Restaurant

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation, Food Marketing Institute and Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) both issued statements applauding the ruling on the Federal Reserve Swipe Fee Regulation. The groups were responding to a U.S. District Court ruling on Wednesday that the implementation rules for debit swipe fee reform established by the Federal Reserve were inconsistent with the intent of the law.

New York -- Fast casual Burger 21 has opened franchised stores in the Atlanta suburb of Buford, Ga., and Charlotte, N.C.

The company plans to open 15 to 20 more franchised units in Atlanta plus another 10 franchised restaurants in Charlotte over the next few years.

Alameda, Calif. — Trabocco, a new, independent chef-owned restaurant, will open this fall at Alameda South Shore Center, according to Jamestown, the center’s owner.

Founded by Chef Giuseppe Naccarelli, a native of Palombaro, Italy, and his wife, Christine, the 4,700-sq.-ft. restaurant will occupy a prominent position in Center Court, the 594,000-sq.-ft. center’s main plaza.

SEATTLE — Starbucks has long offered free Wi-Fi to its customers, but the coffee company has partnered with Google to offer up to 10 times faster network and Wi-Fi speeds at its U.S.-based stores. 

Throughout the next 18 months, Starbucks will convert more than 7,000 U.S. stores to the upgraded store network and Wi-Fi experience.

Canton, Mass. — Dunkin’ Donuts has opened two new locations at Great Wolf Lodge Resorts in Michigan and Virginia. These are the second and third restaurants to open under a franchising agreement between the donut chain and Great Wolf Resort.

“Our partnerships with Great Wolf Lodge and other lodging properties are a continued focus for our growth in alternative points of distribution,” said Grant Benson, CFE, VP franchising and business development with Dunkin’ Brands.

Peoria, Ill. — Bar Louie Restaurant & Bar has signed for 6,500 sq. ft. at Streets of St. Charles in St. Charles, Mo., according to developer, manager and owner Cullinan Properties. Bar Louie will move into its first floor Phase II space next spring.

Construction of the development’s 400,000-sq.-ft. Phase II will finish up this fall. Phase II will house the retail and entertainment portions of the project as well as additional residential space to complement Phase I.

Seattle -- Starbucks announced it has tapped Google to provide the next generation of its WiFi offering to its customers nationwide. Over the next 18 months, Starbucks will convert more than 7,000 U.S. stores to Google’s upgraded store network and WiFi experience.

AT&T, which currently provides Starbucks’ wireless access, will be replaced by the new initiative. Google will increase speeds and enable users to surf the web up to 10-times faster, according to Starbucks.

Canton, Mass. — Dunkin’ Brands Group, parent of Dunkin’ Donuts, beat Wall Street expectations by more than doubling its second-quarter profit. The company reported a profit of $40.8 million for the period ended June 29, up from $18.5 million a year ago. The year-earlier period included a $20.7 million increase in a litigation reserve.

Revenue increased 5.9% to $182.5 million from $172.4 million. U.S. same-store sales rose 4% at Dunkin' Donuts shops and improved 1.6% at Baskin-Robbins shops.