{"id":11398,"date":"2019-01-23T11:18:08","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T16:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom.chainstoreguide.com\/?p=11398"},"modified":"2019-01-23T11:18:08","modified_gmt":"2019-01-23T16:18:08","slug":"datatrac-restaurant-foodservice-january-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/2019\/01\/datatrac-restaurant-foodservice-january-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"DATATRAC: Restaurant & Foodservice \u2013 January 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Personnel Updates<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u2022 A&W Restaurants (15) <\/strong>added \u201cPresident\u201d to COO Paul Martino\u2019s title and expanded his remit to oversee development of US franchises.<\/p>\n

\u2022 ARC Restaurant Group (Dick\u2019s Wings)<\/strong> (5)<\/strong> expanded CFO Seenu Kasturi\u2019s role to include those of the CEO. Former CEO Richard Akam continues in his other role as COO.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Caribou Coffee<\/strong> (40)<\/strong> appointed John Butcher to the post of President and CEO. Butcher had served the company as its President.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Chanticleer Holdings (10)<\/strong> named Patrick Harkleroad as its new CFO and Troy Shadoin as Chief Accounting Officer.<\/p>\n

\u2022 City Barbeque Inc.<\/strong> (15)<\/strong> named Mike Muldoon as President and COO.<\/p>\n

\u2022 CraftWorks (12) <\/strong>named Josh Kern to the newly created position of Chief Experience Officer and Jason Brumm as VP of Culinary.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Domino\u2019s (72) <\/strong>welcomed Stu Levy as EVP Supply Chain.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dunkin’ Brands Group<\/strong> (81)<\/strong>, promoted Tom Manchester to SVP, Integrated Marketing, Dunkin’ U.S. and Jonathan Biggs to VP of Operations, Baskin-Robbins US and Canada. In another move, Rick Gestring was appointed VP of Operating Systems and Restaurant Experience, Dunkin’.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dutch Bros<\/strong> (15)<\/strong> Coffee named Joe Ricci President.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Fiesta Restaurant Group (19) <\/strong>named Louis DiPietro SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Fogo de Chao<\/strong> (12)<\/strong> promoted President Barry McGowan to President and CEO, while Larry Johnson transitions to the Chairman role.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Huey Magoo’s Restaurants (5) <\/strong>promoted Michael Sutter to COO.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Just Salad<\/strong> (14)<\/strong> named Janani Lee Chief Sustainability Officer, a newly created position.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Kona Grill<\/strong> (10)<\/strong> co-CEO Steve Schussler resigned, leaving CEO Marcus Jundt all alone at the top.<\/p>\n

\u2022 MOD Pizza (33) <\/strong>named Mark Shambura its new Chief Marketing Officer. Shambura had been Exec Director of Marketing at Chipotle. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 On The Border<\/strong> (21)<\/strong> named Luis Ruvalcaba Jr. as its new COO. Ruvalcaba comes to the company from Peet\u2019s Coffee.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Panera Bread (61) <\/strong>brought in Karen Kelley as SVP, Chief Restaurant Operations Officer and Anita Vanderveer as SVP, Chief People Officer.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Red Robin (41) <\/strong>announced that Fiesta Restaurant Group <\/strong>CFO Lynn Schweinfurth will join its leadership team as CFO on January 25.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Sage Restaurant Group<\/strong> (12)<\/strong> hired Brent Berkowitz as its new COO to replace co-Founder Peter Karpinski who cedes control of day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Stonefire Grill (10)<\/strong> brought in Scott Thomas, formerly of Cheesecake Factory to serve as EVP.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Subway<\/strong> (87)<\/strong> named Roger Mader as interim Chief Marketing Officer as it searches for a fulltime replacement for the retired Joe Tripodi. In other news, VP of North America James Walker resigned abruptly. Ian Martin, VP of International becomes acting Chief Business Development Officer to oversee both International and North America.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Tom’s Urban (7) <\/strong>appointed Jane Crouse to Director of Training and Development, Lori Belloir to Director of Design and Communication, and Joanna Sanchez to Vice President of National Event Sales.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Torchy\u2019s Tacos (20) <\/strong>appointed Scott Hudler to the position of Chief Marketing Officer and Elizabeth Baxter as its new Chief People Officer. Both positions have been newly created.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Wetzel\u2019s Pretzels<\/strong> (16)<\/strong> co-founder and CEO Bill Phelps stepped down to be replaced by Jennifer Schuler. Phelps will remain on the board.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Financial Focus<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u2022 Ark Restaurants Group<\/strong> reported FYE 11.29.18 revenue of $160M, up 4% from the previous year.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Del Taco<\/strong> preliminary FY18 results include systemwide comp sales of 2.5% and revenue of $505 million, up 2.7% from 2017.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Gigi\u2019s Cupcakes<\/strong> and Mr. Gatti\u2019s Pizza<\/strong> (same owner) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Industry Insight <\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u2022 Captain D\u2019s <\/strong>turns 50 in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Chop Stop,<\/strong> a small LA-based salad concept, signed a franchise deal that will establish a presence in Texas by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Del Taco <\/strong>projects 25 restaurant openings in 2019. The company will also look to refranchise 50 to 60 restaurants to bring percent of company-operated units down to 45% from 55%.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Domino\u2019s<\/strong> announce that it plans to add 9,700 stores globally by the end of 2025. \u00a02,000 of those stores are planned for the US.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dunkin\u2019 <\/strong>rolled out its new branded packaging nationwide.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dutch Bros. Coffee <\/strong>seeks to add approximately 500 stores in the next 5 years. The company also plans to double its systemwide sales in that time to $25B.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill,<\/strong> a concept by United Franchise Group,<\/strong> will open 5 new restaurants in the first quarter.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Kona Grill <\/strong>received a notification from NASDAQ that it could be delisted as the company stock price has fallen so that the company\u2019s valuation doesn\u2019t meet NASDAQ\u2019s $15M minimum.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Peet’s Coffee<\/strong> purchased a controlling interest in a California kombucha brewery, Revive, and will feature the brand in its stores.<\/p>\n

