Bojangles Signs Development Agreement to Expand Atlanta Footprint with Top Music Executives

Bojangles, one of the nation’s leading restaurant franchises famous for its chicken, biscuits and tea, announced today it has signed a franchise development agreement with Melanbo, a franchise group partly owned by prestigious music executives, Mel Carter and Kevin “Coach K” Lee. Carter and his ownership group will develop 14 new locations in Greater Atlanta, building upon their acquisition of 18 existing Bojangles restaurants in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The acquisition and size of the multi-unit development agreement makes Melanbo the largest Black controlled franchisee...

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers Signs Franchise & Development Agreement to Debut in Canada

Fast-casual restaurant concept Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers® announced today the signing of a Master Franchise and Development Agreement in Canada to begin growing Freddy's footprint across nine of Canada's provinces excluding Quebec, marking the brand's entry into the country. Led by veteran franchisees Jim Werschler and Gregg Most of North 49 Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, the deal is part of the brand's latest efforts to strategically expand across target markets throughout North America as new operators join its attractive franchise model. The Master Franchise and Development...

BurgerFi International Inc. Launches First Ever Franchising of Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings

BurgerFi International Inc., owner of one of the nation's leading fast-casual "better burger" dining concepts through the BurgerFi brand, and the high-quality, casual dining pizza brand under the name Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings ("Anthony's"), announced today it has entered into a multi-unit development agreement with NDM Hospitality Services, LLC, an innovator in the travel and dining industries. The agreement will franchise three Anthony's locations in Florida over the next two years.

"This groundbreaking deal celebrates the first franchise for Anthony's..."

The Cheesecake Factory Expands International Development

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated today announced the expansion of its existing development agreement with Hong Kong-based Maxim’s Caterers Limited to include Thailand. In 2014, The Cheesecake Factory® entered into its agreement with Maxim’s which initially provided for the development of a minimum of 14 restaurants in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. The new agreement includes development of a minimum of 18 restaurants across the expanded development area by 2028.

A leading operator of full-service and quick-service restaurants across Asia, Maxim’s currently operates six The Cheesecake...

TGI Fridays® Expands Global Presence in Asia a Very Significant Development Agreement

The U.S.-based company has partnered with Master Franchisor, Universal Success Enterprises, to bring an authentic Fridays® experience to over 75 new locations in South and Southeast Asia

TGI Fridays announced today the development of 75 new restaurants throughout South and Southeast Asia over the next 10 years in partnership with Master Franchisor Universal Success Enterprises. The deal, which is expected to drive over $500MM in revenue for the U.S.-based company over 10 years, is the most significant development agreement to date for the...

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers Further Expands Chicagoland Footprint 

Fast-casual restaurant concept Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers® announced today the brand's plans to accelerate its growth in Northeast Illinois with the signing of a multi-unit development agreement to bring six new Freddy's restaurants to the region. Leading the new development in Chicagoland is veteran franchisee, Asif Poonja of JAM Equities. The announcement builds on the development success Freddy's had in Chicagoland earlier this year, adding 13 new locations to its pipeline for the market in Q1.

"The development success we've been able to achieve in Chicagoland is a testament..."

Checkers® & Rally's® Kicks off First Half of 2022 with Strong Development Growth and Recognition

Checkers & Rally's, an iconic and innovative drive-thru restaurant chain known for bold and flavorful food at an exceptional value and its people-first attitude, today announced its strong momentum in the first half of 2022, with 32 signed franchise & multi-unit development agreements representing a total of 53 new restaurant locations, to date this year. The company has also been announced as the recipient of three industry accolades from The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA), Franchise Update Media and Franchise Business Review...

AI Tech Company Nala Robotics Signs Expansion Deal with Slice Factory Pizza Chain

Nala Robotics, an AI technology company revolutionizing the culinary industry, today announced it will supply Chicago-based Slice Factory with its autonomous chef, Pizzaiolaä, a multi-cuisine, voice-controlled pizza maker that also cooks pasta, burgers, wings, as well as prepares salads.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nala Robotics will custom design and install Pizzaiola at Slice Factory's newest locations to help fuel national expansion efforts. The pizza chain, which operates 12 locations in Chicago and surrounding the suburbs, has laid out an aggressive expansion plan...

Lunchbox Acquires Novadine to Transform the Entire Guest Experience for Enterprise Restaurants

Lunchbox, the modern ordering system built to grow online revenue for restaurants today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire NovaDine, an enterprise digital ordering provider for multi-unit restaurant chains. As Lunchbox accelerates geographic growth across the country, this is the first of many steps in the company's plans to invest in new technologies for restaurants.

