{"id":12755,"date":"2019-09-26T09:21:26","date_gmt":"2019-09-26T13:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom.chainstoreguide.com\/?p=12755"},"modified":"2019-09-26T09:21:26","modified_gmt":"2019-09-26T13:21:26","slug":"datatrac-restaurant-foodservice-september-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/2019\/09\/datatrac-restaurant-foodservice-september-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"DATATRAC: Restaurant & Foodservice \u2013 September 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\u2022\u00a0Bojangles\u2019 Restaurants Inc. (33) <\/strong>announced the appointment of Reese Stewart as CFO. Stewart comes to the company after serving the past 15 years with CKE Restaurants. Jose R. Costa has been hired as the company\u2019s first Chief Development Officer. Costa had most recently served as GrandVision\u2019s CEO of North America.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Brinker International Inc. (52)<\/strong> has named Ellie Doty Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Chili\u2019s Grill & Bar.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Carrols Restaurant Group Inc. (17)<\/strong> has announced the passing of CFO Paul Flanders. Timothy J. LaLonde has been named interim CFO, interim Treasuerer and interim Vice President. The company is currently looking for a permanent replacement.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Del Taco Restaurants Inc. (25)<\/strong> announced the promotion of Chad Gretzema to Chief Operating Officer. He has been with the company since 2012 most recently serving as Senior VP, Strategic Planning & Innovation.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Farm Burger LLC (13)<\/strong> has promoted COO David Danowitz to the role of CEO. Co-founder and former CEO Jason Mann will stay on as Executive Chairman of the company.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Fazoli\u2019s Restaurant LLC (28) <\/strong>has promoted Jodie Conrad to Chief Marketing Officer, Wayne Pederson to Vice President of IT and Blaine Adams to Senior Vice President of Supply Chain.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. (18<\/strong>) has announced the appointment of Hope Diaz as the company\u2019s Chief Marketing Officer. Diaz previously served in multiple roles at Restaurant Brands International. Most recently, as the global CMO of their Popeyes brand.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Fuzzy\u2019s Taco Shop (20)<\/strong> has announced the promotion of Jessica Wescott to the role of Chief Financial Officer. Wescott previously served as the Executive Vice President of Finance for the company.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp (19)<\/strong> has named Nicole Bushnell as Chief Marketing Officer and John Gigliotti as Vice President of Information Technology.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Juice It Up (11)<\/strong> has named Susan Taylor as Vice President of Operations. Taylor had previously served for 14 years at Jamba among an illustrious 26 total years in the foodservice industry.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Moe\u2019s Southwest Grill LLC (24)<\/strong> named Erik Hess President of the company. Hess previously spent 25 years at the McDonald\u2019s Corporation.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Rave Restaurant Group Inc. (16)<\/strong> has announced that Scott Black will be joining their Pie Five Pizza brand as Vice President of Operations.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. (28)<\/strong> has appointed restaurant veteran Paul J.B. Murphy III as President and CEO. Murphy succeeds interim CEO Pattye Moore.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Scooter\u2019s Coffee (13<\/strong>) has announced that they\u2019ve brought on Tim Arpin to serve as Vice President of Franchise Sales.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Smoothie King Franchises Inc. (27)<\/strong> has announced the promotion of COO Dan Harmon. Harmon\u2019s role has expanded to include the role of President as well.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0TYP Restaurant Group Inc. (20)<\/strong> has promoted Jack Oh from Vice President to Chief Marketing Officer.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Which Wich Inc. (18)<\/strong> has announced the promotion of Cherry Hearn to President. Hearn had previously been serving as General Counsel for the company.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Wingstop Restaurants Inc. (58)<\/strong> announced that Chief Growth and Experience Officer Maurice Cooper has left the company. The company stated that would not be filling the role and named Vice President of Marketing, Christina Clarke, to serve as Interim Chief Marketing Officer.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Yum Brands (84)<\/strong> has announced that Clay Johnson has been hired as the company\u2019s Chief Digital and Technology Officer. Additionally, they have promoted Gavin Felder to Chief Strategy Officer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