\u2022 PINCHO <\/strong>is the new name for the 11-unit Florida chain that had been Pincho Factory.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Rush Bowls, <\/strong>a small Colorado based salad chain, grew from 3 to 11 units last year and looks to add another 5 to 10 units this year through franchising.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Scooter\u2019s Coffee <\/strong>could open between 80 and 100 new locations this year after receiving an influx of capital from an early-2018 private equity investment.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2022 Starbucks<\/strong> walked back the 2016 claim that it would open 1,000 Reserve coffee bars. CEO Kevin Johnson recently said that, instead, the company will open 6 to 10 locations to test the concept.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Walk-Ons<\/strong> will attempt to double in size in 2019 by adding 20 new locations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mergers and Acquisitions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u2022 Chicken Salad Chick<\/strong> purchased the 11 restaurants owned by its largest franchisee. The stores are located in Atlanta and throughout Georgia.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Firebirds Wood Fired Grill <\/strong>was acquired by private equity JA Whitney. CEO Mark Eason will stay on in his current role.<\/p>\n

\u2022 P.F. Chang\u2019s <\/strong>private equity owner Centerbridge Partners has agreed to sell the chain to TriArtisan Capital Advisors, but Centerbridge will retain control of Pei Wei Asian Kitchen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Taco Bueno <\/strong>completed its sale to Sun Holdings.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Real Estate<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u2022 Black Bear Diner<\/strong> opened its first location in Montana. Further expansion east of the Rocky Mountains is on tap for 2019.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2022 Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop <\/strong>will expand to Rhode Island in April when the first of three stores planned for the state opens.<\/p>\n

\u2022 CAVA <\/strong>is expanding to Nashville, with one unit opening in 2019 and another in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Chicken Salad Chick <\/strong>will add 40 restaurants in 2019 and expand out of the Southeast with stores slated for Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2022 Cousin\u2019s Subs <\/strong>of Wisconsin opened its first Illinois location, a store in downtown Chicago. The franchisees expect to open another 5 stores per year in Chicagoland as they build to 40.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dairy Queen <\/strong>plans to target a number of US markets for expansion of its Grill & Chill concept in the coming year, including Sacramento, CA; Charlotte, NC; Orlando, FL; Rochester, NY and Austin, TX.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Fiesta Restaurant Group <\/strong>closed 23 restaurants in Florida, Georgia and Texas. The numbers include 14 Pollo Tropical<\/strong> locations in Florida and Georgia and 9 Taco Cabanas<\/strong> in Texas.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Huey Maggo\u2019s,<\/strong> a small Florida-based chicken tenders chain, is expanding to South Florida and the greater Atlanta metro area.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Sonic <\/strong>will open its first location in Alaska (Wasilla) in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Trident Holdings LLC, <\/strong>the largest Captain D\u2019s <\/strong>franchisee acquired 10 company-owned stores in Mississippi and plans to develop 10 additional locations in the state in the next few years.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Which Wich <\/strong>opened its first location in the state of Connecticut in New Haven.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Wing It On!, <\/strong>a small Connecticut-based fast casual, expanded into New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Just because we don\u2019t mention it here doesn\u2019t mean it didn\u2019t happen \u2013 or we didn\u2019t capture it. In the past four weeks, we\u2019ve updated more than 800 companies in the Restaurant Franchisee Premier Database, <\/strong>with many of those companies\u2019 records updated at multiple points.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Personnel Updates \u2022 A&W Restaurants (15) added \u201cPresident\u201d to COO Paul Martino\u2019s title and expanded his remit to oversee development of US franchises. \u2022 ARC Restaurant Group (Dick\u2019s Wings) (5) expanded CFO Seenu Kasturi\u2019s role to include those of the CEO. Former CEO Richard Akam continues in his other role as COO. \u2022 Caribou Coffee… Continue reading DATATRAC: Restaurant & Foodservice \u2013 January 2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"post-template-no-sidebar.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[11],"class_list":["post-11398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-restaurant-foodservice","tag-eupdate","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11398\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}