The latest Pinkberry (310/299-2500 www.pinkberry.com) in New York City has recently opened on the street level of a recently renovated multi-level residential building on Spring St. at Mulberry St. It is the 17th unit for 4Sunkids Inc. (212/488-2501), the New York City area operator. The Spring/Mulberry area is known for its lofts, restaurants, trendy and high-end boutique. Introduced in 2005 in West Hollywood, California, the yogurt retailer currently has more than 175 locations worldwide offering the Pinkberry flavors and fresh-cut-daily fruit and premium toppings……….
Atlanta-based Chick–fil–A (404/765-8038 www.chick-fil-a.com) quick service restaurant chain is partnering with THRIVE Farmers Coffee (855/553-2763 www.thrivefarmers.com) to introduce a first–ever specialty–grade coffee created specifically for the chain. It is now available in the chain’s more than 1800 restaurants nationwide. The sale of each cup of coffee provides direct revenue to THRIVE Farmers network of family farmers in Central America, allowing them to earn up to ten times more than farmers earn in traditional revenue models. The Atlanta–based restaurant chain’s new coffee qualifies as specialty grade per the standards of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. The blend is unique to Chick–fil–A as it has been crafted with characteristics and flavors that complement the chain’s breakfast menu as well as allowing it to stand alone as a premium cup of coffee throughout the day. The proprietary coffee blend starts at $1.59……...
International apparel design, sourcing and marketing company Oxford Industries Inc. (404/659-2424 www.oxfordinc.com) will open an 8900 square foot Tommy Bahama (www.tommybahama.com) restaurant, bar and retail store at Harbourside Place in Juniper, in Florida’s North Palm Beach County, in early November, reports the Herald Tribune. Tommy Bahama is the casual beach-island themed fashion chain that incorporates a themed-restaurant concept in several of its stores. This will be the chain’s fifth store in Florida that incorporates the restaurant/bar addition. Four other Tommy Bahama fashion stores are opening in Florida later this year and there are about 14 restaurant/bars in the company’s more than 140 retail stores worldwide……..
The Tampa, Florida-based Burger 21 (813/425-6252 www.burger21.com) chain has signed its first franchise agreement in Michigan. Experienced multi-unit Jimmy John’s franchisees Mohammad and Wisal Samaha, plan to open the first Burger 21 location in the state in Ann Arbor by Summer 2015. This latest agreement expands the brand’s national footprint to ten states. Also, on August 25th, franchisees Mike Stygles and Bruce Anderson will open the first Burger 21 in upstate New York. The unit opens at the new mixed use Village at New Loudon in the Albany suburb. The partners also own The Melting Pot of Syracuse and additionally, Stygles owns The Melting Pot locations in Albany and Poughkeepsie in New York. They expect to open an additional Burger 21 restaurant in the Albany market within the next few years. In addition, franchisees John Usher and Ken DePasquale have signed a franchise agreement and will open a restaurant in Ocala, Florida in the first half of 2015 and long-time foodservice operators Mitch Neal and Keith Smith are planning to open their first Burger 21 restaurant in the Morrisville area of Raleigh, North Carolina by Summer 2015. The new deals are part of the fast casual concept’s aggressive growth strategy to expand its presence in new and existing markets nationwide. To date, Burger 21 has 13 open locations and 25 franchised restaurants in development across the country. As the brand continues to expand across the U.S., Burger 21 is seeking single- and multi-unit operators with restaurant experience to join its upscale fast casual dining concept………..