\u2022\u00a0Brinker International Inc.<\/strong> has acquired 116 units of its Chili\u2019s Grill & Bar concept from longtime franchisee ERJ Dining<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Evergreens <\/strong>and Garden Bar<\/strong> have announced that they have merged together to bring their mission of health-focused dining to the masses. All Garden Bar locations will transition to \u2018Garden Bar by Evergreens\u2019 in the incoming months.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Huddle House Inc.<\/strong> has purchased Perkins Restaurant and Bakery<\/strong> for $51.1 million. Marie Callendar\u2019s is to be spun off from Perkins into a new entity called Marie Callendar\u2019s Inc. The brands had previously been merged together under one parent company.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Inspire Brands<\/strong> has announced their intention to purchase 2,800-unit Jimmy John\u2019s<\/strong>. The completion of this deal, expected by the end of October, will make Inspire Brands the fourth-largest restaurant company in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0International Coffee & Tea LLC<\/strong> has been acquired by Jollibee Foods Corporation<\/strong> for $350 million. This move is in an effort to bring Philippines-based Jollibee dominance in the Asian market for coffee.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Landry\u2019s Restaurants Inc.<\/strong> has won court approval to acquire Restaurants Unlimited Inc<\/strong>.\u2019s assets for $37.2 million. An auction for the company was initially intended but was cancelled after Landry\u2019s submitted the only qualified bid.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0One Group Hospitality Inc.<\/strong> has won court approval to buy Kona Grill Inc.<\/strong>\u2019s locations out of bankruptcy in a deal valued at $25 million.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

\u2022\u00a0Chick-fil-A Inc. <\/strong>has proudly announced that they are now serving chicken with \u2018No Antibiotics Ever\u2019 at all of their locations across the U.S. The company\u2019s original goal was to achieve this by the end of the year. The company reached their goal early as their \u2018No Antibiotic Ever\u2019 chicken has been sold system-wide since May 2019.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. <\/strong>is being sued by the NYC Mayor\u2019s administration over violations to the city\u2019s \u2018Fair Workweek\u2019 law. More than 30 Chipotle employees lodged complaints against the company for these violations. The company also launched their new \u2018Carne Asada\u2019 menu option nationally on September 19th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0KFC Corporation <\/strong>did a test run of their \u2018Beyond Fried Chicken\u2019 at one store in Atlanta and sold out within five hours. The company announced their partnership with Beyond Meat on August 26th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Maggiano\u2019s Little Italy<\/strong> raised $725,000 for their annual \u2018Eat-A-Dish for Make-A-Wish\u2019 campaign. The 16-year tradition has raised almost $10 million since its implementation for the Make-A-Wish foundation.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0McDonald\u2019s Corp<\/strong> released information about a 10-day pilot program the company enacted at a German location back in June. The company experimented with edible packaging during the 10-day pilot as a response to consumer consciousness over using single-use plastics.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Panera Bread Company<\/strong> unveiled their, quote \u201cbiggest product launch of the year\u201d with the introduction of grain bowls to their menu.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Papa John\u2019s International Inc.<\/strong> has launched their first commercial with new brand ambassador Shaquille O\u2019Neal. The former NBA powerhouse recently was appointment a member of the committee\u2019s board and is also a franchisee himself.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Pizza Hut Inc.<\/strong> has announced a partnership with Cheez-It to create the \u2018Stuffed Cheez-It Pizza. The product is now available nationwide at Pizza Hut locations.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc.<\/strong> has launched a \u2018Bring Your Own Bun\u2019 campaign in response to the massive success they had with their new chicken sandwich. The company joked that despite them selling out of the menu item; customers could bring a bun of their choosing and order the company\u2019s chicken tenders to the same effect of purchasing the sandwich in-store.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Starbucks Corporation<\/strong> announced plans to launch a \u2018pick-up only\u2019 store in New York City this fall. The store is in the response to the success the company has had in China with their \u2018Starbucks Now\u2019 concepts.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Taco Bell Corp.<\/strong> went through a menu redesign this month. The company cut 9 items from their menu in order to focus on their better performing core items as well as Limited Time Offers such as their immensely popular Nacho Fries. They have also launched a dedicated vegetarian section to their menus at 7,000+ locations in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Tim Horton\u2019s Inc.<\/strong> has announced that it will no longer serve its Beyond Meat-branded products outside stores that are located in British Columbia and Ontario.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0The Wendy\u2019s Company<\/strong> has announced plans for a national rollout of their breakfast menu in the U.S. in 2020. Currently, breakfast is available at more than 300 locations across the nation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

\u2022\u00a0Bloomin\u2019 Brands <\/strong>has been facing pressure from activist investor group Jana Partners to split up the company. The idea is that it would be favorable to investors if the Outback brand was its own separate entity from Bloomin\u2019s smaller brands.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0FAT Brands Inc. <\/strong>has announced that they are offering $30 million worth of preferred stock for those looking to invest in the growing company.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Green Restaurant Group LLC<\/strong> has acquired $150 million in their latest round of funding. This raises the company to a valuation of $1.6 billion; an increase of 60% compared to a little less than a year ago.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc.<\/strong> saw a peak traffic increase of 218.2% higher than the average for July during the pandemonium surrounding the launch of their new chicken sandwich. The sandwich released by the company sold out in two weeks.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc.<\/strong> has rejected a proposal from Vintage Capital Management, LLC to acquire all outstanding shares of the company.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

