Good News! – July 2017

The good news: Despite ongoing external threats to the business model, franchising is experiencing a remarkable growth phase – not only in unit count and system-wide revenue, but also in the number of new and emerging brands. The bad news: It’s harder to keep up with all the good news! That’s a nice problem to have – and why we’ve brought back our “Good News!” roundup of selected news items on unit growth, investment and financial developments, international expansion news, refranchising, and milestones attained by franchisors large, medium, and emerging. Here’s your chance to follow the leaders, every third Tuesday of the month.

So if you’re not doing it already, send us your good news here.

New Units/Growth/Expansion

Flynn Restaurant Group Buys 34 Paneras, Reaches 881 Units

HuHot Mongolian Grills To Add 9 Locations, 700 Jobs in 2017

Mamoun’s Falafel Signs 6-Unit Deal for Atlanta & Athens, Georgia

Financial/M&A

Panera Shareholders Approve $7.5 Billion Sale to JAB Holding

Axum Capital Partners Acquires 55-Unit Back Yard Burgers

NRD Capital Management Closes on $104 Million Second Fund

Big Plans, Big Dreams

Great Harvest Bread’s Hub-and-Spoke Model Spurs New Expansion

Captain D’s Picks American Development Partners To Speed Growth

International

Blaze Pizza Inks 100-Unit, 11-Year Middle East Deal with M.H. Alshaya

Church’s Chicken Restructures Development Team for Global Growth

Fatburger/Buffalo’s Express Opens for Business in Panama

Hooters Opens New Unit in Taipei with Its 2015 Developer of the Year

Little Caesars Opens Its First South American Unit in Santiago, Chile

New And Emerging Brands

Uberrito Begins Franchising with 3-Unit Arizona Deal

Chronic Tacos To Add 26 Units in 2017, Add More in 2018

Fleet Clean Mobile Truck Washing Brand Expands with Franchising

Milestones

Expedia CruiseShipCenters: 5,000th Consultant Comes on Board

FranNet Celebrates 30 Years with $10,000 Scholarships

Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes Turns 10, Donates to No Kid Hungry

People & Awards

Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill Names Ken Green as President, COO

Jon Smith Subs’ New President Becomes Brand’s First Franchisee

Naranga Names Mark Montini CEO, Tariq Farid Moves to Chairman