restaurants

San Diego, Calif. — Mike’s Red Tacos, a San Diego-born beef Birria brand, has brought on Patrick Cunningham as chief development officer. The appointment comes on the heels of the company’s recent franchising strategy announcement and continued development momentum, with more than 200 franchise locations already in the pipeline. Cunningham previously served as chief development officer at Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay, and before that, vice president of U.S. development for Little Caesars. Cunningham also spent more than 20 years at Dunkin’ and Inspire Brands. He joins newly named company …

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Raleigh, N.C. — Golden Corral®, America’s leading buffet chain, has appointed Trona Balkissoon as chief financial officer, effective March 26, 2026. Balkissoon steps into the role following the retirement of CFO Jim Laverty. Balkissoon brings more than 25 years of global experience with Nestlé, spanning both retail and foodservice channels. She joined Golden Corral in April 2025 as senior vice president of finance, after most recently serving as chief financial officer for Nestlé’s out-of-home division, where she oversaw operations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Since joining the brand, …

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Charlotte, N.C. — Krispy Kreme, Inc. is continuing progress on its turnaround plan to deleverage the balance sheet and drive sustainable, profitable growth through refranchising, a key component of the plan. On March 23, 2026, Krispy Kreme completed a transaction with its joint venture partner, WKS Restaurant Group, to increase WKS’s ownership stake in the Western U.S. joint venture from 45% to 80% and expand the joint venture’s footprint. The total amount payable to the company in connection with the transaction is approximately $90 million with approximately $50 million of …

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Nashville, Tenn. — la Madeleine, the French-inspired café-bakery brand, has opened its first location in the state of Tennessee. The new café-bakery opened on March 18 in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., and will have a formal grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting on April 14. la Madeleine offers a distinctive café-bakery experience where guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner through soups, salads, artisan sandwiches, pastas, handcrafted coffees and a display of freshly baked pastries. More than just a café, la Madeleine’s thoughtfully designed spaces — including a welcoming fireplace and inviting …

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New York City — Papa Johns has entered into a strategic partnership with Deliverect to deploy its Smart Dispatch & Delivery Management platform across all Papa Johns restaurants in the U.S. by the end of 2027. The partnership is part of Papa Johns’ multi-year initiative to modernize its fulfillment technology stack. The platform enables the brand to execute all orders, whether fulfilled by in-house delivery drivers or third-party service partners, through a single, intelligent system that connects every ordering channel, point-of-sale and delivery workflow into a unified operational delivery orchestration …

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Austin, Texas — Fourth, a leading provider of workforce and inventory management solutions for the hospitality industry, has named Scott Collison as chief executive officer. A proven builder of enterprise software platforms with more than two decades of experience scaling technology companies, Collison will lead Fourth into its next phase of AI-led product innovation for restaurant operators. Most recently, he served as CEO of Personify, where he led the company through a period of strong recurring revenue growth and operational improvement, culminating in its successful sale to Momentive in late …

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Chicago — Portillo’s, the fast-casual restaurant brand known for its menu of Chicago-style favorites, has named Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling as chief development officer. She joins Portillo’s from Miller’s Ale House. In this role, Pecoraro-Striepling will lead Portillo’s restaurant development strategy, including real estate and site selection, prototype design and construction. She will play a key role in advancing Portillo’s long term expansion as the company continues to grow its footprint while preserving the brand’s unique guest experience and operational excellence. “Jennifer brings the experience, strategic vision and people-first leadership we need …

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Youngstown, Ohio — Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream has appointed Naveen Dasa as chief financial officer, adding a dynamic and accomplished finance executive to its leadership team. Dasa brings more than a decade of experience spanning franchising, restaurant operations and consumer brands — including roles at Shake Shack, BakeMark and Yum! Brands. He previously spent 10 years with Yum! Brands advancing through finance and strategy roles across Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Yum! Corporate — most notably, Dasa played a key role in designing and implementing Pizza Hut’s systemwide asset upgrade …

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Austin, Texas — Johnny Carino’s, an Italian casual-dining brand founded in 1997, has unveiled its new prototype restaurant. The updated restaurant design introduces a modernized Italian dining experience and is scheduled to open March 25, 2026, in Laredo, Texas. The Laredo location serves as the brand’s next-generation restaurant, bringing a modern Italian dining experience to market with refreshed branding, design elements and an enhanced bar presence. The new concept reflects Johnny Carino’s strategic direction moving forward, emphasizing a polished everyday dining environment with greater focus on its beverage program and …

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Pasadena, Calif. — Dog Haus is taking its biggest step onto the global stage yet, officially expanding beyond the U.S. and into Mexico for the first time in brand history. In partnership with HAK Capital & Brand Management, the Los Angeles-born concept will open at least 20 locations across the country over the next several years — marking a major international milestone as the brand accelerates its global growth strategy. The partnership will kick off with the opening of a flagship Dog Haus restaurant this summer in Mérida, Yucatán, aligning …

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