{"id":12665,"date":"2019-08-28T12:21:22","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T16:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom.chainstoreguide.com\/?p=12665"},"modified":"2019-08-28T12:21:22","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T16:21:22","slug":"datatrac-restaurant-foodservice-august-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/2019\/08\/datatrac-restaurant-foodservice-august-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"DATATRAC: Restaurant & Foodservice \u2013 August 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\u2022\u00a0Arby\u2019s Restaurant Group (101)<\/strong> has promoted Jim Taylor to President following Rob Lynch\u2019s departure to Papa John\u2019s. Taylor had been serving as CMO of the company prior.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Biscuitville Inc. (16) <\/strong>has named John Young as Vice President of Technology & Transformation.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Blaze Pizza LLC (27)<\/strong> has announced that Jim Mizes has retired from his position as CEO. CFO Amanda Shaw has been named interim CEO as the company searches for permanent replacement.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0BonChon Franchise LLC (15)<\/strong> has named Bryan Shin as CFO and Greg Buchanan as Senior VP, Development. Both of these positions are firsts for the company.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Black Bear Diners Inc. (26) <\/strong>has brought on Tammy Johns as their first Chief People Officer.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0CKE Restaurants Inc. (50)<\/strong> has named Andrew Robinson as their Chief Human Resources Officer.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Deli Management Inc. (23)<\/strong> announced that their CEO and co-founder, Joe Tortorice, has passed away at the age of 70. Mr. Tortorice had been battling cancer.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Domino\u2019s Pizza Inc. (66)<\/strong> has brought on Lisa price to serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Dunkin\u2019 Brands Group Inc. (63)<\/strong> has promoted Peter Green to regional Vice President in the Mid-Atlantic. The company has also hired Maria Hollandsworth as regional Vice President of the West and Jorge Salvat as regional Vice President of the Central Atlantic.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0El Pollo Loco Inc. (21)<\/strong> has announced that Jason Weintraub will serve as Chief Legal Officer effective August 29th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. (17)<\/strong> has announced the appointment of Dirk Montgomery as CFO. Montgomery most recently served as CFO of Hooters of America.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Global Franchise Group (17)<\/strong> has promoted Jenn Johnston to Chief Brand Officer and President of Franchise Operations. She previously served as Chief Marketing Officer and COO. To take her place Jim Parrish has been hired to serve as the company\u2019s new COO.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0JINYA Holdings Inc. (7)<\/strong> announced that Vu Nguyen will now serve as Director of Human Resources and Robert Phillips is joining the team as Vice President of Marketing.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0The Madera Group (5)<\/strong> has hired Rudy Sugueti as Chief Operating Officer.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0McDonald\u2019s Corporation (235) <\/strong>has announced that their Manager of Culinary Innovation, Michael Haracz, has left the company.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Mendocino Farms (16) <\/strong>has announced that Kevin Miles will be replacing Harald Herrmann as CEO. Previously Miles served as CEO of Zoes Kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Papa John\u2019s International Inc. (31) <\/strong>has named former Arby\u2019s President Rob Lynch as President and CEO effective immediately.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. (27)<\/strong> has announced that interim CEO and board chair Pattye Moore will step down from both positions when a new CEO is named. Red Robin has been working with the Elliot Group to aid in their CEO search and expect to make an announcement on that front in the near future.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Saladworks Inc. (9)<\/strong> has appointed Kelly Roddy to serve as the new CEO of the company.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Schlotzsky\u2019s Ltd. (9)<\/strong> Has named Beto Guajardo as president. Guajardo previously served as Senior Vice President of Global Strategy at Starbucks.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Smashburger Master LLC (19)<\/strong> has promoted Carl Bachmann to the role of President. Bachmann most recently served as COO at the company. They also appointed Charlie Sayre to Vice President of Finance and hired Scott Johnson to serve as Vice President of Marketing.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Straw Hat Restaurants Inc. (6)<\/strong> has appointed Shelly Young to serve as their new Director of Franchise Sales.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Taco Bell Corp. (41<\/strong>) has announced that Global Chief Brand Officer Marisa Thalberg has left the company. Tracee Larocca (Senior Vice President of Advertising and Brand Engagement) and Melissa Friebe (Senior Vice President of Marketing) will take over affairs related to marketing and brand engagement but the company at this time has stated they will not be looking for a formal CMO.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Tin Drum Asiacafe LLC (4)<\/strong> has had a bevy of leadership changes. Altaf Popatiya has been named COO, Amisha Popatiya has been named Director of Marketing and Matt Schinelli has been named Director of Business Development.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Topper\u2019s Pizza Inc. (17)<\/strong> has named Tina Revell to serve as their Director of E-Commerce.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Twin Restaurant Holding LLC (15)<\/strong> has announced that Mark Ramage has joined the company as Director of Franchise Sales Development.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Velvet Taco (15)<\/strong> has promoted company president Clay Dover to the role of CEO.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Willie\u2019s Restaurants (13)<\/strong> has announced that Gregory Lippert will serve as CEO and President of the company.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Yum! Brands Inc. (82) <\/strong>announced that CEO Greg Creed will be stepping down at the end of the year. Current COO David Gibbs will step into the role January 1st<\/sup>, 2020. The company has also promoted Artie Starrs to CEO of Pizza Hut. In addition, Mark King has been hired as CEO of Taco Bell. The company\u2019s three brands (Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell) now all have their own respective CEOs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

