restaurants

Philadelphia — With nearly 40 new locations on track to open in 2025 and recognition as one of the nation’s top-performing restaurant brands, Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard is celebrating strong mid-year momentum rooted in innovation, accessibility and franchise growth. In the first half of the year, Rita’s opened 16 new shops, including locations in new and developing markets like Grand Rapids, Mich.; Nexton, S.C.; and Liberty Township, Ohio. With 19 additional shops currently in the pipeline, the brand is poised for continued growth across the U.S. “As we …

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Toledo, Ohio — Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, is celebrating a powerful first half of 2025, marked by 41 new store openings. If current trends continue, the brand is poised for a 28% year-over-year increase in new store openings — reinforcing its strength in a highly competitive market. “We entered 2025 with momentum from a very intentional development strategy — and that pipeline is now turning into stores,” says Gerardo Flores, chief development officer of Marco’s Pizza. “The potential of our model and the power of …

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Orlando, Fla. — Sonny’s BBQ, an industry-leading BBQ restaurant, has added Matt Zeiger to its team as chief financial & development officer. In this key leadership role, he will oversee finance and development, bringing his strategic vision and deep expertise to support Sonny’s growth plan. “Matt brings an impressive 25 years of exceptional financial and operational leadership, having worked with some of the most respected restaurant franchise brands in the industry,” says George McAllan, chief growth officer at Sonny’s BBQ. “His depth of expertise will help guide Sonny’s BBQ as …

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Vancouver, B.C. — Push Operations, the all-in-one cloud-based workforce management platform built uniquely for the hospitality industry, has forged a strategic partnership with Crumbl Cookies, one of North America’s fastest-growing dessert chains. This collaboration makes Push’s integrated HR, payroll, scheduling and time-tracking solutions available to Crumbl’s 1,000+ locations, enabling franchise owners who adopt the platform to optimize operations through data-driven decisions. The partnership addresses challenges faced by multi-location franchisees with automated solutions that reduce administrative tasks while enhancing labor cost management. Participating franchise owners can leverage real-time analytics to balance staffing …

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San Diego — Luna Grill Mediterranean Kitchen has named Rich Pinnella as chief executive officer, marking a pivotal leadership transition as the fast-casual brand enters a new phase of rapid expansion. The move comes as its founder and longtime CEO, Sean Pourteymour, steps into the role of executive chairman and chairman of the board. Pinnella, who joined Luna Grill 6 years ago as president, has been a key architect of the brand’s operational evolution, customer experience and expansion strategy. “After 20 incredible years as CEO, it fills me with pride …

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Tampa, Fla. — Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. has implemented a series of senior leadership appointments designed to support the company’s ongoing business turnaround, focusing on the Outback Steakhouse brand. “The Bloomin Brands leadership team has broad operational and restaurant experience across diverse consumer facing businesses. As we reinvigorate sales and profit growth in our restaurants, our leaders are committed to our founder’s values of leading growth that is enabled by our people with a passion for guest hospitality,” says Mike Spanos, chief executive officer. “These organizational updates enhance our bench strength, …

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Atlanta — Ascent Hospitality Management, franchisor to Huddle House and Perkins American Food Co., has promoted Nicholas Mason to chief financial officer. In this role, Mason will oversee financial operations for Ascent, including strategic financial planning, capital management, and supporting the company’s long term growth strategy. Formerly Ascent’s vice president of finance, Mason joined the company in October 2024 and has played a pivotal role in strengthening Ascent’s financial infrastructure. He brings more than 15 years of experience in restaurant finance, with previous leadership roles at Papa Johns and Craftwork …

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Knoxville, Tenn. — Smalls Sliders, a leading cheeseburger slider brand growing nationwide, has signed its first-ever development agreement in Tennessee. The multi-unit deal will bring four locations to the Knoxville metro region with Tennessee-based entrepreneur Blake McDavid, a multi-unit franchise owner and commercial real estate investor. This agreement officially marks Smalls Sliders’ entry into the Tennessee market. McDavid is actively identifying real estate throughout the Knoxville area and plans to open the first of his four locations by fall 2026. “Blake represents exactly the kind of forward-thinking operator we look …

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Justin Hicks roof walkpads MaintenX quote From article

A roof is often out of sight and out of mind for business operators, but failure to regularly inspect the roof risks more than voiding the roofing manufacturer’s warranty. An undetected and unaddressed leak, loose debris or similar rooftop hazard can expose a restaurant or retail operation to water damage, wildlife infestations, electrical failures and even fires. That’s why Justin Hicks, senior roofing account manager at MaintenX, encourages clients to schedule regular inspections by one of the company’s roofing experts. MaintenX is a facility maintenance provider serving multisite retailers, restaurants …

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Charlotte, N.C. — Skiptown, a first-of-its-kind, tech-enabled pet care facility offering dog daycare, boarding, full service grooming, and a bar & park featuring indoor and outdoor off-leash play, is gearing up for national growth with a new leadership team in place. Seasoned executive Mike Rotondo has joined the organization as chief executive officer, and he named Molly Fisher as chief financial officer and Kristen Risby as head of marketing & communications. Skiptown is an emerging brand that caters to pups and their people. The brand currently has locations in Atlanta; …

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