Hospitality

Seattle – Starbucks will open its first Teavana tea bar in as the company continues to push beyond its core coffee foundation. Teavana Fine Teas + Tea Bar will open on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Oct. 24, offering snacks and light foods, loose-leaf teas tea blends and novelty beverages, along with  and related merchandise.  

The store is accented with light woods, comfy seating and low lighting. It has no Starbucks branding.

Groupon has elected Jeffrey Housenbold, president and CEO of Shutterfly, to the company’s board of directors.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jeffrey to the Groupon board,” said Ted Leonsis, chairman. “He brings tremendous expertise and energy, as well as a demonstrated history of innovation and leadership. We look forward to his perspective as Groupon continues to grow and evolve.”

Winston-Salem, N.C. – Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation will open a new store in Doraville, Ga., on Oct. 29. The newly constructed, free-standing facility is an approximately 2,300-sq.-ft. location with a drive-thru.

"We are extremely excited to bring this newly constructed and updated shop to our loyal Doraville area doughnut and coffee fans," said Cindy Bay, senior VP of U.S. franchises and company stores for Krispy Kreme.

Palo Alto, Calif. -- PunchTab, an omni-channel loyalty and engagement platform, announced that Arby’s Restaurant Group, Cosi and Bareburger have adopted PunchTab’s technology, and are benefitting by offering rewards to customers across multiple channels. In fact, research shows, customers are 2.5 times more likely to buy when engaged on multiple channels.

Dallas — Cypress Equities has acquired Eden Prairie Center in Eden Prairie, Minn., an upscale suburb of Minneapolis. The transaction was carried out by a fund managed by Cypress’ real estate investment management group. Eden Prairie Center is a 1.1-million-sq.-ft., two-level, enclosed shopping center. The mall features more than 100 shops and restaurants. Annual shopper visits exceed 12 million.

Hackettstown, N.J. – Custom couponing app Photopon is releasing version 2 of its iOS app, which lets consumers select nearby deals, attach a personal photo and write a message to create a personalized coupon that can be shared through the app, email, text messages or social networking sites.

Las Vegas — Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino is ushering in four new dining and retail destinations spanning 9,192 sq. ft.

Two new restaurants, Meatball Spot and Ketchup Premium Burger Bar will soon boost the restaurant count 17.

Tervis, the insulated tumbler retailer, will open at Miracle Mile Shops in December.  Slated to open in February 2014, Shoe Palace will add its selection of footwear, apparel and accessories to the center.

Canton, Mass. – Dunkin’ Donuts is increasing its focus on opening stores in college campuses and other non-traditional locations. The list of universities that have recently opened new Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in 2013 or plan to open new locations by January 2014 includes Westfield University (second location), Norwich University, Merrimack College, University of Rhode Island (opening two locations), University of Alabama Huntsville, Brandeis University, and Wayne State University.