Effective mid-May, Drew Madsen has been named President of Panera Bread Company in St. Louis, Missouri. He reports to Chairman, CEO Ron Shaich. Madsen will oversee the core cafe business while Shaich focuses on strategy, growth initiatives and innovation across the company. Madsen previously served as President, COO of Darden Restaurants Inc. In addition, in late April, Ken Koziol joined Panera as Executive Vice President to oversee a range of cafe support functions. Koziol comes to Panera from McDonald’s where he served as Executive Vice President, Worldwide Chief Restaurant Officer. As of late March 2015, there were over 1900 Panera Bread Company bakery-cafes in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and in Ontario in Canada, operating under the Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co. and Paradise Bakery & Cafe banners. (855/372-6372 www.panerabread.com)........
It was 50 years ago that Ruth Fertel bought a local steak house in New Orleans, Louisiana, and transformed it into the Ruth’s Chris Steak House chain of over 140 upscale steak houses worldwide. This year the company celebrates the anniversary with a unique 50th Anniversary Wine Dinner Series, new menu items and a large number of remodeled restaurants. This year the company celebrates the anniversary with a unique 50th Anniversary Wine Dinner Series, new menu items and a large number of remodeled restaurants. The five-course 50th Anniversary Wine Dinner Series will take place in Ruth’s Chris Steak House locations nationwide. “In this milestone year, we want guests to come in and savor a meal the way Ruth savored life: fearlessly and cheerfully. It’s not just a steak dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses – it’s about creating memories that last a lifetime,” said Mike O’Donnell, Chairman, President and CEO of Ruth’s Hospitality Group Inc (407/829-3464 www.ruthschris.com)……
Latin-Caribbean fusion restaurant concept GRILLiT Inc. reports that its Texas Master Franchisor has engaged San Antonio-based Frausto Design to create a new GRILLiT interior restaurant design focused on appealing to its largest target market, the ‘millennials’. High nutritional value and unique restaurant design are key factors in deciding where the millennials choose to eat. GRILLiT and Frausto Design are designing a restaurant that fulfills millennials' desire for open kitchens, food transparency, sharing tables that can be moved for gathering, social connections with ample electrical outlets and USB ports. The new restaurant design will be unveiled at the GRILLiT restaurant location in Round Rock, Texas, which is scheduled for July opening (305/264-7600 www.grillitinc.com) & (Frausto Design -210/223-3313 www.fraustodesign.com) ………
At the Southeast Franchise Forum (ww.sefforum.com), Paul Macaluso has been appointed Chairman of its Marketing Committee, effective immediately. Macaluso is Senior Vice President, Marketing for the Restaurant Group at Atlanta-based Focus Brands where he oversees the brand marketing and strategy processes for all brand-level marketing resources including culinary, public relations and creative services for McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Schlotzky’s Bakery Cafe. “With more than 20 years of restaurant and franchise experience and a proven track record at Focus Brands, I’m confident his leadership, ideas and results-driven work ethic will further raise the quality and awareness of SEFF’s work in the franchise industry in the Southeast and nationally,” said Jim Squire, CFE, chairman of the SEFF. The Southeast Franchise Forum is a regional organization established to foster professional relationships throughout the franchise community and to enhance the reputation of franchising through the exchange of information, ideas and solutions………..
Multi-unit Sonic fanchisee Barton & Agha LLC is bringing six Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina restaurants to the Dallas area. The first will open in the Lewisville area by mid-Summer with Plano, Frisco and Allen targeted for the others over a four year period. The principals of Barton & Agha LLC are Mohammad Agha, Chris Barton and Cayce Barton who have owned and operated a multi-unit fast-food restaurant franchise for more than 40 years. “Salsarita’s is a perfect fit for us and our first location will be in the mall anchored by Nebraska Furniture,” said Agha. “We like that it’s a completely different concept and segment known as quick casual.” Introduced in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2000 and acquired by franchise industry veteran Phil Friedman in 2011, Salsarita’s operates more than 75 locations in 18 states, including eight that are company-owned. Multiple agreements are in place to bring Salsarita’s restaurants to areas including Alpharetta in Georgia, High Point in North Carolina, Columbia in South Carolina, Chattanooga in Tennessee and Oxford, Mississippi all within the year. (866/617-2572 www.salsaritas.com)………..
Quick casual better burger franchise Burger 21 will open its second restaurant in North Carolina on June 8th. The 3100 square foot unit opens at 14220 Bradford Green Square in The Bradford Shopping Center in Cary. The new restaurant is locally owned and operated by new Burger 21 franchisee Mitch Neal, who has opened eight restaurants in the Raleigh market over the last ten years. Neal is a seasoned multi-unit restaurant owner with more than 20 years of experience in the franchise industry. The restaurant has seating for 122 customers inside and a patio with seating for 34 guests. The Cary Burger 21 will feature 21 unique, chef-inspired beef and non-beef burger creations, hand-crafted shakes, gourmet hot dogs, hand-breaded chicken tenders and fresh salads served in a contemporary-style diner atmosphere with fast, high-touch service. Burger 21 now has 16 locations now open in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Virginia, and more than 20 in development in seven states (813/425-6252 www.burger21.com) ….
Chanticleer Holdings announced that it is in the process of opening its second BGR: The Burger Joint in Kuwait. The location will be in The Cube Mall, a newly constructed state-of-the art mall located in Salmiya, seven miles south east of its Kuwait City BGR location. Salmiya is considered Kuwait's flagship district being a major cultural and commercial hub. BGR will have a premier location that leads out to a world class outdoor terrace and fountain (www.bgrtheburgerjoint.com)....