Atlanta — Church’s Texas Chicken® has hired Atlanta-based executive Danton Nolan as the company’s executive vice president, chief financial officer. Nolan, who joins the company from Inspire Brands, replaces Louis Profumo, who is retiring after 18 years of service with the brand. Reporting to CEO Joe Guith, Nolan brings a wealth of industry experience including several years at Arby’s in the role of senior vice president of finance, where he contributed to a successful brand turnaround initiative during his tenure. He joins Church’s Texas Chicken® from Inspire Brands, the second …
restaurants
Dallas — As Twin Peaks Restaurant continues the march toward its 100th restaurant, it will turn to a new leader to oversee its increased growth across the country and more markets around the globe. Industry veteran Ray Bodnar is joining the brand’s team as vice president of franchise sales and development. Bodnar, who was most recently director of franchise sales for Captain D’s, brings more than 18 years of experience in franchising, enterprise sales and business development. “Our goal in 2023 and beyond is to start painting the globe buffalo …
— Interview with Eduardo Luz — Panera puts on a show with several new design formats catering to the needs of an increasingly digital and off-premise guest. If variety is the spice of life, the many evolving iterations of Panera these days is keeping its real estate and construction game pretty hot. Currently boasting more than 2,100 bakery-cafes (in 48 states and Ontario, Canada), Panera operates under the Panera Bread® or Saint Louis Bread Co.® names; roughly half of these cafes are company-owned. Never a brand to sit …
Alpharetta, Ga. — Your Pie, the original down-the-line pizza concept, ended 2022 with a footprint of over 70 stores across the U.S.; the brand is poised to accelerate momentum in 2023, projecting 20 store openings. Since January, Your Pie has already opened one new location and has two slated for remodel. Despite downward trends in the overall industry, the fast-casual concept saw year-over-year sales jump by nearly 8.46%, AUV increase by 18% and witnessed the top 50% of restaurants garner over $1 million in sales. Your Pie also closed the …
Panda Express Selects Darling Ingredients as Nationwide Provider for Used Cooking Oil Recycling
Irving, Texas — Darling Ingredients Inc., the world’s leading company turning food waste into sustainable products and renewable energy, has been chosen by Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. to recycle Panda’s used cooking oil into sustainable products, such as cleaner burning renewable diesel. Darling Ingredients’ restaurant service brand, DAR PRO Solutions, will collect and recycle used cooking oil from nearly all of the approximately 2,400 Panda Express restaurants in the United States. “We admire Panda Express’ commitment to sustainability and reducing waste in the communities where it operates and its employees …
New York City — The Dolly Llama, based in Los Angeles, is coming to New York. The popular waffle and artisanal ice cream shop will debut in the East Village on March 11th. “Always on the hunt for new business opportunities, I stumbled across The Dolly Llama and it immediately piqued my interest due to the vibrant, fun branding of the unique concept,” says John Harper, franchisee of the Dolly Llama East Village. “The East Village neighborhood is an eclectic mix of incredible restaurants and an abundance of nightlife, basically …
Los Angeles — Helbiz Kitchen, a Helbiz company, has launched its first kitchen in Santa Monica, Calif., in partnership with Kitchen United. The opening of the second location in Los Angeles is planned for later this month and will be located in the Westwood area. Helbiz Kitchen is known for its commitment to high-quality products, with an uncompromising focus on taste and flavor. The selection of products available in Los Angeles has not been modified from the menus offered in Milan, ensuring that customers in Los Angeles are able to …
Lafayette, La. — McDonald’s Corporation and Lightsource bp have formed a power purchase agreement for a 145 MWac/180 MWdc solar project located in St. Landry Parish, La. The Prairie Ronde Solar project will generate an expected average of approximately 327,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy annually, equivalent to the average annual electricity consumption of 30,700 U.S. homes once complete. The deal helps advances McDonald’s commitment to climate action and its sustainability goals, while expanding Lightsource bp’s footprint of solar assets across the Southeast. “Growing our partnership with Lightsource bp reaffirms …
Irvine, Calif. — Taco Bell has opened its latest Cantina restaurant experience in the heart of Los Angeles, along the iconic palm tree-lined Hollywood Boulevard. The latest Cantina restaurant — known for its boozy drink menu and all the craveable menu items fans have come to expect — sits on a historic 1920s Hollywood property, once a bookstore known as a book lover’s haunt for movie stars, merging a “golden-age” design with modern, digital-only ordering and pickup. The Hollywood Cantina is the first Cantina in Los Angeles County. With more …
Newport Beach, Calif. — Chipotle Mexican Grill is opening a new restaurant called Farmesa at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif. Farmesa is a fresh, bold new concept that is inspired by Chipotle’s ‘Food with Integrity’ standards. The concept will soft-open with an abbreviated menu and limited hours before officially rolling out in March. “One of our strategic objectives is to create or invest in emerging culinary spaces and restaurant concepts that fit within Chipotle’s food with integrity mission and make fresh food daily,” says Brian Niccol, chairman and …