Newk’s Eatery debuted a new restaurant prototype in its home market of Jackson, Miss., and re-opened all seven of its home market locations.

Newk’s Eatery signed a deal to open 18 new stores across Texas and Oklahoma over the next few years with Full Belly Holdings, LLC., a franchisee that currently operates

Despite a slight slowdown the past couple of years and some weeding out of concepts that missed the mark or overreached, the grass on the fast-casual side of the industry

This fast-casual chain’s new prototype emphasizes the concept’s food-driven approach while addressing operational concerns.