Fast Casual Restaurant

Lafayette, La. -- Ambassador Town Center, a joint venture between Stirling Properties and CBL and Associates Properties, will launch construction this month in Lafayette, Louisiana, on a 58-acre site at the corner of Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Kaliste Saloom Road.

Oklahoma City – Fast food chain Sonic is heading upstate. Sonic has signed a new agreement for franchise development of eight new drive-ins in the Albany, New York area during the next seven years, with the first restaurant opening in Latham this spring.  

 

Firehouse Subs has a lot more going for it than an interesting story. And the story is unique: A couple of Jacksonville firefighters — brothers, even — opened the first restaurant in 1994, selling sandwiches (with names like ‘Hook & Ladder,’ which is the No. 1 seller) within a decidedly firefighter-themed restaurant environment. The concept was hot from the get-go, leaping to over 300 units in its first decade and now numbering near 900 mostly franchised restaurants.

  Dallas - Corner Bakery Cafe has signed a five-restaurant deal in Virginia with franchise partner Shahid Ali and operating partner Ibo Pinar. The stores will open throughout Richmond and Fredericksburg.   Corner Bakery Cafe plans on doubling its national footprint of more than 180 stores in the next two years. To accomplish this goal, the retailer is adding new multi-unit franchise partners and currently has franchise agreements representing commitments for an additional 340 units.

CHICAGO - Top commercial construction trends for 2015 include an increase in retail and restaurant ground-up construction and a rise in shopping mall renovations, according to national general construction firm  Englewood Construction.       

Chicago - Top commercial construction trends for 2015 include an increase in retail and restaurant ground-up construction and a rise in shopping mall renovations, according to national general construction firm Englewood Construction.  

Ann Arbor, Mich. - Domino's Pizza has selected and implemented AMTdirect to manage its corporate real estate portfolio. The cloud platform has allowed Domino's to centralize real estate information and track revenue, sales and expenses across locations.   

San Francisco – In the last several years, restaurant revenue declined 22 to 45% during the post-Thanksgiving holiday period. According to a study across quick-serve, fast casual, and fine dining chains by customer engagement solutions provider Thanx Media Inc., the average restaurant experienced a 27% revenue decline in December, as compared to that year's monthly average.   

In the final installment of CSA Online’s PizzaRev series, we’ll explore the importance of choosing franchisees with a particularly discerning eye, and the process by which franchisors evaluate potential expansion markets.    FRANCHISEE FACTORS   

Oakville, Canada — The proposed merger between Tim Hortons Inc. and Burger King Worldwide Inc. has been approved by the Minister of Industry under the Investment Canada Act ("ICA"). The companies have set the deadline for registered shareholders of Tim Hortons or Burger King Worldwide to make an election by Dec. 9, with the assumption the proposed merger will occur Dec. 12.