FREEBIRDS opens two locations in Dallas-Fort Worth

July 19, 2011

FREEBIRDS World Burrito will open two new locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area: the first, July 21 at Rockwell Plaza and the second in Grapevine on July 27.

Saladworks further expands into Delaware

July 13, 2011

Saladworks has signed an agreement with franchisee Joe Mignone to open his third location in Delaware. The restaurant, scheduled to open this fall, expands the…

Sale of Crispers finalized to Healthy Food Concepts

July 12, 2011

The sale of Crispers LLC, a Lakeland, Fla.-based, fast casual restaurant chain, has been finalized between Healthy Food Concepts LLC and Publix Super Markets.

OinkADoodleMoo signs franchisee

July 11, 2011

OinkADoodleMoo is getting an expansion boost from new franchise John Webb, who will open a new location in Troy, Ohio.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit to add 23 Calif. locations

July 10, 2011

Dickey's Barbecue Pit will add to its current 156 locations with the opening of 23 new locations throughout the California market over the next year.

Golub Capital leads Au Bon Pain refinance

July 5, 2011

Golub Capital has announced the completion of a $112 million senior secured credit facility provided for the refinancing of Au Bon Pain, a portfolio company of…

Chipotle invested $2.3 million in Soul Daddy

July 4, 2011

An SEC filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Chipotle invested $2.3 million in America's Next Great Restaurant, Soul Daddy.

QSR Franchise Opportunities: Crucial Considerations

Operators should consider the brand's image and marketing services as well as their own assets and qualifications.

Smashburger taps Twist as regional AOR

June 29, 2011

Smashburger has named Twist as its St. Louis agency of record ahead of a 12-unit expansion in the market. The first Smashburger in the St. Louis area will open…

Salad Creations expands to Florida campuses

June 29, 2011

Salad Creations is expanding its presence on college campuses with ARAMARK, an award-winning, global food services company. Under the partnership, a new Salad…

Eight ways to build a mobile marketing platform

Although many restaurant operators have successfully leveraged mobile-marketing platforms, there are many more that are missing out. Here's a look at how to…

Don't try this at home

by Janet Eden-Harris — CMO & SVP Strategy, Market Force

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting Jerry Calabrese for a Fast Casual webinar. For those that missed it, Jerry recently retired from McDonald’s where he…

Flippin’ Pizza signs new franchisee in Maryland

June 27, 2011

Flippin' Pizza, the 13-unit fast casual New York-style pizza concept, has signed a franchise agreement with foodservice veteran Brett Silver to transfer three…

Schlotzsky’s gains growth momentum

June 23, 2011

Schlotzsky’s has announced that it has signed 75 franchise agreements for a total of 25 restaurants that will each house the Schlotzsky’s, Cinnabon and Carvel…

Webinar: Think you can grow your restaurant sales using only financial metrics? Think again.

Financial numbers tell you what you’ve done. But to drive future same store sales growth, you need to know how each of your stores is operating, and what your…

Bruegger’s to develop Virginia Beach market

June 22, 2011

Bruegger’s Enterprises Inc. has announced a development agreement with Virginia Bagels LLC to open six bakeries in Virginia Beach, Va., and surrounding…

Tulsa-based FreshBerry, CherryBerry chains join forces

June 21, 2011

Beautiful Brands International (BBI), parent company of Tulsa-based FreshBerry Frozen Yogurt, has announced an agreement with owners of Tulsa-based CherryBerry…

Beautiful Brands signs 25-unit deal for Smallcakes

June 20, 2011

Beautiful Brands International has announced an agreement with multi-unit developers, Brad and Francy Bauer, to open 25 new Smallcakes A Cupcakery stores in…

BUBBA burger opens first BUBBA burger Grill

June 20, 2011

BUBBA burger, the No. 1 selling retail, frozen branded burger in America, has opened its first BUBBA burger Grill restaurant in Jacksonville, Fla. The…

Salsarita’s acquired by former McAlister’s CEO

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

Former McAlister’s Deli president and CEO Phil Friedman has acquired the Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina restaurant chain. The chain has 80 stores across 19 states…