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CRAFT Restaurant & Beer Market Opens First U.S Location

by Katie Lee

Dallas — CRAFT Restaurant & Beer Market has officially opened its first U.S. location in Dallas’ Preston Center, bringing a 500-seat, high-energy dining and social destination featuring over 100 taps, a chef-driven menu and one of the area’s first rooftop patios. The restaurant opened on April 1. CRAFT’s expansion into Texas marks a major milestone for the brand as it brings its community-driven hospitality model to the U.S. market. “Dallas is an exciting market for us, and opening here represents an important next step for the brand,” says founder PJL’Heureux. …

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Industry Voiceskitchen equipmentkitchen exhaust/grease controlrestaurantsvendors

Seasonal Impact

by Katie Lee

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally published in December, in the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Retail & Restaurant Facility Business.] — Interview with Nathan Willard — HOODZ’s Nathan Willard talks preventative maintenance: steps your facility should take to clean & maintain kitchen exhaust systems this holiday season. R&R: Why is kitchen exhaust cleaning especially important during the busy holiday season? Nathan Willard: During the holidays, families are not only eating together in the comfort of their own homes; they are also sharing meals at local restaurants. While kitchen exhaust cleaning …

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construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

PopUp Bagels® Makes Midwest Debut with First Chicago Location

by Katie Lee

Chicago — PopUp Bagels is expanding across Illinois, with the first of 25 Chicago locations set to open in Lincoln Park. Expanding to the Chicago area marks a major milestone for PopUp Bagels as it expands the brand’s footprint to the Midwest for the first time. The brand, which debuted in Westport, Conn., in 2021, serves hot, whole bagels straight from the oven — never sliced, never toasted — designed to be torn apart and dipped into schmear. The Chicago locations will deliver the same bagel experience as those in …

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franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

Zaxbys Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — Zaxbys® has appointed Michael Dixon as its new chief financial officer, effective March 30. Dixon will report to Bernard Acoca, chief executive officer at Zaxbys. “Mike’s demonstrated success in accelerating and scaling financial performance across QSR organizations, maximizing unit economics and managing complex financial environments makes him a perfect fit for Zaxbys next chapter,” says Acoca. “As Zaxbys continues the brand’s national growth and expansion I am confident in our ability to grow to win with Mike’s leadership.” Dixon brings over 30 years of accomplished financial leadership experience …

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franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

Mike’s Red Tacos Names Chief Development Officer

by Katie Lee

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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Newspeoplerestaurants

Golden Corral Names New Chief Financial Officer

by Katie Lee

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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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Krispy Kreme to Drive Capital-Light Growth Through Refranchising

by Katie Lee

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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construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

la Madeleine Opens First Tennessee Café

by Katie Lee

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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NewsProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Papa Johns Selects Deliverect to Modernize Delivery Operations Across U.S. Restaurants

by Katie Lee

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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NewspeopleProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Fourth Appoints Veteran Product Leader as CEO

by Katie Lee

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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