Burger Lounge, the eco-conscious, fast-casual concept with 100 percent grass-fed beef burgers and vegetarian options, is bringing the turf to the surf with the opening of a new restaurant in Santa Monica, California, on March 13. The restaurant will be the company’s ninth locale throughout San Diego and Los Angeles, and the third location to […]
Zoës Kitchen, a fast-casual restaurant concept offering simple Mediterranean-inspired dishes, announced the company will be opening four new stores in the greater Philadelphia area. The new store openings will roll out over a three-month period, with the first location slated to open in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. “Zoës Kitchen has experienced tremendous success and growth through the […]
Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza, a leader in the fast-casual, build-your-own-pizza category, announced that Lessing’s Hospitality Group, one of New York’s leading restaurant and catering companies, has signed an agreement to develop 10 franchise stores in the New York Metro area, Long Island, Westchester, and Rockland counties, as well as in southern Connecticut. This most recent agreement […]
Last week, Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint opened new restaurant locations in Dunwoody, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, raising the total number of open franchises to nine throughout the Southeast. By the end of fall this year, 20 more restaurants will open, including locations in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and there will be 100 […]
Burger 21, a new better-burger franchise founded by the owners of The Melting PotRestaurants, announced the signing of two new franchise deals for the territories of Albany, New York, and Sarasota, Florida. The deal will bring the first Burger 21 restaurant to the state of New York and expands the brand’s footprint to a total of […]
McAlister’s Deli is showcasing its Lent-friendly menu offering guests a great variety of delicious options. The Lent menu highlights the many choices available at McAlister’s, including a variety of starters, salads, sandwiches, and spuds. Also available to enhance the Lent selection is the new Cajun Shrimp menu options. “We want our guests to know that […]
Only a little more than a month into 2013, Le Duff America—the world’s second-largest restaurant company in the bakery café segment, with brands like Bruegger’s Bagels and la Madeleine Country French Café in its portfolio—can already tell it’s going to be a big year. For starters, it recently purchased casual-dining chain Mimi’s Cafe from Bob […]
Burger 21, a better-burger franchise founded by the owners of The Melting Pot Restaurants, with five locations open and 10 in development on the East Coast, is giving customers what they crave in a burger: diversity. The brand unveiled an infographic highlighting how its guests are buying into better burgers through its variety of menu options. […]
According to Restaurant DemandTracker, a recent survey of restaurant customers in the United States, many consumers are visiting fast-casual restuarants more often and they are doing it for a wide variety of reasons, not just for low prices. This is in contrast to the reasons driving traffic growth at other less-expensive restaurant segments. Among those […]
American Roadside Burgers has broken ground in Greenville, South Carolina. To build its newest store, American Roadside demolished an existing service station in downtown Greenville. The building was unsuitable for renovation into a restaurant, and instead the company will build its first new freestanding store on the spot. “We think this is a great location for […]
Chefs Rodelio Aglibot (Koi, Yi Cuisine, Sunda, BLT) and Frank Fronda (Napa Valley Grille, Cafe del Rey, Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire), founding partners of the Pilot Light Group, have teamed with industry veteran Charlie Candelas (Wolfgang Puck, Darden Restaurants) to raise the culinary bar on the emerging fast-casual pizza market with their upcoming concept Pizza […]
Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to test a new vegetarian menu item called “Sofritas” in seven San Francisco Bay Area restaurants beginning Tuesday, February 12. Sofritas, shredded tofu braised with chipotle chilis, roasted poblanos, and a blend of aromatic spices, is made with organic, non-GMO tofu from Oakland’s Hodo Soy. Chipotle expects Sofritas to appeal to […]
Fresh To Order, the pioneer of “fast fine,” a newly identified segment in foodservice, continues its growth surge with the opening of its seventh unit at the Emory Point Mixed-Use Development, located across from the Centers for Disease Control and nearby Emory University in Atlanta. The new 2,800-square-foot restaurant, which features an additional 500-square-foot outdoor […]
Fifty-four units opened; 165 franchises sold; more than 350 development agreements in the pipeline. That’s just a glimpse into the picture of growth Moe’s Southwest Grill has been painting over the past year. Growing at a rate of 20 percent each year—and opening a new unit every five to six days—the Southwestern fast casual is […]
