Franchise Industry News & Announcements

"West Coast Original" Kicks Off with a Fundraiser and One Month of Giveaways
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Togo's Eateries, Inc., a "West Coast Original" since 1971, is celebrating the grand opening of its Midtown Sacramento restaurant by giving away 1,000 Hot Pastrami or Turkey Avocado sandwiches. The grand opening will take place on Thursday, February 5th at 11am at 1420 16th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 (16th Street and O Street). For one month following the opening, 100 guests will have a chance at winning free sandwiches for a year, catering trays, freebies and more. The Togo's team will also host a fundraiser open to the public to benefit Make-A-Wish on Monday, February 2nd from 11:30am-1:30pm. A $5.00 or more donation is requested to receive a regular size sandwich and a drink...

North Carolina Chicken Wing Franchise Closes 2014 with Nearly 20 Percent New Store Unit Growth
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - January 29, 2015 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - As the growth of the restaurant sector remains a front runner in the franchise industry, East Coast Wings & Grill, a North Carolina-based chicken franchise concept, experienced a banner year in 2014 with record sales.
Impressing both consumer and investor palates, the franchise continues to answer demand for a family-friendly casual dining experience with a fresh, flavorful menu, and a viable franchise opportunity that focuses on unit level economics to support both operations and development. With 80 locations currently operating or in various stages of development, East Coast Wings & Grill has maintained consistent growth year after year...

MIAMI, Fla. - Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - GRILLiT, Inc. (the "Company" or "GRILLiT") (OTC Pink Markets: GRLT) announced that it will be exhibiting at the Franchise Expo South Show, one of the largest franchise expos in the southern U.S. The show is February 5-7, 2015 at the NRG Center in Houston, Texas. GRILLiT will be exhibiting at booth number 213. The show exhibit hours are from Thursday, February 5, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m./Friday, February 6, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday February 7, 2015 from to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
GRILLiT's Texas Master Franchisors, Bill Roberts and Jaime Torres, along with CEO and President Ghazi Hajj, will be present to meet with prospective franchise owners to discuss business opportunities to establish new GRILLiT franchise locations...

ATLANTA - January 29, 2015 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLKI), the franchisor and operator of Popeyes® restaurants, today announced the appointment of S. Kirk Kinsell to its Board of Directors.
Mr. Kinsell is a veteran hospitality executive who was recently named Chief Executive Officer (effective March 2, 2015) of Loews Hotels & Resorts, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Loews Corporation.
Mr. Kinsell has devoted more than 35 years to the hospitality industry. He has spent 19 years with Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) in a variety of senior positions including most recently as President, Americas, with responsibility for the management of more than 3,700 hotels. In his role as President he was responsible for development and performance of all IHG hotel brands and properties in the Americas...

New Moms to Technology Executives Tweet: "Kickboxing Is for Everyone"
SEATTLE - Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - You don't have to be a martial arts master or a Kung Fu fighter to enter a CKO Kickboxing Gym or to own one.
This is the message portrayed through the social media sensation sweeping Seattle.
The #IamCKO campaign on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram shows ordinary people who are achieving extraordinary results with the proprietary workout created by Joseph Andreula over 18 years ago. This amazing workout has spread from New Jersey to the Seattle Washington area.
"Our goal is to show that almost anyone can benefit from the CKO Kickboxing workout. Our members or as we like to refer to them - our CKO Family - initially come to us at different fitness levels," said Joe Andreula, president and founder of the popular fitness franchise CKO Kickboxing, which has more than 60 gyms stretching from coast to coast...

Owner Celebrates With Free Sub Fundraiser
January 16, 2015 - Athens, GA - Jersey Mike's Subs, known for its fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs, opened in Athens on January 7. Franchise owner Chris Brown held a grand opening and free sub fundraiser from Wednesday, January 7 to Sunday, January 11 to support W.R. Coile Middle School PTSA.
The new restaurant, located at 690 US Highway 29, circulated 7,500 coupons throughout the community offering a free regular sub for a minimum $1 contribution to W.R. Coile Middle School PTSA.
Brown is an exemplary Jersey Mike's franchise owner who shares the company's commitment to quality products and exceptional customer service, and who is dedicated to giving back to the local community. Since 2010, Jersey Mike's locations throughout the country have raised nearly $10 million for worthy local charities and have distributed more than 750,000 free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes...

OKLAHOMA CITY - January 29, 2015 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ:SONC), the nation's largest chain of drive-in restaurants, today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per share of common stock to be paid to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 11, 2015, with a payment date of February 20, 2015. In addition to the dividend, the company has a $105 million share repurchase authorization for fiscal 2015.
"Our commitment to return cash to our shareholders through a cash dividend program and a share repurchase program reflects the strength of our brand and franchise business model. As we look forward, we see that our sound business model should generate ample cash to continue to optimize shareholder value in this manner," said Cliff Hudson, Sonic Corp...