\u2022\u00a0Capriotti\u2019s Sandwich Shop Inc. <\/strong>has signed a 17-unit franchise agreement to expand in Arizona, Idaho, Montana and Washington over the next five years.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Crate & Barrel<\/strong> had so much success with their restaurant concept \u2018The Table at Crate\u2019 that the company plans on adding locations to 15 more of their stores. The concept is in collaboration with Cornerstone Restaurant Group.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0IHOP Restaurant System <\/strong>parent Dine Brands Global Inc. <\/strong>announced the opening of three IHOP restaurants in Ecuador. The company plans on continuing its Latin American expansion by bringing the brand to Peru later in 2019. 12 locations are planned to open in Ecuador by 2024 with 24 more expected to open in Peru over the next decade.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Jamba Inc. <\/strong>has signed a 16-unit franchise deal to expand the brand\u2019s footprint in South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0J.Alexander\u2019s Holdings Inc.<\/strong> has announced that they are opening a new steak and seafood concept called Merus Grill in the fall. The restaurant will be located in a 7,900 square-foot space in Houston\u2019s Uptown Park.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0McAlister\u2019s Corporation <\/strong>announced the signing of a 30-unit deal to franchisee Southern Rock Restaurants LLC. <\/strong>Planned areas of expansion include Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Georgia.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0MOOYAH <\/strong>Franchise LLC <\/strong>has announced plans to bring eight new locations to the greater Orlando, FL area. Two of these locations are slated to open in December 2019 and January 2020 respectively. One location of the franchise already exists in the area.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Naf Naf<\/strong> is expanding their footprint with a total of 35-units split amongst four different franchisee groups. The company\u2019s expansion will take place in Illinois, Tennessee and Iowa.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Papa John\u2019s International Inc.<\/strong> has opened its first location in Portugal.\u00a0 The location was opened by franchisee Drake Food Service International.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Potbelly Corporation<\/strong> has signed a 10-unit franchise deal to expand in the Las Vegas, Nevada area.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0RAVE Restaurant Group Inc<\/strong> has announced a franchise deal for their Pizza Inn concept to develop 11 units in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma with Franchisee Tony Nemer.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Simply Southern Restaurant Group LLC<\/strong> is opening the first location of their Chicken Salad Chick brand in Virginia on October 2nd<\/sup>. This is the fourth new state the company has entered this year along with Missouri, Ohio and Illinois.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Starbucks Corporation<\/strong> will open the sixth location of their \u2018Reserve Roastery\u2019 concept in Chicago. The 43,000 square foot space will be the company\u2019s largest location to date.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Tropical Smoothie Franchise Development Corp.<\/strong> reached a milestone with the opening of its 800th<\/sup> store which is located in the greater Chicago area.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0QDOBA Mexican Eats<\/strong> has announced a five-unit expansion deal in Canada in partnership with Burgess Enterprise. The locations will be developed in the Northern Ontario area.<\/p>\n

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

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

\u2022\u00a0&pizza <\/strong>\u00a0has partnered with tech company Zume to integrate the company\u2019s \u2018Forward Mobile Kitchens\u2019 with the pizza chain\u2019s brand. The partnership will help &pizza break into new markets and test new products.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Dunkin\u2019 Brands Group Inc.<\/strong> has expanded its mobile ordering platform. For a time, mobile ordering was only available to customers who signed up for the company\u2019s DD Perks service. The company has now added a \u2018guest checkout\u2019 to its app in order to expand mobile orders.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0McDonald\u2019s Corporation<\/strong> has expanded their third-party delivery with the addition of a new partnership with Grubhub. The partnership will service 500 locations in the NYC area. The company has also acquired AI Tech company Apprente who specialize in voice-based conversational technology.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Starbucks Corporation<\/strong> has launched voice ordering in China. The service is available by using Alibaba\u2019s smart speaker, called the Tmall Genie, and allows customers to order using their voice and receive their delivery within a 30 minute time frame.<\/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 951 companies in the Chain Restaurant Premier Database, with many of those companies\u2019 records updated at multiple points.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Personnel Updates \u2022\u00a0Bojangles\u2019 Restaurants Inc. (33) announced the appointment of Reese Stewart as CFO. Stewart comes to the company after serving the past 15 years with CKE Restaurants. Jose R. Costa has been hired as the company\u2019s first Chief Development Officer. Costa had most recently served as GrandVision\u2019s CEO of North America. \u2022\u00a0Brinker International Inc.… Continue reading DATATRAC: Restaurant & Foodservice \u2013 September 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-12755","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\/12755","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=12755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12755\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}