Restaurant

Boulder, Colo. -- Cheesecake Factory is North America’s favorite casual-dining chain, according to a study by Market Force Information. More than 6,100 consumers were polled for the study, which ranks the top restaurant chains in five categories: general menu, breakfast, steak, Italian and seafood. Cheesecake Factory was tops in the general menu category, receiving high marks for quality of food, healthiness of food and atmosphere.
 

Virginia Beach, Virginia — Tupelo Honey Cafe has leased 7,000 sq. ft. at Town Center of Virginia Beach, offering traditional Southern restaurant fare. This second Tupelo Honey Cafe in Virginia will be located at the corner of Constitution Drive and Main Street on the first floor of the newly constructed 4525 Main Street Tower, according to Divaris Real Estate, which leases and manages the center.

Scottsdale, Ariz. - The Cold Stone Creamery will open its first store in Pakistan in September. Kahala Brands, the parent company of Cold Stone Creamery, has signed a master franchise agreement with Venus Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd., part of the Venus Group of companies, spearheaded by Adnan Asad.  

Los Angeles — The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has inked an exclusive deal with developer L.A. Style to expand the coffee and tea retailer into Japan by the end of this year.

L.A. Style is a joint-venture partnership between fast-casual restaurateur Hotland Co. and Japan’s largest shopping mall developer Aeon Mall Co.
The deal ultimately calls for 200 stores across Japan.

St. Louis -- Panera Bread Company announced that Roger Matthews, executive VP and CFO, has resigned his position to pursue other opportunities.

Effective Aug. 6, Bill Moreton, executive vice chairman of Panera Bread, will serve as interim CFO as the company conducts a search for a full-time replacement. Moreton has previously held the positions of CEO, co-chief executive officer and CFO of Panera Bread. Matthews will transition his remaining duties through the end of August.

Lafayette, La. - ARC Group Inc., owner, operator and franchisor of the Dick's Wings & Grill concept, has named Chris Perrella has joined the company as its director of marketing.

San Francisco -- Digital payments company Square announced that it has acquired Caviar, a start-up that specializes in food deliveries from high-end restaurants.

“Caviar’s curated, seamless delivery experience is exactly the kind of service we want to provide to buyers and sellers,” said Square cofounder and CEO Jack Dorsey. “By making delivery such a fast, friendly, and easy process, Caviar gives time back to restaurants so they can focus on what they do best — cooking great food for their customers.”

Epson, a leading supplier of value-added Point of Sale (POS) solutions, and Mobivity Holdings Corp., a provider of retail customer engagement and marketing technologies, have entered into a strategic partnership to transform receipts from transactional to actionable.