Black Bear Diner's eighth annual "Save Room For A Wish®" campaign sets a new monthly fundraising record to support Make-A-Wish.
Redding, California (PRWEB) January 29, 2015 - Black Bear Diner is proud to announce that with the help of its loyal guests, it raised $211,381 for Make-A-Wish® during the eighth annual "Save Room For A Wish®" dessert fundraising campaign held from December 1 – 31, 2014. The money raised supports Make-A-Wish in granting wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. The fundraising total eclipses Black Bear Diner's previous campaign record of $202,200 set in 2013.
"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of our Black Bear Diner guests that participated," said Bob Manley, co-founder of Black Bear Diner...

Salt Lake City, UT (PRWEB) January 29, 2015 - Hoarding is a major concern for many people living in the U.S. It is considered a disorder and while it starts out as modest collecting, it gradually develops into a complete inability to throw anything away including garbage, food containers, and newspapers. ServiceMaster of Salt Lake has recently expanded their services to include hoarding cleaning services for Salt Lake City and the surrounding towns of Orem and Provo, UT. Because hoarding is caused by a mental disorder, it is the responsibility of a friend or loved one to contact ServiceMaster of Salt Lake for hoarding cleaning services before the hoarder creates dangerous living conditions inside the home.
Cleaning up the home of a hoarder is a serious business as a hoard of collected items can not only block off some areas of the home but also harbor bacteria and other biohazard material which can have serious health implications...

MINNEAPOLIS - January 29, 2015 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Regis Corporation (NYSE:RGS), a leader in the haircare industry, whose primary business is owning, operating and franchising hair salons, today reported results for its fiscal second quarter ended December 31, 2014 versus the prior year as noted below.
As a result of the Company's valuation allowance against most of its deferred tax assets, associated reported and, as adjusted, after-tax results of operations are not comparable to prior periods.

Sales of $455.9 million, a decline of ($12.5) million. Same-store sales decreased 0.3%.

Same-store service and product sales decreased 0.2% and 0.6%, respectively.


GAAP net loss of ($19...

Grapevine, TX (PRWEB) January 29, 2015 - The Kid to Kid franchise proudly awarded its December Store of the Month award to Brittany Tucker, owner of the Kid to Kid located at 2100 W. Northwest Hwy., Suite #218 in Grapevine, TX for outstanding increase in sales, as well as improvements to store systems.
The Grapevine location was selected from more than 100 Kid to Kid children's resale stores across the U.S. and Portugal because of an impressive 46 percent increase in sales and 44 percent increase in invoices over the previous year.
"The store's terrific improvements over the past couple months are a result of implementing significant operational changes," said the store's corporate support representative, Jeff Kinsel. Brittany placed a stronger focus on turning product more quickly by consistently checking pricing, and keeping the racks full...

National Interior Decorator Offers Effective Strategies for the Silent Majority Who Experience Clutter
SOUTHBURY, CT - (Marketwired - Jan 28, 2015) - Have you ever heard the expression "too much of a good thing?" While the expression often refers to overwhelming feelings from eating too much of a delectable dessert or having close family stay at your home one day too long, it's also appropriate in a variety of other contexts - especially aspects of the décor process. For example, homeowners may find themselves idealizing the idea of storage space and seizing any opportunity for more without considering whether more storage space is really necessary.
Decor&You, one of America's leading, full-service interior decorating franchises, challenges homeowners to take a step back and evaluate the items overcrowding their storage...

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. (PRWEB) January 28, 2015 - Brightway Insurance, Inc., a national property/casualty insurance retailer selling through a network of franchised independent agencies throughout the country, has been named a Top 500 Franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for the second year in a row. The company has also been named to the Franchise Gator Top 100 list.
Brightway, the only property/casualty insurance agency franchisor on the list, landed the #252 spot in Entrepreneur magazine’s ranking (up from #277 in 2014) based on financial and statistical data from July 2012 to July 2014.
The most important factors, according to Entrepreneur, are financial strength and stability, growth rate and the size of the system. Also considered are the number of years a company has been in business, the length of time it’s been franchising, startup costs, litigation, percent of terminations and whether the company provides financing...

