In December, Tubby's Sub Shops (800/752-0644 www.tubby.com) opened in the Shell Ecorse Marketplace on Ecorse Rd., just east of Hannan Rd. in Romulus, a suburb of Detroit. Andrew Rayyan is the owner of the new location. Based in Roseville, also in Metro Detroit, Tubby’s Sub Shops is a chain of about 58 locations through the state.  The franchise chain is owned in partnership by CEO Robert Paganes and Executive Vice President Bill Kiryakoza and features a variety of premium quality grilled submarine sandwiches.  The chain is presently under development on three more quick serve restaurants in Michigan in Shelby Township, White Lake and Riverview…..
Fast food systems distributor, Willow Run Foods Inc. (607/338-5221 www.willowrunfoods.com) has reached an agreement with the Tampa, Florida-based operator of the Checkers and Rally’s (813/283-7000 www.rallycompany.com)  drive-in restaurants in which the Kirkwood, New York-based Willow Run Foods will distribute to the 125 burger restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Washington DC. The eight year contract starts, valued at about $280-million starts in January 2014……
Late in 2014, Mark and Stacey Marchionni opened the Revolution TapRoom & Grill (603/244-3022) at 61 North Main St. in downtown Rochester, New Hampshire. The 6000 square foot full service casual street-front restaurant is described on its Facebook page as a 40-tap gastropub serving rustic New England cuisine with a flair. The restaurant uses all natural beef and chicken, and locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. Everything is made fresh in house, from the soup, pasta and gnocchi to the desserts. A wide selection of craft beers is available along the traditional brands…...
In mid-November, restaurant and entertainment concept Dave & Buster’s (214/357-9588 www.daveandbusters.com) will open its first location in South Carolina in mid-November in the new Magnolia Park project on Woodruff Rd. in Greenville. Earlier in the month, the Dallas, Texas-based chain opens units in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Clackamas, Oregon. Dave & Buster’s operates over 70 locations in the United States and Canada that incorporates a full service restaurant with an arcade with high-tech video games as well as traditional and modern games of skill. Generally, the corporately owned units are in freestanding or in-line locations in a 26,500 square foot or 40,000 square foot format………
In November, co-owner of Poe’s Tavern (843/883-0083 www.poestavern.com), Russell Bennett applied for permits to operate a restaurant/bar in the Wrightsville Beach area in South Carolina, according to Lumina News. If approvals are received, plans are to open by Summer 2015. Presently there are two Poe’s Tavern locations, in Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina and in Atlantic Beach in North Florida. Along with a selection of wines, spirits, specialty cocktails and draft beers, the menu also includes gourmet burgers, sandwiches, tacos, salads, soups, etc……..
In 2015, Chef Pascal Lorange will open his Mediterranean-inspired fine dining restaurant and tasting bar Fig & Olive (212/924-1200 www.figandolive.com) in the new mixed use CityCenterDC development in downtown DC.  The 9000 square foot unit is on two levels. Lorange opened the first Fig & Olive on Lexington Ave. in New York in 2005. Today there are three in New York City, one in Scarsdale, New York, one on East Oak St. in Chicago and two in California in West Hollywood and in Newport Beach…….
In November, full service bar and fire grill restaurant chain Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill (407/355-5802 www.smokeybones.com) reported an agreement that will bring Ziosk (214/580-4800 www.ziosk.com) tabletop tablets to all 65 Smokey Bones restaurants located across 16 states, primarily in the Eastern United States. The rollout is expected to be completed by the end of February 2015. The Ziosk seven-inch tablet will be displayed on each restaurant table giving guests the ability to interactively peruse its menu as well as order beverages, appetizers and desserts at their leisure. The Ziosk tablet also allows guests to play interactive games together, including zTrivia, its proprietary trivia program updated bi-weekly with timely news and events. Additionally, guests can interact with friends via social media, pay their check right at the table whenever they choose, and share real-time feedback on their dining experience.  "After a successful testing period, we have seen the impact that the Ziosk tablet can have on Smokey Bones' service and guest satisfaction, and expect to complete installation of more than 3,300 Ziosk tablets on restaurant tables by early next year, " said Austen Mulinder, CEO of Ziosk.  Based in Dallas, Ziosk is reported to be the creator of the first entertainment, ordering and pay-at-the-table tablet for the restaurant market and has deployed more than 65,000 Ziosk tablets in over 1250 restaurants…….