\u2022\u00a0Cheesecake Factory Incorporated <\/strong>has purchased Fox Restaurant Concepts. FRC will function as a free-standing, wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. As part of the deal; the company also purchased the remainder of North Italia that it had not already purchased from FRC.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Clyde\u2019s Restaurant Group <\/strong>was acquired by Graham Holdings Co. This move comes after Clyde\u2019s former CEO and co-founder John Laytham passed away in January of this year.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Elite Restaurant Group<\/strong> has acquired the Gigi\u2019s Cupcakes brand. This is the fourth brand to operate under the company\u2019s umbrella. The company also acquired the remaining Project Pie restaurant locations and will be reopening the locations under their Patxi\u2019s Pizza brand.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0GetFried Franchise USA LLC<\/strong> has been acquired by ZorAbility, Inc. The quick-serve french fry chain will be moving its headquarters from Buffalo, NY to ZorAbility\u2019s home city of Winston Salem, NC.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Perkins & Marie Callender\u2019s Inc. <\/strong>has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy amid entering an asset purchase agreement with Perkins Group. The deal does not include the purchase of \u2018Marie Callender\u2019-branded restaurants. More news to follow as this deal finalizes and the story develops.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Williston Holding Company<\/strong> has purchased 24 units of Kona Grill Inc.<\/strong>\u2019s Kona Grill brand. Kona Grill Inc. had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April. The company now only owns 3 units of its own brand as it faces a very uncertain future.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

\u2022\u00a0Arby\u2019s Restaurant Group<\/strong> has announced that they will be bringing a food truck with a special menu to the \u2018Storm Area 51\u2019 event happening on September 20th<\/sup>. CMO Jim Taylor has stated \u201cWe can\u2019t confirm if there are aliens at Area 51. But, if they do show up, they deserve the best meats on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Chick-fila-A Inc.<\/strong> has revealed that Mac & Cheese will become a permanent addition to their menu. This is the first permanent menu addition for the company since 2016.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Doctor\u2019s Associates Inc.<\/strong> has announced that, beginning in September, they will test a Beyond Meat-branded meatball sub at 685 of their Subway locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Dunkin\u2019 Brands Group Inc.<\/strong> has announced that they will start using Beyond Meat \u2018sausage\u2019 in one of their breakfast sandwiches. The sandwich will currently only be offered in New York City with plans for a national rollout dependent on its initial success.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0KFC Corporation<\/strong> has announced that they are testing a plant-based \u2018chicken\u2019 in a partnership with Beyond Meat at one Atlanta, Georgia location.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Noodles & Company<\/strong> has said that on August 8th<\/sup> they will rebrand as Zoodles & Company to celebrate National Zucchini Day. On that day customers can swap out regular noodles for zucchini noodles for no extra charge.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Panera Bread Company<\/strong> has partnered with Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash after previously handling all of their delivery in-house. Although customers can now order through the third party apps; Panera\u2019s own drivers will still be delivering the actual food.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc.<\/strong> has sold out of their new chicken sandwich. The release of said sandwich created a media firestorm and started \u2018The Great Chicken War\u2019 as some media outlets called it. The company said it is currently working with suppliers but at this time cannot say when the sandwich will return.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Restaurant Brands International\u2019s<\/strong> Tim Hortons brand has teamed up with Just Egg (an alternative protein company) to test a plant-based egg replacement at their restaurants. Their Burger King brand is also releasing their plant-based Impossible Burger nationwide this month.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Yum! Brands Inc.<\/strong> has announced that it plans on reducing the amount of antibiotics in the beef at its Taco Bell brand by 25 percent by 2025.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

