie Lee

— By Kristen Hartman — Co-branding the future of QSR — dos and don’ts. The concept of co-branding has resurfaced again as a way for brands to maximize their product and capitalize on the variety of opportunities it allows. The idea is exactly as it sounds: multiple brands partner with each other under one roof to provide a wider variety of products that are complementary to one another. This creates excitement and interest among consumers while allowing the brands to see savings on rent and other costs, all while streamlining …

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Industry Voicesrestaurantsvendors

Protect Your Profits

by Katie Lee

— By George Lessmeister — 5 tips to protect profit by controlling cost. In this period of high inflation, restaurant owners may feel pressure to raise prices to keep up with soaring costs. But this approach can backfire if not done carefully, and customers may go elsewhere with their already-stretched dollars if restaurant prices go too high. Being smart with expenses, especially labor costs, can help restaurants successfully compete in this challenging climate. What Do the Numbers Say? The Consumer Price Index released in early January showed prices actually decreased …

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Newspeoplerestaurants

Panera Brands Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

by Katie Lee

St. Louis — Panera Brands Inc., which includes the fast-casual and hospitality brand Panera Bread as well as Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Brands, has appointed long-time industry executive Paul Carbone as chief financial officer, effective August 15, 2023. He brings decades of operational, IPO and public company experience. “I am excited for Paul to join the team as we continue to focus on long term value-creation for Panera Brands,” says José Alberto Dueñas, CEO of Panera Brands and Panera Bread. “Paul’s depth of knowledge and history of success across …

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construction and designkitchen equipmentNewsremodelsrestaurantssoftware/technology

Wendy’s Builds Upon Global Next Gen Design with New High-Capacity Kitchen

by Katie Lee

Dublin, Ohio — The Wendy’s Company is opening its first Global Next Gen restaurants, while also finalizing a new Global Next Gen High-Capacity Kitchen design option for the highest customer demand. Both digital-first designs were created to enhance customer, crew and franchisee experiences, accelerating growth across Wendy’s® global restaurant footprint. Since unveiling the Global Next Gen restaurant design standard less than 1 year ago, the first Wendy’s Global Next Gen restaurants are now open in Kansas and Oklahoma, with more than 200 Global Next Gen restaurants slated to open through …

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