restaurants

Shipley Do-Nuts Opens First Georgia Location

by Katie Lee March 22, 2023

Houston — Shipley Do-Nuts, makers of gourmet, made-fresh-daily do-nuts for more than 85 years, is bringing its famous do-nuts to Georgia for the first time with the opening of its new location in Cumming at 3225 Keith Bridge Rd. The shop is locally owned and operated by Oziel “Ozzie” Rodriguez, who also owns Coal Mountain Package Store and Palapas Bar and Grill in Forsyth County, Ga. Houston-based Shipley Do-Nuts is beloved throughout the South for its more than 60 varieties of fresh, hot do-nuts, as well as kolaches (savory breakfast …

March 22, 2023

franchise development News people restaurants

GPS Hospitality Announces Promotion to Region Vice President

by Katie Lee March 22, 2023

Atlanta — GPS Hospitality, one of the nation’s fastest-growing BURGER KING®, POPEYES® Louisiana Kitchen and Pizza Hut franchisees, has promoted Nick Myhre to region vice president. In his new capacity, Myhre will oversee the operations of 41 restaurants in Northwest Georgia and Chattanooga, building on his impressive record of success within the company. Myhre joined GPS as a district leader in April 2016. Under his leadership, Myhre’s district went from last place in the company to become the top performer in 2019. He was named district leader of the year …

March 22, 2023

News people restaurants

Laxman Narasimhan Officially Assumes Role of CEO of Starbucks

by Katie Lee March 20, 2023

Seattle — Incoming CEO Laxman Narasimhan has assumed, officially, the role of chief executive officer of Starbucks, effective March 20. He will also join the company’s board of directors. Narasimhan was named incoming CEO on September 1, 2022, succeeding company founder and now former CEO, Howard Schultz. Following the global search for the new leader of Starbucks, Narasimhan joined the company as incoming CEO on October 1, 2022, bringing nearly 30 years of experience leading global consumer goods businesses and advising retail, grocery, restaurant and e-commerce companies. Over the past …

March 20, 2023

franchise development News restaurants

Korean Street Food Concept, Jaws TPK, to Open First Location in the Eastern U.S.

by Katie Lee March 20, 2023

Atlanta — Jaws TPK will be opening at Mall Corners in Duluth, Ga., marking the chain’s first location in the Eastern U.S. The growing international brand, which has brought its Korean street food concept to 250 locations in South Korea, has signed a 1,900-square-foot lease to open in third quarter 2023. Daniel Yi, vice president for Ackerman Retail, completed the lease on behalf of Jaws TPK. He is representing franchisor Boxete Group in finding additional locations in metro Atlanta. “This is a great location for Jaws TPK that gives the …

March 20, 2023

News restaurants

Neat Burger to Open First Permanent U.S. Location in April

by Katie Lee March 17, 2023

London — Neat Burger, a plant-based restaurant from London that aims to make the future of food sustainable and delicious, will be opening its first permanent U.S. location this April in the Nolita neighborhood of New York City. Backed by notable names such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Lewis Hamilton, Neat Burger currently has eight locations in the UK and one in Dubai. The first U.S. location comes on the heels of its successful pop-up location in New York City during summer 2022. All Neat Burger ingredients are ethically sourced; additionally, …

March 17, 2023

News restaurants software/technology vendors

Presto Collaborates with ChatGPT Creator to Enhance Drive-thru AI Voice Assistant

by Katie Lee March 17, 2023

San Carlos, Calif. — Presto Automation Inc., the largest drive-thru automation technology provider in the hospitality industry, has formed a collaboration with OpenAI, an AI research and deployment company, to drive greater innovation around its drive-thru AI voice assistant. OpenAI’s ChatGPT API will be used to expand the feature set of the Presto’s drive-thru AI voice assistant (Presto Voice™), resulting in interactions that are more natural and human-like. Presto Voice uses advanced AI techniques including large language models (LLM) and generative AI to understand natural human language and offer logical …

March 17, 2023

News restaurants

Minority-Owned RReal Tacos Eyes New Growth Across the Southeast

by Katie Lee March 16, 2023

Atlanta — Entrepreneurs Miguel Hernandez and Damian Otero have created a marriage of the authentic flavors of Mexican street food along with the experience of a modern, high-energy taqueria at Rreal Tacos. Hernandez and Otero acquired the restaurant’s original Midtown Atlanta location in August 2021 from Adrian Villarreal, the brand’s founder and namesake. Since the purchase, they have expanded to three additional locations in West Midtown, Chamblee and Sandy Springs, growing their business with a 1,200% increase in sales, all without shouldering the burden of debt. “We’re completely debt-free. All …

March 16, 2023

Industry Voices restaurants software/technology vendors

From Layout to Takeout

by Katie Lee March 15, 2023

— By Zayn King-Dollie — Utilizing mobile ordering and building design to capitalize on takeout trends. Last year, The National Restaurant Association estimated that 2022 would have record-breaking sales revenue of $898 billion, a 12.4% increase from 2021 and 3.9% above pre-pandemic sales. The predictions signaled an optimistic future, but instead, many businesses now are facing additional hardships brought on by inflation. Even with higher sales, the industry profit margins are 11.5% lower than in 2019. A third of all restaurant operators expect sales revenue outcomes to …

March 15, 2023

construction and design franchise development News restaurants

Potbelly to Expand in NYC with Development Agreement and First Refranchise Deal

by Katie Lee March 15, 2023

Chicago — Potbelly Corporation, the iconic neighborhood sandwich shop, has finalized a multi-unit development agreement along with its first refranchising deal in New York City. This agreement includes multi-unit development for 13 new shops over the next 8 years, and the refranchise of eight shops, the ownership of which has been fully transferred. “I am excited to announce Potbelly’s expansion in New York City, one of the premier markets in the U.S., and that this expansion includes our first refranchise transaction,” says Bob Wright, president and chief executive officer. “This …

March 15, 2023

News people restaurants

Church’s Texas Chicken Names New U.S. Chief Operations Officer

by Katie Lee March 14, 2023

Atlanta — Church’s Texas Chicken® has hired Roland Gonzalez as U.S. chief operations officer. Gonzalez, who has held various senior executive roles in the quick-service industry, brings a wealth of experience in franchising, operations, P&L management, global business strategies and process improvement. Previous roles include executive vice president, operations at Virtual Dining Concepts and head of global operations standards and strategy at Restaurant Brands International. Managing and overseeing large teams of executives, he successfully led many global business initiatives and strategy for Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes. “Roland is …

March 14, 2023

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