\u2022\u00a0CEC Entertainment Inc. <\/strong>will not be taken public as a proposed merger with Leo Holdings has fallen through. No reason has been stated as to why the deal was terminated. CEC was taken private back in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.<\/strong> paid out over $700,000 to 2,600 employees who qualified for their new bonus system. This system was recently enacted by the company to try and decrease employee turnover.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Del Taco Restaurants Inc<\/strong>. is at risk of having their stock delisted. This comes amid talks of a sale of the company. The resignation of one of the company\u2019s directors leaves the company short of the number of independent directors required to qualify for listing. The company had stated a few days earlier that it has received interest in purchase from a variety of groups and is considering a sale.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Denny\u2019s Corporation <\/strong>posted a 3.8% increase in domestic companywide same-store sales. Franchisee-owned restaurants posts a 3.7% increase as opposed to the 4.4% increase by company-owned stores.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Dine Brands Global Inc.<\/strong> posted a 0.5% decrease in system-wide restaurant sales for their Applebee\u2019s brand. Comparatively, their IHOP brand saw a 2% increase in sales.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Eat Here Brands LLC<\/strong> has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. The company owns six Babalu Tapas & Tacos locations as well as their single unit restaurant Table 100.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Alexander\u2019s Holdings LLC<\/strong> has announced that it is putting itself up for sale amid pressure from shareholders.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0McDonald\u2019s Corporation<\/strong> posted a 5.7% increase in same-store sales in the U.S. and a 6.5% increase in global sales for Q2.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc.<\/strong> is estimated to have made $20-23 million in sales from their new chicken sandwich. The company has sold out of their supply that they thought would last them until the end of September in two weeks.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Qdoba Mexican Eats<\/strong> was fined $409,400 for over 1,000 counts of breaching child labor laws. The infringements occurred at 22 company-operated locations in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Starbucks Corporation <\/strong>revealed in their quarterly filings that same-store sales growth increased 6% last quarter. In addition, global traffic increased 3%.<\/p>\n

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

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

\u2022\u00a0Blaze Pizza LLC <\/strong>has signed a deal to develop 7 new locations in Texas and Louisiana.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Caribou Coffee Co.<\/strong> has announced their \u2018Caribou Cabins\u2019 concept. These 600 square feet locations will have a walk-up service counter and a drive-thru but no indoor seating. The company plans on having 5 of these new concepts built by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Elite Restaurant Group <\/strong>has announced that it has closed 11 of its Daphne\u2019s branded restaurants due to poor sales. All of these locations were in Texas. In addition, Elite acquired the rights to 50 locations of the Project Pie brand that were in development in Asia. These locations will be rebranded under the company\u2019s Patxi\u2019s Pizza brand.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Dickey\u2019s Barbecue Restaurants Inc.<\/strong> has announced the signing of a 100-unit deal to be developed in Brazil. This is the company\u2019s first foray in Brazil with the first location opening in early 2020.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Dunkin Brands Group Inc.<\/strong> has announced a multi-unit deal to develop 10 Baskins-Robbins stores in Upstate New York.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0FAT Brands Inc.<\/strong> has partnered with Croft Ventures LLC to develop 25 locations of their Fatburger brand in Texas. The company has also signed a deal to develop five Fatburger\/Buffalo\u2019s Express joint concepts in Pakistan. The company also opened their first New Mexico location of their Fatburger brand.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0The Habit Restaurants Inc.<\/strong> has signed a deal for 7 restaurants in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The company has also announced plans to open 25 locations throughout Cambodia he first of which will open in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Huey Magoo\u2019s Restaurants LLC<\/strong> has announced that they recently signed a 6-unit deal to develop locations in South Georgia. The first location is intended to open Q4 2019 or Q1 2020.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0I Heart Mac & Cheese<\/strong> announced a three-unit development deal for the state of Indiana. This will be the company\u2019s first foray into the state with the first location anticipated to open Spring 2020.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation<\/strong> has unveiled the look of their redesigned stores at a location in Concord, North Carolina. The company plans on remodeling 45 more stores with this new design by 2020.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Marco\u2019s Franchising LLC<\/strong> has announced a deal to develop 15 new stores in the Denver, Colorado area. The company currently has 20 locations in the area.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Meritage Hospitality Group Inc.<\/strong> has signed a deal, to close at the end of Q3, for the purchase of 10 Wendy\u2019s located in Georgia and Texas. The company has also reportedly entered into a deal with Wendy\u2019s to develop 40 locations within the next 5 years.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Panera Bread Company<\/strong> has teamed up with HMSHost to help expand their brand into major airports in the U.S. There are two Panera locations slated to open at airports in Charlotte, NC and Salt Lake City, Utah respectively. Various other locations are expected to open in airports and travel plaza locations throughout 2020 and the following years.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Patina Restaurant Group LLC<\/strong> has stated that it will be closing three of its restaurants: The Sea Grill, the Rock Center Caf\u00e9 and Cucina & Co. The restaurants will close at the end of the calendar year when their leases expire.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Perkins & Marie Callender\u2019s Inc.<\/strong> has closed 10 Perkins and 19 Marie Callender\u2019s locations amid filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and anticipating a sale.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Potbelly Corporation<\/strong> just signed deals to develop 10 stores in Nevada, 15 in Florida and 13 throughout the Carolinas. In addition, they closed 10 units in Q2.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Steak n Shake Operations Inc.<\/strong> previously had reported the \u2018temporary\u2019 closure of 44 stores with the intent to close all 400 or so company-owned stores and then have them be reopened by franchisees. That number of temporary closures has now risen to 103.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Sushi Sake<\/strong>, a popular Miami Sushi bar currently with 14 locations, is looking to expand in the Florida, Texas, Illinois and New York areas. To entice potential franchisees they are running a deal that if they commit to opening three locations they will only have to pay two franchise fees.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Tin Drum Asiacafe LLC <\/strong>is coming to Houston, Texas this year with the opening of the first of five planned locations in the area. The company is also opening the first of three new locations in the Savannah, Georgia area by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Walk-On\u2019s Enterprises<\/strong> has stated expansion plans to develop 20 new locations to the franchise over the next five years in Georgia. According to their website they also have 12 new locations coming soon in various states in the south and southeast.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Yum! Brands Inc.<\/strong> has stated that, over the next two years, upwards of 500 underperforming \u2018dine-in\u2019 domestic Pizza Huts may close. The intention is to swap out these stores with their \u2018express stores\u2019 in order to prompt better future growth as consumer demands change focus to more delivery and takout options.<\/p>\n

