Dallas-based Brinker International Inc. plans to buy 116 Chili’s Grill & Bar restaurants from franchisee ERJ Dining, according to a regulatory document filed Wednesday afternoon. The parent of Chili’s did not disclose the value of the deal, only stating that the restaurants generate revenue of about $300 million a year. Most of the casual-dining restaurants… read more

From the outside looking in, it seems like Tableside Restaurant Group is on a serious growth curve. The Sarasota-based company just opened three new restaurants in the past few months and has immediate plans for several more. But CEO Joe Seidensticker said what looks like a lot of growth at once is actually just the… read more

About 300 of KFC’s top marketers from around the world will descend upon the company’s global headquarters in Dallas this week to share best practices, industry trends and menu ideas. It’s at this Marketing Planning Meeting—which has been held since 2006—where much of the brand’s menu magic happens. If you’re not fully familiar with what that… read more

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. is planning to develop and open more than 1,500 restaurants in China over the next 10 years through a partnership with T.F.I. T.A.B. Food Investments. Since 2012, Restaurant Brands International Inc., the parent company of Popeyes, has partnered with T.F.I., a quick-service restaurant operator in Turkey and China. Popeyes is the… read more

Offering donut-infused ice cream available in both milkshakes and scoop sandwiches and allowing guests to customize their donuts are two components of a shop redesign from Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corp. The company planned to preview the redesign at a new Krispy Kreme in Concord, N.C., on July 23. Other innovations include digital and interactive enhancements…. read more

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants announced today an investment by a fund managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corporation. Nation’s Restaurant News previously reported a report of a sale. But Cooper’s Hawk CEO Tim McEnery described it differently to NRN: “Cooper’s Hawk has always fueled its growth with private investment, including private equity…. read more

Up until now, the Starbucks Delivers program had only been in a test phase, available in 11 select markets including Miami, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, Houston and Dallas. “We are driven to create new and unique digital experiences that are meaningful, valuable and convenient for our customers,”… read more

Chuck E. Cheese’s is not heading to Wall Street, at least not right now. The owner of the pizza and games chain, Queso Holdings, has terminated its proposed reverse merger with blank check company Leo Holdings. That deal would have taken public CEC Entertainment, which operates Chuck E. Cheese’s and Peter Piper Pizza. No reasons… read more

Subway and its vendors are expected to provide franchisees with more than $100 million in grants to help fund remodels to about 40% of the chain’s units over the next year and a half, the company said. The Milford, Conn.-based sandwich giant, along with its vendors, is providing operators with $10,000 grants to help spur remodels…. read more

Some of the most successful brands in casual dining, namely Olive Garden and Texas Roadhouse, have emphatically resisted third-party delivery during its surge into the restaurant marketplace. Darden chief executive officer Gene Lee chief among them. During the company’s June 20 fiscal 2019 review, Lee called the space “an immature business,” and one that’s far… read more