Sweetgreen debuts in Tennessee with Nashville opening

June 23, 2026

Sweetgreen will open its first Tennessee location June 30 in Nashville's Gulch neighborhood.

Houston TX Hot Chicken flies to UK with PizzaExpress franchise deal

June 23, 2026

Houston TX Hot Chicken has signed a master franchise agreement with PizzaExpress to bring its fast-casual chicken concept to the United Kingdom. Under the…

Former senator opening Juice It Up in Utah

June 22, 2026

Juice It Up! has entered Utah through a multi-unit development agreement with local franchisees Aaron and Nancy Osmond. The move expands the smoothie and raw…

Former McDonald’s operator opens Paris Baguette in Thousand Oaks

June 22, 2026

Former McDonald's owner-operator Gabriel Vesci has opened a Paris Baguette cafe in Thousand Oaks, California, as part of a Southern California expansion plan.

Tord Olav Dønnum on the future of autonomous foodservice

by Richard Slawsky — Editor, Connect Media

Tord Olav Dønnum discusses how robotics, automation and artificial intelligence are reshaping foodservice operations and how autonomous kitchens can help…

Shipley Donuts signs 3-unit franchise deal in Ohio

June 19, 2026

Shipley Donuts is expanding into Ohio through a three-unit franchise agreement with Koelache Co. LLC, marking the Houston-based doughnut chain's entry into the…

JINYA Holdings launches Japanese bakery concept in Southern California

June 19, 2026

JINYA Holdings is expanding beyond ramen and robata with the launch of Mikan bakery & more, a Japanese-style bakery and beverage concept scheduled to…

Bahama Buck’s partners with Qu to upgrade POS, operations platform

June 18, 2026

Bahama Buck's has selected Qu to overhaul its technology infrastructure as the shaved-ice franchise continues national expansion.

Lost Borough Ice Cream to open 2nd New York shop in Inwood

June 18, 2026

Lost Borough Ice Cream will open its second location in New York on July 7 at 4791 Bradway, in Manhattan's Inwood neighborhood.

Deliverect Partners with 5&5 to Help Restaurant Brands Scale Their Digital Ordering Ecosystem

New partnership combines Deliverect's ordering technology with 5&5's restaurant technology expertise and managed services model

Starbucks debuts Blue Coconut beverages tied to Water.org donation campaign

June 17, 2026

Seattle-based Starbucks has introduced two summer beverages: the Blue Coconut Refresher and Iced Blue Coconut Matcha. Connected with the cold drinks are a…

Huey Magoo’s expands in Texas with 5-unit DFW development agreement

June 17, 2026

Huey Magoo's continues its Texas expansion with a five-unit development agreement covering the Dallas-Fort Worth area, part of the fast-casual chicken chain's…

Kea-Thanx integration rewards phone-order customers, gives restaurants more data

June 16, 2026

Restaurant loyalty platform Thanx has integrated with Kea, an AI-powered phone-ordering system, to help restaurants reward customers who place orders by phone…

GOOOOOOOALLLLLLL: Fast casual restaurants capitalizing on World Cup fever

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

Along with national pride and fan excitement, this year's FIFA World Cup provides restaurants with an opportunity to increase their customer base. Experts tell…

Tropical Smoothie Café unveils limited-time Moana-inspired beverage

June 12, 2026

Tropical Smoothie Café has introduced the How Far You'll Go Mango Smoothie, a limited-time beverage available at participating locations nationwide through…

Gamification helps improve Smoothie King's loyalty program

June 12, 2026

Smoothie King is seeing early gains from adding game-like features to its Healthy Rewards loyalty program.

The return of the Unicorn Frappuccino: Can Starbucks avoid the headaches this time around?

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

When Starbucks created the drink nearly nine years ago, it generated significant consumer interest, leading to thousands of social media posts but also…

Cheba Hut fires up new joint in Fort Worth

June 11, 2026

Cheba Hut, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, is opening its newest location in north Fort Worth, Texas. The counterculture toasted sub shop will open June 15 at…

7 Brew continues pouring it on, opens 777th stand in San Antonio

June 11, 2026

7 Brew Coffee has reached a milestone of 777 stands in the United States. The triple-seven location at 9219 Potranco Road in San Antonio is now serving…

Dalmoros to open first transit-hub location at Boston's South Station

June 10, 2026

Dalmoros Fresh Italian, formerly known as DalMoros Fresh Pasta To Go, will open its first location this week at Boston's South Station, a transportation hub…