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

Technology<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u2022\u00a0Applebee\u2019s Services Inc. <\/strong>has announced its company-wide partnership with DoorDash for delivery. Applebee\u2019s parent, Dine Brands Global Inc., has pointed out that this is not an exclusive partnership as the Applebee\u2019s brand is largely franchised and alternative delivery options will be dependent on franchisees.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. <\/strong>has installed AI-powered voice assistants for ordering at 1,800 of its 2,500 units. The company plans on expanding this technology to all locations by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Doctor\u2019s Associates Inc., McDonald\u2019s Corporation and Restaurant Brands International<\/strong>\u2019s Burger King are allegedly the first brands to pilot print ads with QR codes that provide readers with real-time offers from brands.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Domino\u2019s Pizza Inc.<\/strong> has announced the national rollout of their E-Bike delivery program. The program is made possible through a partnership with Rad Power Bikes. The program is intended to go in effective system-wide by the end of the year. The company also unveiled their 33,000 square foot \u2018Innovation Garage\u2019 to test new customer-facing technology.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0McDonald\u2019s Corporation<\/strong> is rolling out its new AI-driven digital menu boards at 8,000 drive-thrus throughout the U.S. and 150 units in Australia. These menu boards (developed by Dynamic Yield, who is now owned by the company) suggest additional purchases to customers based on time of day and weather among other factors.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Shake Shack Inc. <\/strong>has announced a partnership with Grubhub for 3rd<\/sup> party delivery. The company is enacting a pilot program with a few company-owned locations. Based on the success of this, national rollout is expected over the next few quarters.<\/p>\n

 <\/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 915 companies in the Chain Restaurant\u00a0Premier Database, with many of those companies\u2019 records updated at multiple points.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Personnel Updates \u2022\u00a0Arby\u2019s Restaurant Group (101) has promoted Jim Taylor to President following Rob Lynch\u2019s departure to Papa John\u2019s. Taylor had been serving as CMO of the company prior. \u2022\u00a0Biscuitville Inc. (16) has named John Young as Vice President of Technology & Transformation. \u2022\u00a0Blaze Pizza LLC (27) has announced that Jim Mizes has retired from… Continue reading DATATRAC: Restaurant & Foodservice \u2013 August 2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"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-12665","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\/12665","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\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12665\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}