March 2017

Non-traditional is the new black in franchising, as more restaurant and retail brands are finding new places with guaranteed foot traffic: transit stations, airports, stadiums and college campuses to name a few. BurgerFi is the latest to hop on this train with the upcoming opening of its first non-traditional location at Terminal One at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida.

Last year’s talk of a restaurant recession has morphed into broader, more sustained hard times for many of the best known retail and restaurant brands, led today by the apparent demise of Sears that’s been a very long time coming. The 'Trump bump' appears over, oil prices are back in the toilet, mortgage applications are falling, interest rates are rising, institutional investors fear U.S. stocks are overvalued and we have officially entered a new wave of economic uncertainty.

Jason Marker will take over as CEO of CKE Restaurant Holdings, replacing Andrew Puzder, who served at the head of the company since 2000. Puzder, who served through the Great Recession, plotting a new course for growth, became a household name as President Donald Trump’s Labor Secretary nominee.

Andy Howard, along with fellow former Wingstop execs Michael Sutter, Wes Jablonski and Bill Knight, bought Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders in November 2016 because, as Howard said, “the sky’s the limit of what we can do with this little brand.”

No matter the region or the demographic, craft beer is growing. By the end of the year, there will be a projected 6,000 breweries providing more than 100,000 types of beer.

Showing off gleaming, modern pictures of its reimaged store concepts, Wendy’s director Angela Coppler said the prohibitive cost of building new restaurants has led the brand to convert former Burger Kings, retail storefronts and even banks as it seeks to add new locations without breaking the piggy bank of the third-largest QSR hamburger player or its franchisees.

The celebrity Wahlberg brothers, who also star in a reality show about the behind-the-scene antics at Wahlburgers, are the star power behind the brand that prides itself on serving chef-driven food on a bun.

Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches today received the Franchise Times Deal of the Year award, for attracting Roark Capital as a majority investor and cashing out Weston Presidio, its original private equity partner, for a handsome return in a more than $2-billion transaction.

In an agenda dominated by food brands, Russ Reynolds, CEO of Batteries +Bulbs, shed some light on why his retail brand is a good financing fit for the lenders attending the Franchise Finance & Growth Conference at the Encore in Las Vegas, March 13-15, 2017.

Historically, QSR has gotten the bulk of off-premise dollars via the drive-thru. But fast casual is catching up with new technology.

Times are tough in the casual dining segment, as evidenced by slumping same-store sales by many restaurants, changing consumer habits and a massive onslaught of fast-casual competitors. The latest player in this category to struggle is Ruby Tuesday, which announced it is “exploring strategic alternatives in order to maximize shareholder value,” including a potential sale or merger.

Speaking Monday, March 13, during the first day of the Franchise Times Finance and Growth Conference in Las Vegas, President Bryon Stephens noted Marco’s Pizza has more than doubled its store count since 2012, to 815 locations in dozens of states. And more growth is in sight.

Dunkin Brands has significant capital needs in 2017: $2.5 million for Baskin Robbins remodels; $6 million for Baskin Robbins new builds; $99 million for Dunkin’ Donuts remodels; and $263 million for Dunkin’ Donuts new builds. As told by Dunkin’s Jason Maceda, vice president of finance, it was the most obvious reason explaining lender interest at the Franchise Times Finance & Growth Conference that opened yesterday in Las Vegas.

“Rather than the ‘when,’ it’s far more important to focus on ‘who’ you are partnering with and how the deal is structured,” says NRD Capital Managing Partner Aziz Hashim, about getting funding for franchise expansion. He was speaking to Living Large columnist Poornima Apte, who details in an upcoming print edition how and when three emerging franchise brands should seek capital to foster growth,

The Greene Turtle has opened its first casino-based restaurant at the Hollywood Casino in Perryville, Maryland, along with a new, 24-hour fast-casual eatery called Greene Turtle Express. Tom Finn believes the firsts for the company hold promise for more such expansion.

Bermuda is an odd choice for a franchise writer to be visiting, since there is more public art than franchises. The government prohibits foreign franchises, with the exception of franchised hotels, our cab driver gleefully told us.

The latest franchisor to jump on the train is Boston Market, which will serve antibiotic-free rotisserie chickens by the end of Q1 2018. According to the Colorado-based chicken chain, its goal is serving 100 percent antibiotic-free rotisserie chicken as soon as possible—with currently more than 75 percent of its chickens being raised without the use of antibiotics.

Last year Arby’s made headlines when it began testing venison sandwiches in select locations around the country. States like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Minnesota were able to get in on the deer meat craze for a limited time, and the sandwiches sold out almost immediately.

McDonald’s included a pack of surprisingly bold McNuggets with its Investor Day in downtown Chicago earlier this week as the fast-food giant unveiled plans for meal delivery, app-based mobile ordering, curbside pickup and a “more modern, more exciting restaurant environment” as part of its new Experience of the Future restaurant concept that’s already delivering sales gains in markets outside of the United States.

Four Foods Group has scooped up another company, The Soda Shop, from founders Chase Wardrop and Dylan Roeder, who will both retain equity in the company and serve as division presidents.