McAlister’s Deli, a leading fast-casual restaurant, announced it has been ranked among the top performing fast-casual chains in a new consumer survey presented by Technomic at its Fast Casual 2012 Trends & Directions Conference. McAlister’s Deli took the top spot in five categories, including food, beverages, value, service, and atmosphere. More than 90 percent of […]
Tijuana Flats fired up the 2012 holiday season by raising $92,140 for Kids Beating Cancer—nearly three times the total amount raised last year. The money was raised through the sale of the restaurant’s “Smack My Ass & Call Me Santa!” hot sauce and, new this year, proceeds from a special dessert called Vixen's Holiday Ginger Chimi […]
East Coast Wings & Grill will celebrate its Mount Pleasant location grand opening on Tuesday, January 14, with an all-day open house featuring appetizer, dessert, and drink specials, and attractions for kids. The event calls on Mount Pleasant to celebrate the post-holiday blues, especially men and women in blue, as the party’s theme honors service […]
Muscle Maker Grill, a chain of eateries that serves food prepared with your health in mind, announced it opened a new Edgewater, New Jersey, restaurant at 824 River Road. Located down the street from the previous Edgewater Muscle Maker Grill, which closed in 2011, the new restaurant marks the fast-growing chain’s 64th location nationwide. “We […]
Master development agent Mukesh Banker and franchisee Dhruman Shah have brought famous fresh-cut Boardwalk Fries and fresh, made-to-order burgers to eastern Monmouth County in Red Bank, New Jersey. Residents of eastern Monmouth County are now able to enjoy the traditional boardwalk experience of fresh-cut Boardwalk Fries with endless dressings, like Old Bay and apple cider […]
Blaze Pizza, a pioneer in the fast-casual artisan pizza category, announced that Sajha, LLC has signed an agreement to develop three franchise stores in Southern California. Sajha, led by CEO Sandeep Bhakta, along with Kamal Patel, will open three Blaze Pizza locations in the Los Angeles area, the first of which is slated to launch […]
Firewurst of Cary, a new restaurant that is introducing flame-grilled sausages and dogs to the fast-casual dining experience, opens its doors in grand fashion, replete with fiery sidewalk entertainment on December 21 and 22. The menu includes America's favorite sausages and hot dog combos and a host of Firewurst creations that are sure to please […]
Moe’s Southwest Grill, the fast-growing restaurant franchise best known for its flavorful Southwest fare and fun and engaging brand culture, has opened its doors for the first time in Costa Rica. The restaurant, which began operations in Costa Rica on November 10, 2012, is located at the newly designed Plaza Tempo in Escazu, an influential […]
Newk’s Express Café, which passed 50 total restaurants and entered several new markets in 2012, had a big year. The fast-casual restaurant is ready to compound on this growth in 2013 with plans to open 10 new locations and sign additional multiunit operators with restaurant experience. Newk’s also passed $100 million in sales for the […]
Little Greek Restaurant’s 11th location has opened in the food court of Tampa, Florida’s WestShore Plaza, with sales exceeding expectations. In addition, a location in Willow Bend, Texas, opened on November 7, also experiencing record-breaking sales within the first week of opening. Systemwide sales are strong, with comp store sales up 10 percent over the […]
5-Spice Asian Street Market, a 6-year-old award-winning fast-casual restaurant in Boca Raton, Florida, in its ongoing mission to bring to America hidden culinary treasures from different regions of Asia with uncompromising authenticity and quality, is now offering franchise opportunities to qualified applicants to expand in this emerging Asian fast-casual segment. “Our loyal clientele really enjoy, […]
Fatburger, known for its fresh burgers and hand-scooped ice cream shakes, is proud to announce the opening of its first store in Temecula, California. Maintaining the same upbeat, soulful culture that started more than 60 years ago, the new Fatburger location is sure to provide Temecula residents with juicy burgers and homemade onion rings, as […]
Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint recently initiated expansion into the Dallas, Texas market. This will mark the first Texas location for Uncle Maddio’s. The restaurant brand is dominating the fast-casual pizza market. In 2013, it will average two new location openings per month. At the last three grand openings, customers were lined up for hours before […]
Così Inc., the fast-casual restaurant company, announced another step in its strategic effort to enhance its brand and image. Tapping into a popular restaurant trend, Cosi redesigned its South Michigan Avenue downtown Chicago space in a matter of three days and reopened in a fun, energetic, pop-up style. The 4,000-square-foot eatery is testing newer thoughts on […]
Subscribe to A.M. Jolt
"*" indicates required fields
Find a supplier