Top Franchising News

The latest opening of Doc Popcorn at Lalaport Mall in Fujimi, Japan this past week drew crowds of customers at its Grand Opening, which marked the second successful opening of the fresh-popped, kettle-cooked popcorn retail franchise in Japan. Less than one year after the first Doc Popcorn grand opening in Tokyo, the Lalaport Mall PopShop […]

Bowl of Heaven—the innovative, health-casual concept featuring delicious açaí bowls, smoothies, and cold-pressed juices made with plant protein and super food ingredients—opened another franchise store this past month in Tustin, California. Bowl of Heaven currently has eight stores open, 10 new locations set to open in 2015, and more than 65 new franchise units sold […]

Corner Bakery Cafe, a fast casual restaurant concept known for its ingredient-inspired menu and neighborhood cafe atmosphere, is off to a fast start in the second quarter with the announcement of a 13-location deal for greater Cleveland-area, the brand’s first area development agreement in the state of Ohio. According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), […]

The fast-casual pizza segment has gone from nowhere to seemingly everywhere with head-spinning speed. And while a band of start-ups have debuted in the past few years, Donatos Pizza, the leading pizza chain in Technomic’s most recent Top 150 Fast-Casual Chain Restaurant Report, is dominating the category. And they’re showing no signs of slowing down. […]

Following this week’s announcement that The Halal Guys hired former Qdoba VP of human resources and training, Mike Speck, as COO, comes the hiring of two strong operations and training professionals to the team. Mame Fall and Juan Bustamante, who have a combined total of almost 30 years in the restaurant and hospitality industry, will work […]

Dunkin’ Donuts announced today the signing of a multi-unit store development agreement with new franchise group, Legacy Concepts LLC, to develop 10 new restaurants in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the surrounding areas of Bloomington, Edina, Eden Prairie, and the communities west of the Metro area. The first restaurant is planned to open by the end of […]

The Halal Guys, the American Halal street food concept with over 200 new corporate and franchise restaurants in development, has hired Mike Speck as the company’s new chief operating officer. Speck is a 25-year restaurant operations and training veteran, whose most recent role as vice president of Human Resources and Training for Qdoba Mexican Grill involved […]

CREAM, a San Francisco-based dessert franchise that specializes in high quality ice cream sandwiches and other confections, has inked a franchise deal that will bring 13 new locations to various uncharted parts of Northern California, including Fairfield, Vacaville, Marin County, Chico, Santa Cruz, and Napa, among others. The latest agreement has been signed with brothers […]

Pieology Pizzeria, where pizza lovers go to create custom pizzas in endless flavor combinations, announced the opening of its first Vacaville location on Friday, April 17.  Pieology Vacaville is located at The Nut Tree Plaza between The Habit Burger and Buckhorn BBQ. A proven favorite with pizza fans, Pieology currently has eight locations in Northern […]

Whittier, California, residents will get a fast casual barbecue option on Thursday, April 16 at 11 a.m., when Dickey's Barbecue Pit opens in the Santa Fe Springs Plaza. Local owner, Kevin Vuu is hosting a three-day grand opening celebration where the first 50 guests will receive gift cards ranging from $5 to $50. "Dickey's Barbecue […]

Less than a year after being featured on the ABC reality show "Shark Tank,” Cinnaholic announced that it will have eight new franchise locations open within the next couple of months. The award-winning bakery specializes in nothing but custom gourmet and vegan cinnamon rolls. The newly revealed locations include Santa Rosa, California; South Lake, Texas; […]

Captain D's, the leading national fast casual seafood restaurant, announces plans to expand its presence in the Carolinas, including Charlotte, North Carolina. The company has 27 Captain D's restaurants located throughout the state with twelve in the Charlotte market. As part of Captain D's expansion plan, this announcement comes on the heels of unprecedented growth […]

Amid rising sales and the debut of a new bakery design, Gigi’s Cupcakes, America’s largest cupcake and specialty baked goods franchise, plans to open 25 locations this year. Through the first quarter 2015, Gigi’s Cupcakes saw same-store sales—a key indicator of a retail company’s health—increase more than 4 percent. In the same period, total sales […]

