Chipotle expanding Canadian presence

March 23, 2021

Chipotle Mexican Grill is adding to its 23 units in Canada, opening March 30 in Surrey, British Columbia. The country's first last opening was in 2018 in…

Mooyah Burgers ups its game with menu boards

by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

Fast casuals have historically viewed the drive-thru as optional, but when COVID-19 hit in 2020, many had to rethink their strategies as indoor dining was no…

Ono Hawaiian opening 98th unit

March 19, 2021

Ono Hawaiian BBQ is opening its 98th unit Monday in Gilbert, Arizona, marking the brand's second location in Maricopa County. The free-standing, drive-thru…

Penn State welcoming Slim Chickens

March 19, 2021

Slim Chickens is opening an express location this fall at Pennsylvania State University. Located inside the HUB-Robeson Center, the restaurant will offer…

Dave's Hot Chicken hitting double digits

March 18, 2021

Los Angeles-based Dave's Hot Chicken is opening its 10th location Friday in the suburb of Northridge, across the street from California State University…

The Halal Guys opening Ohio franchise

March 18, 2021

New York City-based The Halal Guys has signed a deal to open its first locations in Ohio and more than double its presence in the Midwest. The Smart Choice…

Italy's DalMoros Pasta coming to America

March 18, 2021

Venice, Italy-based DalMoros Fresh Pasta To Go is opening its first U.S. location in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Mendocino Farms adding 2nd DFW location

March 17, 2021

Mendocino Farms is opening next week in Addison, Texas, at Prestonwood Place, a 133,353-square-foot shopping center

Fuzzy's Taco Shop debuting taqueria concept

March 17, 2021

Texas-based Fuzzy's Taco Shop has created Fuzzy's Taco Shop Taqueria, which includes Fuzzy's recipes via a reduced menu in a smaller, to-go-focused footprint…

Torchy's testing ghost kitchen in Ohio

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

March 17, 2021

Torchy's Tacos has chosen Columbus, Ohio, as the home of its first ghost kitchen, opening this spring in partnership with CloudKitchens, a real estate company…

Rise Southern Biscuits inks 15-unit deal for Tennessee

March 16, 2021

Rise Southern Biscuits and Righteous Chicken has inked a deal with multi-unit franchisee Fred Fordin to open a minimum of 15 Rise locations throughout…

Mountain Mike's franchisee opens 2 stores in 1 week

March 15, 2021

A longtime Mountain Mike's Pizza franchisee and developer agent has opened two stores in Riverside County, California in a single week. Robby Basati opened…

Mooyah opening at least 15 restaurants in Phoenix

March 12, 2021

With a newly remodeled concept and revamped menu, Plano-based Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes is setting up shop in Arizona with plans to open its first…

Multi-concept franchisee opens Slim Chickens in Colorado Springs

March 11, 2021

Slim Chickens is now available in Colorado Springs, thanks to a partnership with Mile High Chicken LLC, which opened a location there this week at 86…

Friends buy 21-unit sandwich franchise

March 10, 2021

Five friends — Brian Bergen, Timm Heller, Todd Mancusi, Tony Mancusi and Chris Gentilli — have purchased Milio's Sandwiches, a 21-unit franchise headquartered…

Pizza Guys to open second San Jose location

March 10, 2021

Pizza Guys not only knows the way to San Jose, as the old song goes, but is beating a path to the mid-California city, marking the brand's fourth location in…

Mountain Mike's lights up Sunnyvale, California

March 10, 2021

Rapidly expanding West Coast pizza chain, Mountain Mike's is opening its first Sunnyvale, California, store on East El Camino Real in Santa Clara County…

Habit Burger continuing Arizona expansion

March 10, 2021

California-based The Habit Burger Grill is opening Wednesday in Mesa, Arizona, according to a company press release.

FAT Brands entering African market

March 9, 2021

FAT Brands Inc., parent company of Fatburger, Buffalo's Express and seven other restaurant concepts, has signed a deal to bring five co-branded Fatburger and…

Hero Brands investing in Island Poke

March 9, 2021

UK-based Island Poke has secured an investment from Hero Brands, which owns German Doner Kebab and Choppaluna, to help it accelerate growth, according to a…