Restaurant

Houston — Fuddruckers has opened its first Dominican Republic restaurant in Santo Domingo through a partnership with franchisee Eduardo J. Gadala-Maria and Giancarlo Bonarelli.

The 3,500-sq.-ft. unit opened in Galeria 360, one of several new shopping malls in the city. Galeria 360 features 120 stores and restaurants plus a large movie theater.

St. Louis — Bar Louie will open its newest location on January 21 in St. Charles, Mo.

It will be the chain’s fifth Missouri location. The 6,484-sq.-ft.  bar and eatery will seat 241 patrons.

Christine Day is going from CEO of Lululemon to CEO of healthy food brand Luvo.

"Christine's unbridled passion for retailing and consumer insight adds an important component to elevate Luvo into the consumer mainstream," said Luvo founder and president Stephen Sidwell. "We look forward to Christine's guidance for the brand, helping Luvo take the lead in the national movement that delicious, nutrient-dense food can be affordable, convenient and easily accessible."

Atlanta — Moe’s Southwest Grill has signed a deal to bring 18 new restaurants to Sacramento and Santa Cruz over the next seven years. This is the franchiser’s first push into California.

HKM II is the franchise group behind the California expansion. HKM II owns 42 quick-serve burger restaurants throughout Northern California, Southern Nevada and Arizona.

Aliso Viejo, Calif. — John Rockets has opened its first restaurant in Guarulhos, Brazil, a suburb of Sao Paulo. It is the brand’s 100th location outside of the United States.

Franchise partners Antonio Augusto Ribeiro de Souza and Nicolli Ciappina de Souza operate the restaurant at Shopping Internacional, a large retail center with 2.4 million visitors per month. The partners have committed to opening 29 additional restaurants in Brazil over the next 10 years.

Los Angeles — PizzaRev has signed agreements with four franchisee groups covering territory in five states. The deals will lead to the opening of new units in San Diego and Orange counties in California plus Utah, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Here are brief profiles of each group:

Los Angeles — The CBRE Group has signed a multi-year contract with Carlson to provide project management for select locations in the United States including the company’s world headquarters. Carlson is a family-owned, global hospitality and travel industry company with more than 1,300 hotels in operation and development and more than 900 restaurants worldwide.

Tampa, Fla. — Burger 21, a new concept from The Melting Pot Restaurants, has announced the opening of its first restaurant in Virginia. To be located in Ashburn, the restaurant, which is approximately 3,200 sq. ft., will be one of four units planned for the Greater Washington, D.C., area.

Currently, Burger 21 has 11 restaurants open and 17 franchised locations in development across the U.S. Plans call for a minimum of 15 additional restaurants in the Greater Washington, D.C., area.