FOCUS Brands names Gary Bales chief concept officer

January 18, 2011

FOCUS Brands Inc. has announced that Gary Bales has been named chief concept officer in addition to his role as president of Carvel. Bales will now oversee…

Greenz inks first franchise deal

January 18, 2011

Beautiful Brands International has signed an agreement with Larry Koehler and Casie Caldwell of Greenz Salads for the first Greenz Salads franchise. The new…

Yogurt Mountain opens first Georgia unit

January 17, 2011

Yogurt Mountain LLC has opened a new store in Duluth, its first footprint in Georgia. A grand opening event will be held from 2-6 p.m. Jan. 22 in which…

Genghis Grill joint venture brings units to the Southeast

January 17, 2011

Genghis Grill has signed on franchisee group, JNE (Jordan, Nicholas, Elliott) Mongolian LLC, to lead the Tampa, Fla., market and Chris Carroll, an existing…

Seven operating principles come 2011

By Lori Walderich

Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. to open Souplantation Express

January 13, 2011

Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. will open its first quick-serve restaurant, Souplantation Express, Jan. 17 in Carlsbad, Calif.

Genghis Grill to conquer the Capital

January 12, 2011

Genghis Grill – The Mongolian Stir Fry has signed on franchisee Carlos Politano to lead the chain's expansion into the Washington, D.C. market.

Daphne’s Greek Café undergoes name change, brand overhaul

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

January 12, 2011

As outlined last year when Daphne’s Greek Café was purchased by Trefethen Advisors LLC, the chain has undergone a complete brand overhaul and will debut a new…

Top That! Pizza inks multi-state deal

January 12, 2011

In a push to enter the small fast casual pizza segment, Lori Walderich -- chief creative officer at IdeaStudio -- and her husband Jeff recently founded Top…

Study: More dining out, smaller checks in 2011

January 11, 2011

Good news first: Americans are expected to dine out more in 2011. Not-so-good news: it's predicted they'll spend about 5 percent less per meal while doing so.

Wingstop heads south of the border

January 6, 2011

Wingstop is spreading its wings even wider in Mexico through a 20-unit expansion agreement with international franchisee WIS de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

Freebirds marks USC opening

January 5, 2011

In the days leading up to the opening of the new USC restaurant, FREEBIRDS World Burrito and its charitable arm, FREEBIRDS World Works, is partnering with…

Red Mango 2010: Record growth

January 5, 2011

Red Mango has announced a record year of expansion in 2010 that included the awarding of franchise agreements totaling 147 locations. The company also opened…

Beautiful Brands adds to growing portfolio

January 4, 2011

Beautiful Brands International has announced the addition of Kansas City-based cupcakery, Smallcakes, to its portfolio of restaurants to market and franchise…

Freshii opens in West Hollywood

January 3, 2011

Los Angeles' beloved destination for foodies, the original Farmers Market, is adding Freshii to its list of restaurants. Already creating a buzz in Brentwood…

Potbelly rolls out Alteryx BI platform

January 2, 2011

Potbelly Sandwich Shop has implemented the Alteryx Geographic Business Intelligence technology platform to manage its sales processes and expansion strategy as…

An Orlando hat trick for Del Taco

December 29, 2010

Del Taco opened its third restaurant in Orlando on Dec. 29. The new unit, operated by franchisee Floridel LLC, will be open 24 hours a day and will include a…

Freebirds to hit sweet 16 in California

December 28, 2010

FREEBIRDS World Burrito has announced that it will open 16 restaurants in California in 2011, the first of which will be located across from the University of…

Fast Casual predicts top trends for 2011

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

It seems that 2010 brought about a series of buyouts and capital investments for fast casual chains looking to improve their operations for the year. While the…

Where do we go in 2011?

by Don Fox — CEO, Firehouse of America

This week, all across America, there are countless restaurant executives taking stock of how they and their companies performed in 2010. Even the casual…