Smoke’s Poutinerie, the colorful cult brand that has achieved icon status for its twist on Canada’s classic fries, cheese curds, and gravy, is poised for immense expansion, planning to open 1,300 restaurants in the next five years with 800 in the United States. The original and largest poutinerie in the world has mapped a course […]

Huddle House continued its aggressive expansion during the first three months of the year, opening four new restaurants and signing four franchise agreements representing additional locations to be opened by the end of the year.  New restaurants opened in Vernon, Texas; Mount Vernon, Illinois; Hahira, Georgia; and Winfield, Alabama, at a pace of one every […]

Chicken Salad Chick announced the location of its newest franchise in Tampa, Florida. The restaurant, set to open this summer, will be located in the University Collection at 2790 East Fowler Avenue, Suite 490. Owners Brad and Tammy Cochran of Tampa Bay CSC, LLC are thrilled to bring their first of six locations to the […]

Penn Station East Coast Subs, the fast-casual restaurant known for its fresh grilled, made-to-order sub sandwiches, hand-squeezed lemonade, and fresh-cut fries, has signed a 10-unit agreement for northeast Atlanta with a franchisee group led by Rusty Clifton. The group will open 10 restaurants over the next five years, with the first location opening this month […]

Newk’s Eatery is laying franchise growth plans in new markets stretching across the South from Savannah, Georgia and Orlando, Florida, to Lubbock and Midland-Odessa, Texas, with Washington, D.C, Richmond and Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Oklahoma City in between. The fast-casual chain, known for its culinary-driven menu and open kitchens, is expanding its […]

The Southern California-based Carl’s Jr. will be serving up burgers, fries, shakes, and more 24 hours a day with the opening of its newest restaurant on April 8. Operated by Toronto-based 6Points Food Services Ltd., the Carl’s Jr. restaurant, which will feature a delicious shake bar with more than 20 flavors of hand-scooped Chapman’s Canadian […]

Arizona-based food+juice restaurant Grabbagreen announced a nationwide franchising opportunity. Grabbagreen is a nutritious restaurant concept that meets the speed and convenience of traditional fast food with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu packed full of super food ingredients. Founded in 2012 by moms and childhood friends, Keely Newman and Kelley Bird, Grabbagreen serves organic food […]

Charleys Philly Steaks has opened at Lenox Square, one of Atlanta, Georgia’s premier retail shopping establishments. The brand’s sales have started out strong—far exceeding opening projected sales numbers. This success mirrors Charleys 2014 same-store sales numbers, and other recent openings across the United States. “The exceptional sales show that Atlanta is embracing Charleys fresh, grilled-in-front-of-you […]

Coconut’s Fish Cafe announced today a franchise growth plan targeting California—a strategy that will position the island-themed cafe, known for its signature fresh fish tacos, for expansion into communities in all corners of the market, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento. Coconut’s plans to enter key markets throughout California this […]

Café Yumm! has opened in Neff Place Center at 1500 NE Cushing Drive near St. Charles Medical Center. This second Bend, Oregon, location is also owned by Karli Foster and Ellen Chamberlain, who opened their first Café Yumm! restaurant in December 2007 in The Old Mill District.  Karli Foster began working at Café Yumm! in […]

Jersey Mike’s Subs has been named the exclusive “Official Sub Sandwich Shop of the New York Yankees.”  The two iconic brands will formally kick off their partnership in time for opening day, April 6. “The Yankees are one of the premier sports franchises in the world and since Jersey Mike’s is a brand that focuses […]

Tropical Smoothie Café announced the signing of 51 franchise agreements in the first quarter of 2015. The deals represent 51 cafés that will expand the sandwich and smoothie franchise in markets such as Atlanta, Detroit, Providence, Rhode Island, Miami, Charleston, South Carolina, and Fayetteville, North Carolina. Additionally, the brand reported a 12.31 percent growth in […]

Captain D’s signed franchise agreements to open at least 14 new restaurants since December 2014. This growth comes on the heels of an incredibly successful 2014 in which the brand signed agreements to open over 35 new restaurants, opened its first new corporate location in a decade, and generated half a billion dollars in system-wide […]

Quiznos' international business has been hot lately, including a recent deal in China that could be the largest deal in franchising history. Quiznos announced that it signed a 1,500-unit deal with the Parkson Retail Group of China, a retail arm of Malaysia-based The Lion Group. The units will be opened over the next 15 years. […]