Global franchising company FAT Brands — global franchising company and owner of Fatburger, Hurricane Grill & Wings, and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses — has completed the acquisition of retro diner brand Johnny Rockets that was first announced in August. The acquisition, which was valued at $25 million, increasing the company’s securitization facility to $80 million…. read more
News
Registration Now Open for 2021 National Restaurant Association Show
The National Restaurant Association Show has opened attendee registration for the 2021 event, to be held May 22-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Following the challenges brought on by COVID-19, the Show will provide attendees with exactly what they need—an in-person experience for discovering unique products, creating business connections with key suppliers, accessing education on… read more
How to Market a Virtual Brand Effectively During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Virtual brands are plentiful now, as both brand-new concepts and pivots from existing companies to survive. The H.Wood Group, based in Los Angeles, has taken existing brands and transformed them into digital concepts while also creating new virtual brands. Oh, and they created a program to schedule and conduct COVID-19 tests. Easy pivots. “We really… read more
Chuck E. Cheese’s Owner Gets a $200M Lifeline
The parent company of Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza has reached a deal that gives it $200 million in financing to get through the bankruptcy process and find a buyer. CEC Entertainment, which declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June as landlords began suing the company over leases, is receiving “debtor-in-possession” financing from some of its… read more
Restaurant Employee Relief Fund helps 43K-Plus out-of-Work Employees
The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, which began in late March, is helping more than 43,000 restaurant workers impacted by the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. The Foundation’s four-month campaign, championed by celebrity chef Guy Fieri, garnered over $21.5 million in financial aid for struggling restaurant workers. The money raised came from both corporate donors (more… read more
Former Starbucks exec Joins Continental Mills as CFO
In her new role Ms. Ruggeri will have responsibility for finance, accounting and information resources, reporting to Andy Heily, president of Continental Mills. Before joining Continental Mills Ms. Ruggeri spent more than 16 years at Starbucks Coffee Co., most recently as senior vice-president of finance for the Americas. She began her career in 1998 as… read more
Global Foodservice and Equipment Newsletter – August 1, 2020
To Our Valued Subscribers: I hope you and your families are having a Safe and Healthy second half of your summer. This cover letter begins with a small history lesson. What era immediately followed the Spanish Flu of 1918? Give up? The Roaring Twenties. Here’s another trivia question: what era immediately followed the Black Plague… read more
Chili’s Owner Launches Virtual Wings Concept
Brinker International now has three restaurants in its portfolio, and it didn’t take any additional real estate to get there. The company Friday unveiled “It’s Just Wings,” a virtual, delivery-only brand Brinker said will be separate and distinct from Chili’s and Maggiano’s. But the concept can only be ordered through DoorDash’s app or website. Brinker… read more
That Human Touch for Your Resume
– Megan Glenn Megan Glenn is a freelance writer with extensive expertise in a plethora of subjects, including: home decor, business, lifestyle, and more. She’s been writing professionally for over a decade, and has had the pleasure of working with incredible publishers over the years including Faxage. She believes in telling a story, not just finding information…. read more
Global Foodservice and Equipment Newsletter – June 15, 2020 Edition
To Our Valued Subscribers: What a beginning to June. As the tragedy that started in Minneapolis and the aftermath have spread throughout the country, just as many states were in the process of reopening, this is certainly a time of uncertainty for all business. Our industry has been and continues to be one of the… read more