Hospitality

Atlanta - Hooters of America LLC has finalized an agreement with global commercial real estate services firm Colliers International to have the firm advise Hooters on real estate needs and provide strategic counsel as the brand expands domestically and internationally. Colliers International’s Bob Browning, VP for retail services, and Robert Hantgan, senior VP, are managing the exclusive assignment.

Waban, Mass. - Chick-fil-A took the second spot in the annual Temkin Customer Service Ratings, tops among all retailers and food service chains. Other retailers and food service companies in the top 12 include Aldi, Trader Joe's, Publix, Panera Bread, H-E-B, Amazon.com, and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Supermarkets, retailers, and banks, as an industry, earned average ratings of "strong.” Retailers RadioShack and Sears were ranked at least 15 points below retail industry average.

I just got back from the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) 2015 RECon Convention in Las Vegas, and I came away feeling as good as I have about the state of the industry in some time (and it wasn’t just the weather, which was delightfully on the cool side). Judging by the buzz on the floor at the convention center, the action was definitely heating up.

Dublin, Ohio – The Wendy’s Company is the latest retail chain to open a dedicated technology center. Wendy’s has launched 90 Degrees Labs near the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

Winston-Salem, N.C. - Krispy Kreme has signed development agreements to open 11 Krispy Kreme shops in Arkansas, Montana, Illinois and Kentucky in the next several years. An agreement with Dennis Porter,pPresident of DTL of the Emerald Coast, includes four additional shops to open in Arkansas.

Astoria, N.Y. – Bareburger has signed up to use Buxton's Scout platform to identify the best market opportunities for growth in the U.S. and Canada. Buxton's custom analytic solutions will allow Bareburger to quantify growth potential and select the best sites for new locations.

Shanghai -- Disney Store has opened its first store — and largest store to date — in Shanghai, China. With 9,257 sq. ft. of shopping space, the flagship also features an outdoor plaza.

The store has numerous design features unique to Shanghai, which include:

• A Disney Magic Kingdom Castle, measuring 19 ft. high at the heart of the store, featuring an hourly musical and projection show;

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Domino's Pizza is debuting a new ordering option that combines two new-to-the-world innovations — ordering via tweet and ordering via emoji, specifically the pizza emoji. The ordering platforms launched on Wednesday throughout the United States.

Domino's is the first brand to use an emoji on Twitter to place and complete an order.