Dallas — Smoothie King has signed multi-unit development agreements to bring 15 locations to Greater Cleveland. With more than 1,400 locations globally, Smoothie King is now prioritizing development in Ohio and has plans to open in surrounding cities including Ashland, North Olmsted, Medina, Akron, Beachwood, Avon and Euclid, among others. “We’re excited to expand our brand in the Cleveland metropolitan area. We’ve seen the demand for convenient, on-the-go meal options grow in Cleveland and surrounding suburban areas, which makes us confident in our expansion plans,” says Chris Bremer, chief development …
restaurants
Charlotte, N.C. — Famous Toastery, a 25-plus unit better breakfast, brunch and lunch franchise, has added Mike Sebazco to its executive team as president. Sebazco will help guide the brand into its next phase of franchise expansion as it grows strategically throughout the Carolinas and the Southeast with the aim of doubling its footprint over the next 2 years. With 30 years of experience in the franchising and restaurant industry, Sebazco has been involved in the operations and growth of various brands, including Don Pablo’s, Boston Pizza and Texas Land …
— Interview with Jeff Sturgis — Another Broken Egg Cafe understands that people crave more in-person, meaningful experiences post-pandemic — and its new “New South” prototype meets people exactly where they want to be. Even before the pandemic, Another Broken Egg Cafe had a sense of where the industry was headed, and what its customers would want. In 2019, it launched a new prototype designed to elevate the in-person brunch experience, with an expanded outdoor patio, as well as a more robust off-premise dining business. The decisions …
Charlotte, N.C. — Bobby’s Burgers, the ultimate burger experience by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, has named Michael McGill as president of its franchising company. Beyond overseeing all departments, McGill’s responsibilities include management of the strategic brand expansion, which is to franchise more than 500 locations worldwide. The franchising initiative McGill is leading stems from the formation of Intelligration Capital BB, LLC, which is the franchisor company for Bobby’s Burgers. McGill and the board of directors, made up of best-in-class executives from the restaurant and franchise industries, respected investors and experienced …
Glendale, Calif. — Dine Brands Global, Inc., the parent company of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar® and IHOP® restaurants, has agreed to acquire Fuzzy’s Taco Shop® from Experiential Brands LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NRD Holding Company, for $80 million in cash. Fuzzy’s is a fast-casual restaurant concept serving Mexican favorites with a Baja twist. Net of tax benefits, the purchase price is approximately $70 million. Founded in 2003 in Fort Worth, Texas, Fuzzy’s is a category innovator, offering a new twist on Mexican favorites at a value price …
Denver — REGO Restaurant Group has hired quick-service industry veteran Vanessa Fox as chief development officer, a new role in which Fox will utilize her extensive industry expertise to support the continued transformation of the Quiznos and Taco Del Mar brands. On the heels of several recent Quiznos development deals to expand across the U.S., Fox brings to the company more than 20 years of experience as an ROI-driven leader with vast knowledge in strategic planning, market growth, portfolio management and business development. In this new role, Fox will aim …
Kansas City, Mo. — Service Management Group (SMG), a global customer, employee and brand experience management partner to more than 500 brands, has formed a new partnership with Rubio’s Coastal Grill. The fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Baja-inspired Mexican food selected SMG to improve real-time, prescriptive feedback across its guest journey. Based in Carlsbad, Calif., Rubio’s has more than 150 locations across California, Arizona and Nevada. Co-founder Ralph Rubio opened the first location as a walk-up taco stand in 1983 in San Diego’s Mission Bay, and the brand’s reputation and …
Atlanta — Chicken Salad Chick, the nation’s only fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, will open its first-ever location in the Chicago metro area and the fourth in Illinois on Jan. 10, 2023. Located at 220 North Randall Rd., Chicken Salad Chick Batavia is opening in the former Crabby Boil building in front of Menards and features a drive-thru as well as a private event space. Kim and Garrett Seaman of Fox Valley Chick, LLC are the duo bringing Chicken Salad Chick to the Chicago area. The husband-and-wife team met when …
Newton, Mass. — Voicify, a conversational AI (Artificial Intelligence) platform used to deliver custom voice assistants, and Paytronix Systems, Inc., the most advanced digital guest experience platform for restaurants and retail, have formed a new partnership that enables restaurants to incorporate voice ordering across all customer touch points. Integrating the Voicify voice food ordering assistant with the Paytronix customer experience platform (CXP) allows both organizations to accelerate business development goals in the restaurant industry while offering expanded digital products and services to shared customers. Restaurant ordering options range from mobile …
Dallas — Smoothie King has made three key additions to its executive leadership team: Marianne Radley, chief marketing officer; Juan Salas, chief information officer; and Laura Scavone, chief people officer. All three have been added to the brand’s C-suite and will be responsible for leading effective, cross-functional teams to achieve Smoothie King’s strategic business goals. “We’re excited to have Marianne, Juan and Laura join our growing leadership team. They are exemplary leaders in their respective segments, each possessing a wealth of experience in the QSR industry and will undoubtedly make …