In early August, Carrols Restaurant Group Inc. completed the acquisition of five Burger King restaurants in South Carolina. Four of the restaurants are located in Rock Hill and one is located in Fort Mill. A publically traded company, Carrols Restaurant…

The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. is a quick service concept that features the distinctive Brooklyn bagel. The artisan baked bagels are made with proprietary water technology that creates ‘Brooklynized’ water to produce the thin, crusty exterior that is golden…

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Famous Toastery will double its unit presence with a North Carolina and Florida expansion agreement this year that, with openings scheduled for the Fall, will bring the brand to twelve open restaurants. These scheduled openings include the…

In early July, the 52-year old Portillo’s Hot Dogs LLC announced that Keith Kinsey had been named the CEO, succeeding Dick Portillo who founded the company. The company also announced it would be opening in Tampa, Florida in 2016, its…

Raw juice bar and hand-crafted smoothie franchise Juice It Up! has its sights set on steady expansion throughout the southern states, specifically Texas and Florida, and is seeking franchisees. “We’ve done our due diligence in Orlando and Dallas, and these…

Later in August, franchisees Alston Noah, Jordan Winn, Andrew Clark and Will Strain will open their second Moe’s Original Bar B Que on Columbia Ave. in downtown Franklin, Tennessee. The partners opened their first Moe’s Original in Tennessee in 2013…

Char-Hut has been serving char-grilled burgers and meats since 1976 and currently has five locations in South Florida’s Broward County. The quick service concept features a menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, etc. cooked over an open grill and offered with…

Launched just over a year ago as Bo’s Steak & Grill, the Lindale, Texas quick casual restaurant has been re-bannered as Cole’s Backyard Grill to better reflect the ambiance, menu and personality of the restaurant. Along with the new name,…

In early August, private equity firm Atlantic Street Capital reported that it has acquired The Sandwich Shop Holdings Company, a franchisee of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich restaurants in the greater Chicago area and one of the largest Jimmy John’s franchisees…

It used to be so simple. An enterprising entrepreneur would come up with an idea.  He/she would spend a little time excitedly fine-tuning the idea, prepare a business plan, have some preliminary and colorful designs done and set out making…