Together, Lunchbox and NovaDine will offer an alternative to the currently available enterprise solutions and enable restaurant operators to manage all digital guest experiences from a single...

GOOD Meat Partners with Industry Leader to Build the First Large-Scale Cultivated Meat Facility

GOOD Meat, the cultivated meat division of Eat Just, Inc., a company that applies cutting-edge science and technology on a mission to create healthier, more sustainable foods, announced today that it signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with ABEC, Inc. to design, manufacture, install and commission the largest known bioreactors for avian and mammalian cell culture. With a long history of bioprocess equipment innovation, ABEC has the most experience and largest capacity in the biotech industry.

Ten 250,000-liter bioreactors will form the foundation...

Wing Zone Partners with Miso Robotics

Today, Wing Zone – one of the nation's leading fast-casual brands serving made-to-order flavor-packed chicken wings – announced a partnership with Miso Robotics – the company transforming the restaurant industry with robotics and intelligent automation – to make Flippy 2 a part of the chain's standard build for all future restaurant locations. Wing Zone is the first fast-casual brand in the world to spec food robotics into its operations at this level.

"With over 100 new shops in our current development pipeline, our technology roadmap relies heavily on strategic partnerships with companies like..."

GOOD Meat & ADM Partner to Accelerate Cultivated Meat Production

Eat Just, Inc., a company that applies cutting-edge science and technology on a mission to create healthier, more sustainable foods, announced today that its GOOD Meat division has entered into a joint development agreement with ADM, an international leader in nutrition that powers many of the world’s top food, beverage, health and wellness brands. This is ADM's first strategic partnership of its kind in the cultivated meat sector, which analysts predict could become a $25 billion global industry by 2030.

GOOD Meat created the world’s first real, high-quality...

Wingstop Signs Agreement for Development Rights for South Korea

Wingstop – the rapidly-growing and technology-forward fast casual wing restaurant – today announced an agreement for the development rights for South Korea, contributing to its robust international expansion pipeline. The agreement outlines an initial commitment of 60 restaurants over a ten-year period, with the potential for 200-250 total restaurants in the country, the first expected to open in early 2023.

Korea is a key growth market outlined in Wingstop's strategic roadmap to becoming a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand. This expansion follows the brand's proven strategy that has been...

Perdue AgriBusiness Announces Collaboration with ZeaKal

Illustrating a shared commitment to improve the value and sustainability of food production, Perdue AgriBusiness and ZeaKal announced a multi-year development agreement to raise more sustainable poultry through improved soy genetics and feed quality.

ZeaKal’s PhotoSeed® trait technology increases photosynthetic capacity, converting more carbon dioxide and sunlight into energy for the plant. In soybeans, this has consistently resulted in improved oil and protein content while improving the sustainability index of the crop. As the main protein source in poultry feed, U.S. farmers and food companies have been eager to secure access to...

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers Announce Multi-Unit Agreement Signings for 64 New Restaurants

Growing Demand in Chicago Sparks Deal with Veteran Franchise Group to Bring 13 New Restaurants to Area

Leading fast-casual restaurant concept Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers announced today its significant Q1 franchise development success, signing six new multi-unit agreements that will bring a total of 64 new Freddy's locations to new and existing markets, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, Illinois and California. Most notably, existing Freddy's franchisees of more than a decade, M&M Custard, inked an agreement to expand the brand's growing footprint...

California Pizza Kitchen Signs Two New International Development Agreements

After a strong first quarter, California Pizza Kitchen, the creator of California-style pizza, announced the signing of two new international franchise agreements and plans to open seven international restaurants and two airport locations by year-end. These milestones follow the brand's development momentum in 2021 that included the launch of its domestic franchise program. Unveiled in December, California Pizza Kitchen's domestic franchise initiative marks the first-time that qualified candidates in the United States have an opportunity to own and operate restaurants in key markets nationwide.

Recently signed international...

Marco's Pizza® Inks 46-Store Phoenix Agreement

Marco's Pizza, one of the nation's fastest-growing pizza brands, announces a 46-store development agreement that will bring new stores to the Phoenix metro market over the next six years. This development news contributes to the brand's overall growth goal of 1,500 units by 2023, as Marco's sets sights on becoming the No. 4 brand in pizza.

Behind this development agreement is 11-year Marco's area representative and franchisee Robert Pina, who joined the brand in 2011 in Houston, Texas. He currently oversees development in Houston and San Antonio with his...