Quick Service Restaurant

Denver -- Chipotle Mexican Grill expects to open 155–165 new Chipotle locations in 2012.

"While this is more restaurants than we've ever opened in a single year, we are confident," said co-CEO Montgomery Moran in the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. Moran cited the "quality of what's in the real estate pipeline."

 

Oak Brook, Ill. -- McDonald’s Corp. reported Tuesday that consolidated revenues for fiscal 2011 rose 12% to a record-high $27 billion. The restaurant chain also said that global same-store sales increased 5.6% for the year ended Dec. 31, with positive comps across all geographic segments for every quarter.

"During 2011, McDonald's continued momentum drove higher profitability and market share gains as we fortified our leadership position around the world," said McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner.

Richardson, Texas -- Wingstop said Wednesday that it has signed two development agreements that will result in 14 new restaurants in the Chicago area.

The multi-unit development agreements include a three-store deal with an existing franchise group and an 11-store deal with Chicagoland Wing Kings.

“We expect to double our presence in the area over the next two to three years," said Bev Rich, senior director of franchise development, Wingstop.

Wingstop currently has 19 restaurants in the Chicago area.

Riverside, Calif. -- A McDonald's restaurant in Riverside, Calif., has been LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification. It is the chain’s first location west of the Mississippi, and only the fourth in the United States, to receive the prestigious designation. Other LEED-certified McDonald's restaurants are located in Cary, N.C., Savannah, Ga. and Chicago.

Toms River, N.J. -- Fameco Real Estate said it has signed a lease with Tardi’s Ristorante at Bellcrest Plaza, located in Toms River, N.J.

Owned by H. Hovnanian Industries, Bellcrest Shopping Plaza is a 106,000-sq.-ft. neighborhood shopping center formerly anchored by Foodtown but still home to Planet Fitness, Burger King and Provident Bank.
 

New York City -- Subway Restaurants plans to add 2,500 restaurants in 2012, according to a report on QSRweb.com.

In 2011, Subway opened more than 2,100 locations, including 1,000 new units in the United States and Canada.  A big part of the chain's growth came from nontraditional spaces such as convenience stores, department stores, train stations, museums, hotel lobbies and movie theaters, the report said.
 

Deerfield, Ill. -- Cosi announced the appointment of Carin L. Stutz as the company's new CEO and president beginning Jan.1. She also will join the Cosi board of directors.

Stutz, 55, joins Cosi from Brinker International, where she was president of global business development, leading all aspects of franchise development and operations for 240 Chili's and Maggiano's restaurants around the globe.

 

New York City --  Mintel, a leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence, has identified five trends that will shape how restaurant operators appeal to their customers in 2012.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee U.K. plans to create thousands of new jobs in the United Kingdom as it steps up its drive-thru program following three years of development and strong customer response to the convenience of Starbucks coffee on-the-go.

The move will see 200 new drive-thru stores opened over the next five years. Combined with openings of conventional stores over the same period, the company expects to create 5,000 new jobs.

Gritty and dry are not words normally associated with a delicious chocolate chip cookie, but that is how Consumer Reports described most of the cookies tested in its December issue, including Target’s Market Pantry and Archer Farm’s brands.