Franchising
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Why Wayback Burgers’ parent is moving into multi-brand franchising
Jake’s Franchising renamed itself Wayback Franchising and launched Hubspoke Brands to offer franchisees more concepts and growth opportunities.
By Julie Littman • July 31, 2025 -
PopUp Bagels bakes up 300-unit franchise pipeline
The company, which has only a handful of stores, plans to hit 100 units by the end of 2027.
By Julie Littman • July 29, 2025 -
Wahlburgers expands into Detroit airport
Airports are becoming a key growth channel for the burger chain, which also has locations in casinos, naval bases, ballparks and racecourses.
By Julie Littman • July 28, 2025 -
Shipley Do-Nuts sold to Levine Leichtman
The chain’s new owners grew Tropical Smoothie Cafe into a brand valued at $2 billion. Now they want to repeat that success with the doughnut maker.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 28, 2025 -
KFC US hires chief growth officer
Tiffany Furman joins the chain from The Habit Burger & Grill, where she helped oversee the brand’s transformation after its acquisition by Yum.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 25, 2025 -
Bonchon signals speedy US growth with new hires
The Korean fried chicken chain plans to expand its global system from about 500 stores to 1,000 in five years, with the U.S. accounting for much of that development.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 24, 2025 -
Del Taco reopens Colorado stores in phases
Months after an operator closed all of its locations in the state, the chain is in the process of opening 17 with new kiosks and refreshed in-store experiences.
By Julie Littman • July 23, 2025 -
Brix Holdings acquired by Friendly’s franchisee
CEO Sherif Mityas will continue to lead Brix, which plans to expand its marquee family dining brand in Georgia, the Carolinas and Texas.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 22, 2025 -
Worker says Dunkin’ franchisee retaliated after she researched tip law
“That’s AI,” the worker’s supervisor allegedly said in response to her findings. “That’s not real.”
By Emilie Shumway • July 21, 2025 -
Southern Del Taco franchisee goes bankrupt
Matadoor Restaurant Group, which owns 22 units in Georgia and Alabama, struggled with sales declines and rising operating costs.
By Julie Littman • July 17, 2025 -
The image by Cbraccialini is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Red Robin could refranchise 15% of stores
A new strategic initiative builds on the North Star program, but features an emphasis on refranchising that the company hopes will help it refinance debt.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 15, 2025 -
Retrieved from Naf Naf.
Naf Naf Grill CEO to retire
Grady Metoyer, the brand’s CFO, will step into the interim CEO role following Greg William's retirement.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 14, 2025 -
Taim launches franchising in challenge to Cava
The 14-unit fast casual brand sees an opening for a franchised chain to grow aggressively in the Mediterranean segment.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 9, 2025 -
Wienerschnitzel targets East Coast with Virginia franchising deal
Combined with a Walmart expansion agreement, the entry into these territories positions the 340-store hot dog chain for significant growth.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 9, 2025 -
Undocumented workers say Cheesecake Factory recruited them, furnished fake work papers
The five employees alleged in a lawsuit that the business forced them to work unpaid hours, denied them breaks and more.
By Laurel Kalser • July 7, 2025 -
Fatburger signs 40-store Florida expansion deal
This agreement will make the state a major market for the burger QSR, which has been growing through international deals and co-branding.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 2, 2025 -
Former general manager can proceed with age bias case after Chili’s failed to retain documents, 6th Circuit rules
A former restaurant general manager raised trial questions over whether he was fired because Chili’s wanted a more youthful culture, the appeals court held.
By Laurel Kalser • June 27, 2025 -
Taco Bell doubles down on beverages
The chain launched a new drinks lineup nationwide and plans to expand its Live Mas Café concept to 30 additional locations.
By Julie Littman • June 26, 2025 -
How one grocer is succeeding with in-store restaurants
While many retailers have struggled to make money with on-site eateries, Town & Country Market’s integrated approach is lifting sales throughout the store.
By Jeff Wells • June 24, 2025 -
Q&A
Why Rego Restaurant’s CEO is bullish on modular construction, franchisee growth
Neel Patel said Rego’s Qube model significantly cuts the cost of construction for the Quiznos brand and allows for an acceleration of new units.
By Julie Littman • June 23, 2025 -
Why Golden Corral rebranded its fast casual concept
Homeward Kitchen required too many resources to raise brand awareness, so the chain reopened it using the Golden Corral logo.
By Julie Littman • June 16, 2025 -
Fuzzy’s to open first full-service restaurant
Fuzzy’s Tacos and Margs will offer tableside service, a taco-focused menu and a new slate of beverages in Sugar Land, Texas, next week.
By Julie Littman • Updated June 13, 2025 -
Slurs, stalking and shoddy pay: Culver’s franchise settles slew of EEOC claims
The settlement includes one case alleging sexual orientation-based discrimination, despite EEOC’s recent enforcement shifts affecting LGBTQ+ workers.
By Ryan Golden • June 10, 2025 -
Taco John’s hires GoTo Foods vet as COO
Jackie Secor, who has over 25 years of restaurant experience, joins the 350-unit chain as it expands into new and existing markets.
By Julie Littman • June 9, 2025 -
Barrio Burrito Bar surpasses 1,500 franchisee commitments
With an additional 370 units signed across four territories, the Tex-Mex chain is on its way to becoming one of the fastest-growing brands on the East Coast.
By Julie Littman • June 9, 2025