Layfayette, Louisiana-based hospitality company Double R Restaurant Group (337/981-4060 www.dblrrestaurants.com) will start construction next month on a new Another Broken Egg Cafe (www.anotherbrokenegg.com) on Medlock Bridge Rd. near Abbotts Bridge Rd., in John’s Creek, a northeastern suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Scheduled for an early November opening, it will be Double R Restaurant Group’s fifth breakfast restaurant in Georgia and its 16th Another Broken Egg Café operating in Georgia, the Carolinas, Florida and Louisiana. In addition, Double R Restaurants has recently announced a development agreement for South Florida to develop 40 locations over the next ten years and is currently searching for qualified operators. Plans are underway to open five Florida restaurants this year. Operating from 7 am to 2 pm, the full service breakfast and lunch restaurants operate in 3500 to 4000 square foot units in areas with a mixture of residential and commercial traffic. Another Broken Egg Cafe currently includes over 35 restaurants across the southeast United States, California and Indiana……..
In mid-August, Charlotte, North Carolina’s premium hot dog brand JJ’s Red Hots (980/225-8880 www.jjsredhots.com) opened a unit on the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University. The quick service location is in the University’s food court at 777 Glades Blvd. Earlier this Summer, JJ’s announced a partnership with food and nutrition specialist, Chartwells Higher Education (877/586-9631), a division of Compass Group North America (704/328-4000), to put the JJ’s Red Hots brand on college campuses. Operating two locations in the Charlotte metropolitan area, JJ’s Red Hots features a menu of premium ‘hand-crafted’ char-grilled hot dogs and sausages with house-made, scratch prepared sides and toppings.
Last week, Starbucks (800/782-7282 www.starbucks.com) noted that it plans to test mobile trucks on college campuses in the Fall. Arizona State University is one of three campuses picked for testing the new mobile plan. The company plans to stock the same menu in the trucks as they offer in their fixed locations. Starbucks has already built retail locations in dozens of college campuses across the country and the test campuses will locate the trucks in areas away from current existing retail. The Arizona State truck is already operating and a mobile unit at James Madison University in Virginia is opening before the end of the month. A unit at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina is expecting the addition by mid-September. If the plan works out and proves profitable for the company, they may roll it out to further campuses by next year…….
Area franchisee Broward Donuts (954/972-2272) has just opened its second kosher Dunkin’ Donuts (www.dunkindonuts.com) restaurant in Florida on Stirling Rd. at SW 40th Ave. in the Dania community in Broward County in South Florida, according to the Miami Herald. Broward Donuts operates over 20 Dunkin’ Donut restaurants and the first kosher Dunkin’ Donuts in South Florida is operating in North Miami Beach. Dunkin’ Brands (781/737-5200) operates nearly 50 kosher restaurants across the country……..
In late August, restaurant operator Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. (616/776-2600 www.meritagehospitality.com) reported that it has completed the acquisition of 20 Wendy’s restaurants located in Atlanta, Georgia. The Wendy’s restaurants were acquired from a franchisee and are contiguous to the company’s existing Wendy’s operations in Atlanta. Meritage Hospitality will temporarily close the 20 locations for equipment replacement and system upgrades while transitioning to the Meritage operating protocol. Following the re-openings, the company will launch a building renovation cycle termed ‘Image Activation’ in a majority of the acquired Wendy’s restaurants. Image Activation is the new Wendy’s system design standard, including major interior and exterior restaurant upgrades. “This transaction represents a case-model opportunity of our stated strategy to enhance shareholder value through consolidation and development in the Wendy’s franchise system,” said CEO Robert E. Schermer, Jr. “We intend to immediately install our web-based back of house operating and accounting systems to add real-time efficiencies at the restaurant level.” The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company owns and operates 141 quick service and casual dining restaurants in six states including Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North and South Carolina and Virginia……..
Nutelleria (www.nutelleriany.com) is about to open on 5th Ave., between St. Marks and Warren, in Brooklyn, New York, according to reports in the Park Slope Stoop, a neighborhood news publication. Owned by self-described Nutella-enthusiasts, the unit will offer a menu of sweet snacks like a breakfast pizza with the chocolate-hazelnut spread, sandwiches, etc. The Nutelleria website hints that other locations are planned and that a unit in Miami, Florida is in the works. The Nutella spread was first imported from Italy to the United States in 1983 by Somerset, New Jersey-based Ferrero USA Inc.(732/764-9300)………