Mici Handcrafted Italian expanding to Colorado Springs

January 15, 2021

Mici Handcrafted Italian, a five-unit fast casual chain based in Denver, Colorado, is opening their first Colorado Springs location in February, owned and…

2 industry leaders looking to invest in the 'next restaurant leader'

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Dave Pace, board member of Red Robin and former CEO of Jamba Inc., and Andy Pforzheimer, a co-founder of the Barcelona and Bartaco brands, have come together…

Sbarro expands in Central Ohio

January 13, 2021

Sbarro is opening its second restaurant in the Columbus, Ohio, market with convenience store retailer, EG America.

Flynn, Wendy's franchisees buy NPC International Pizza Hut, Wendy's stores

January 7, 2021

After months of roiling around where NPC International's substantial Pizza Hut and Wendy's stores would end up, today NPC said that mediation successfully…

Pizza Guys opens 1st Corona, California store

January 6, 2021

Sacramento, California-based, Pizza Guys, is opening its first Corona, California store under the ownership of the son of the company's CEO.

Mountain Mike's opens Cloverdale store for carryout, delivery

January 4, 2021

The Northern California town of Cloverdale is the site of the newest Mountain Mike's Pizza, with an opening last week in Furber Ranch Plaza, a news release…

How restaurant chains can thrive, not just survive, with the right technology foundation

Seizing the opportunities and surmounting the challenges restaurants face will require nimble and cost-effective processes enabled by secure and resilient data…

Former Papa John's CEO buys Midwest chain

December 21, 2020

Papa John's former leader, Steve Ritchie, has started his own restaurant group, which has purchased a Louisville, Kentucky-based small plates chain called…

Mod signs deal for 30 stores in 7 years

December 18, 2020

MOD Super Fast Pizza Holdings LLC has added its 10th franchise partner, DBMC Restaurants, which will develop 30 stores over the next seven years. Its area of…

California Pizza Kitchen moves into Latin America

December 17, 2020

California Pizza Kitchen has partnered with Costa Rica-based specialty retailer, Morpho Travel Retail, to grow its global footprint in Latin America and open…

Marco's signs deal for 20 Texas units

December 16, 2020

Marco's Pizza — which just opened its 1,000th store in October — it has signed a multi-unit development agreement to bring 20 restaurants to Texas by the end…

Private-equity firm invests in Papa John's biggest franchisee

December 8, 2020

The Halifax Group, a private-equity firm, has invested in Papa John's largest franchisee, PJU Holdings Inc., which was previously a portfolio company of TPG…

Stoner's Pizza doubles-down in Ft Lauderdale, Florida

December 3, 2020

Stoner's Pizza Joint will hold a grand opening Friday for its second Fort Lauderdale, Florida-area store located on Davie Road in Davie, a news release said.

Mountain Mike's rappels into Richmond, California

December 2, 2020

Mountain Mike's is bringing its curly pepperoni pizzas to Richmond, California, in Contra Costa County, where the brand's newest store has opened on Meeker…

4 ways companies can build pandemic-era franchisee muscle

by Elizabeth Kelly — Marketing Specialist, https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/590905/

Pandemic fatigue is real and just about everyone is suffering from it, but brands can make a big difference in how much that fatigue weighs down company…

A pizza CEO's thoughts on franchising during a pandemic

by Shahpour Nejad — Founder/PRESIDENT/CEO, Pizza Guys Franchises Inc.

Pizza brands have fared better than most restaurant concepts during the pandemic thanks to the segment's overall readiness to serve off-site customers. That…

Rapid Fired rolls out 3rd Texas store

November 19, 2020

Rapid Fired Pizza is adding its third unit in the Lone Star State Nov. 20 when it opens on Highway 46 in New Braunfels, Texas, a news release said. The…

Flynn Restaurant Group makes $816M reserve bid for NPC's Pizza Huts, Wendy's units

November 11, 2020

A large multi-QSR brand franchisee, Flynn Restaurant Group, has made a reserve, or so-called "stalking horse" offer of $816 million to buy the bankrupt Pizza…

Marco's COO relays many ways brand is 'growing' on pizza-eaters

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

With 42 years of feeding pizza to the masses under its belt, Marco's Pizza is really just hitting its stride.

Mountain Mike's opens 2nd Santa Maria store

November 10, 2020

Mountain Mike's is opening a second Santa Maria, California, location in the Crossroads Plaza on Bradley Road near the U.S. 101. Franchisee Gurmukh Singh owns…