Development

Burger Village, the New York City-based organic burger chain with full-service restaurants in Long Island and Brooklyn (and plans for quick-serve locations in the same boroughs) signed a multi-unit franchise agreement to expand to California.

Diversity Food Brands (DFB), a foodservice provider specializing in captured audience spaces, plans to expand its Sandella’s Flatbread Café brand by adding at least 12 locations in 2019.

The better-burger chain BurgerFi plans to expand in Florida and Georgia with nine new locations.

Reach in to a grab bag of casual-dining brands these days and what you pull out might just surprise you. Yes, many in the segment continue to struggle and suffer consequences of over-supply, under-differentiation and chronic inertia.

Trident Holdings LLC, the largest franchisee of fast-casual seafood chain Captain D’s, acquired 8 corporate-owned stores in Mississippi and will develop 10 new units throughout the state as well as in key Southeast target markets, including Louisiana and Georgia, over the next several years.

Starbucks opened its Dewata Coffee Sanctuary in Bali, Indonesia.

New York City’s Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque signed a multi-unit development agreement to open three locations in Long Island with franchisee Jason Wotman.

In the restaurant industry, delayed openings are a persistent concern for restaurant owners and developers. Whether it’s a venture backed by a respected restaurateur or a brand-new restaurant from a first-time owner, delays are common. And while some circumstances are unforeseeable when it comes to restaurant construction, many can be avoided with proper planning, teamwork and execution.