Newport Beach, Calif. — Chipotle Mexican Grill has unveiled a new all-electric restaurant design that works to maximize energy efficiency in its equipment and systems and utilizes 100% renewable energy from wind power and solar through the purchase of certified renewable energy credits. The company recently opened restaurants with the new features in Gloucester, Va., and Jacksonville, Fla., with a third location opening later this summer in Castle Rock, Colo. The new restaurant design pilot will help Chipotle progress toward its science-based targets, established in alignment with Science Based Targets …
restaurants
Chicago — Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay is coming to the Windy City. Intelligration Capital BB, LLC (ICBB), the licensor and franchisor company for Bobby’s Burgers, has finalized the brand’s first franchise deal to propel the brand’s footprint across the neighborhoods of Chicagoland. Notably, the multi-unit agreement is introducing the ultimate burger experience to a new market while debuting Bobby’s Burgers’ first traditional, streetside restaurant model. The openings will bring an approachable Bobby Flay dining experience to all while maintaining a menu curated using only the highest quality ingredients. Well …
Denver — Smashburger, a leading fast-casual restaurant chain known for its smashed-to-order-burgers, has launched its first Virtual Drive-Thru located at the newest corporate-owned restaurant in Houston. An extension of the traditional drive-thru experience, the Virtual Drive-Thru allows customers to seamlessly place an order online or through the Smashburger app, then pull through the designated parking lane where their food will be delivered to the driver by a Smashburger team member. First introduced at the beginning of 2022, the Virtual Drive-Thru prototype, coupled with Smashburger’s refreshed kitchen design, reinforces the brand’s …
Athens, Ga. — Bruxie, an up-and-coming Southern California-based fast-casual concept known for its waffle sandwiches, chicken tenders and custard shakes, is set to open its first Georgia restaurant this spring in the Classic City. The Athens location will operate across from the University of Georgia campus, bringing Bruxie’s cool vibe to students, faculty and locals. “Athens is home to champions, and when you win back-to-back national football titles, we will build a Bruxie in your town — with winning recipes and menu items unlike anything else,” says Brett Gibson, operating …
San Carlos, Calif. — Presto Automation Inc., one of the largest drive-thru automation technology providers in the hospitality industry, has promoted Dan Mosher to president and Xavier Casanova to chief operating officer, effective immediately. “Dan and Xavier have been key leaders at Presto and were instrumental in successfully developing and implementing Presto Voice, the industry’s most advanced drive-thru AI voice ordering platform,” says Presto’s chairman and interim CEO, Krishna Gupta. “I am delighted to partner with these two and the rest of our exceptional management team as we continue to …
Orlando, Fla. — Berner International LLC, a New Castle, Pa.-based manufacturer and innovator of air curtains, has honored foodservice manufacturer’s representative Swanson-Girard Associates (SGA), based in Pineville, N.C, with its Presidential Gold Award for Outstanding Sales Achievement–2021-2022. Brian Paolucci, sales manager with Berner International, presented the award to SGA principals Paul Swanson and Sean Girard at the North American Food Service Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) Show 2023 on Feb. 1 in Orlando, Fla. Other honored award winners were: Presidential Silver: Preferred Marketing Group, based in Chatsworth, Calif. Presidential Bronze: LMS Associates, …
Jersey City, N.J. — Imperial Dade, a leading distributor of foodservice packaging and janitorial supplies, has hired Devashish Saxena as its first chief digital officer. He will be focused on identifying how the organization can use the latest digital technologies to create a world-class omnichannel customer experience powered by data science. For over 20 years, Devashish Saxena has built digital organizations and guided them in making data-driven decisions to deliver business impact. Most recently Devashish led digital transformation as vice president, chief digital officer at PPG, a Pittsburgh-based coatings manufacturer. …
Atlanta — Carvel, the nostalgic ice cream franchise under the Focus Brands portfolio, is moving westward beyond its East Coast roots with its debut in a new market: Houston. This first-of-its-kind collaboration will bring Carvel to eight Houston-area locations over the next 5 years. The new locations are Buttermilk Baby restaurants — the newest concept developed by Berg Hospitality. Each Buttermilk Baby restaurant integrates the Carvel brand in its design and menu offerings, bringing Carvel to Houstonians in a unique way. Ben Berg, owner of Houston-based Berg Hospitality Group, is …
Atlanta — Neel Patel joins Church’s Texas Chicken® as vice president, strategy & growth, a newly created role. He joined the company in late March. He reports directly to Joe Guith, CEO of Church’s Texas Chicken® and Texas Chicken™. In this role, Neel will drive strategic planning, data & analytics, and business transformation in addition to accelerating growth initiatives across all aspects of the business, including marketing, development, finance, supply chain and international. Patel joins Church’s Texas Chicken® from McKinsey & Company where he led growth-focused client engagements across several …
Newport Beach, Calif. — Mountain Mike’s Pizza, LLC, a leading California-based family-style pizza chain for more than 40 years, has inked a development deal that will bring five new Mountain Mike’s locations to greater Las Vegas by 2027. The new deal was signed by longtime Mountain Mike’s franchisees Dalvir Janjua, Kamaljit Singh and Manpreet Rai, who currently own and operate two Mountain Mike’s Pizza restaurants in Reno, Nev., and another location in Stockton, Calif. The first of the new Las Vegas-area restaurants is slated to open by early 2024. With …