Top-Performing Franchise Company Is One of Only 10 in FBR Hall of Fame
Colorado Springs, CO (PRWEB) January 29, 2015 - Miracle Method, the largest bath and kitchen refinishing company in the US, announced today that the company again made the Franchise Business Review (FBR) Top 200 list in the publication's 10th annual Guide to Today's Top Franchises. Also for the 10th year in a row, Miracle Method was included in the FBR Top 50 "Best of the Best" list, which elevated the company to Hall of Fame status, an achievement matched by only nine other franchise businesses ranked by FBR.
"People like to talk about sales revenue, new store openings and ROI, and that's important," said Chuck Pistor, President of Miracle Method. "But the real indication of franchise company success is what franchisees say about the job the franchisor is doing and how satisfied they are with their franchise...

January 29, 2015 // Franchising.com // Madison, N.J. - Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC today announced the promotion of Sean Blankenship to chief marketing officer from his prior role as senior vice president of marketing for the firm. In this expanded role, Blankenship is responsible for the development and expansion of the Coldwell Banker® global brand architecture, including the luxury home program Coldwell Banker Previews International. He will continue to oversee the brand’s holistic marketing platform, which includes advertising, media, public relations, product development, promotions and marketing communications.
"Sean has more than 24 years of experience in shaping brands and telling their stories," said Budge Huskey, chief executive officer for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC...

New Covington Retailer Offers Top Brand Home Appliances, Lawn and Garden Equipment, Tools, Mattresses and More at Guaranteed Lowest Price
COVINGTON, La. - Jan. 28, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq:SHOS) will open its newest Louisiana Sears Hometown Store on January 29, 2015 at 1200 Business Hwy, 190 Ste. 3 in Covington.
The Covington location marks the sixth opening of a new Sears Hometown Store this year as well as the sixth opening of a new store across all of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores formats. Unlike most retail concepts, Sears Hometown Stores combine the value, selection and services associated with larger retail stores but are owned and operated by a member of the local community...

Owner Celebrates With Free Sub Fundraiser
January 16, 2015 - Bowling Green, KY - Jersey Mike's Subs, known for its fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs, opened in Bowling Green on January 7. Franchise owner Chase Lester held a grand opening and free sub fundraiser from Wednesday, January 7 to Sunday, January 11 to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Kentucky.
The new restaurant, located at 1713 Scottsville Road, circulated 10,000 coupons throughout the community offering a free regular sub for a minimum $1 contribution to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Kentucky.
Lester is an exemplary Jersey Mike's franchise owner who shares the company's commitment to quality products and exceptional customer service, and who is dedicated to giving back to the local community...

The Joint Corp. Announces Two New Board Members Former Wal-Mart CEO, Bill Fields and Retired Deloitte Audit Partner, Ron DaVella
January 28, 2015 // Franchising.com // SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The Joint Corp. (NASDAQ: JYNT), a national healthcare franchisor of chiropractic clinics, recently elected two new members to serve on its board: William "Bill" Fields and Ronald V. DaVella.
Fields is currently Chairman of Fields Texas Limited LLC ("Fields Texas"), Four Corners Sourcing International, and a Managing Partner of Strategic Brands LLC. DaVella recently retired from Deloitte after 34 years of service including 25 years as a partner.
Bill Fields
Fields is a retail industry veteran who began his 25-year career with Wal-Mart as a store manager who was handpicked by Wal-Mart Founder Sam Walton to be his assistant...

Award-Winning Casual-Dining Franchise Announces Winner of the 'Sauce Showdown' Sweepstakes
January 28, 2015 // Franchising.com // SHARON, Pa. - The Award-Winning casual-dining franchise Quaker Steak & Lube®, known for its Best Wings USA and more than 25 sauces, announced today that Kentucky Bourbon Glaze is the winner of the 'Sauce Showdown' Sweepstakes, available to Lube Nation beginning Feb. 1, just in time for the Big Game.
Kentucky Bourbon Glaze was one of the four sauces that fans were able to select during Quaker Steak & Lube's® 'Sauce Showdown' Sweepstakes. From Oct. 27 – Dec. 7, Lubies visited a special dedicated micro-site for a chance to pick The Lube's® newest sauce. Prize packs were also randomly awarded each week to voters...

January 28, 2015 // Franchising.com // Aliso Viejo, Calif. – There may not be a brand that knows their customer as well as Chronic Tacos. And when the fan base speaks up, Chronic Tacos listens, takes action, and gives them what they want. Thanks to consumer demand, the wildly popular and dangerously hot Chronic Tacos Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce has been added to the California-based taco shop's core menu and can be found at all corporate and franchised locations.
Likely due in large part to Chronic Tacos' loyal fan base, the great American love affair with hot sauce has launched the condiment to the top of the charts, deeming it America's new favorite condiment.
Since 2000, the American hot sauce market has grown by 150 percent...