A roundup of interesting bits of news that came across the editor’s desk in the last month, featuring Long John Silver’s, Shipley Do-Nuts, Yogurtland and more.
mergers + acquisitions + more
- Burgerbusters, Inc., operator of 117 Taco Bell restaurants in Virginia, acquired 25 additional units of the chain.
- Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, Inc. acquired Barteca Restaurant Group for $325 million in cash.
- FDF Restaurant Brandz announced the purchase of the 12-year-old Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria chain for an undisclosed amount.
- Houlihan’s Restaurants, Inc. completed the acquisition of 17 restaurants from its largest franchisee, A.C.E. Restaurant Group.
- Long John Silver’s acquired 76 of its franchised restaurants from ServUS, with units located primarily in Indiana.
chain news
- North Carolina-based East Coast Wings + Grill opened its first Virginia location in Lynchburg.
- Fast-casual Newk’s Eatery plans to open 11 locations across West Texas and the San Antonio metro area.
- Fast-casual chicken chain Pollo Campero opened its first location in Tennessee, in Nashville.
- Shipley Do-Nuts will open its first Colorado unit in June, with plans for a second in 2019.
- Tropical Smoothie Café signed a franchise agreement to expand its presence in Indiana with eight cafes throughout the Indianapolis area.
people
- Jersey Mike’s Subs added two people to its real estate team. Paul Williams was named director of real estate for South Central markets and Cortney Rickle was named director of real estate, Northeast.
- Main Event Entertainment has named Les Lehner its chief development officer. Lehner brings more than 20 years of professional retail development, procurement and finance experience, with over 15 years in the family entertainment space, most recently as SVP, chief development officer and chief procurement officer for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.
- Allyn Taylor joined Velvet Taco as chief development officer. Previously, he served as chief development officer for Zoe’s Kitchen. He also held senior development roles with Panera Bread, P.F. Chang’s and Ruby Tuesday.
go big and/or go home
- Asian fast-casual Teriyaki Madness signed its first international franchise deal for a new restaurant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, to open later this year.
- Urban Bricks Pizza will soon open its first unit in Panama with a five-unit franchise agreement. The build-your-own pizza chain will also add units in the United States in Arizona, Colorado and Illinois.
- Yogurtland opened its first location in the Emirate of Sharjah, bringing its international unit count to 45.