Good News - February 2016

The good news: 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 small. 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

• 1000 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza To Open 12 Units in South Florida
• Sonic Plans 33 New Drive-Ins for California
• Tropical Smoothie Café To Open 23 Locations in Atlanta in 5 Years
• Charlie Graingers World Famous Hot Dogs: 15-Unit South Florida AR Deal
• PizzaRev Opens 30th Restaurant, Targets 60 by Year-End
• Mamoun’s Falafel Inks 3-Unit Deal for New Jersey
• Sun Holdings To Build 15 More Arby’s in Houston
• Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Signs 8-Store Deal for Nevada and California
• Starwood To Add 10 Hotels in New York State by End of 2018
• Kono USA Signs Second 10-Unit Deal in Texas
• The Greene Turtle Signs 6-Unit Deal for Central Pennsylvania
• Wok Box Signs 5-Unit Deal in West Michigan

2015 Results &Amp; 2016 Plans

• Arby’s SSS Rise 8.1% in 2015 as Brand Opens 60 New Restaurants
• Captain D’s Strong 4th Quarter Ends 2015 with 7 New Agreements
• Cicis Sets New Sales Records in 2015, Marks 11 Quarters of SSS Growth
• Cream Opens 25 New Sites in 2016, Predicts 25 More in 2016
• Del Taco Closes Out 2015 with 9 New Restaurant Openings
• Doc Popcorn Tops 100 Units in 2015, Sales Rise 12 Percent
• East Coast Wings & Grill Closes 2015 with 12th Year of SSS Growth
• Executive Care Expands into Four New States in 2015
• HomeVestors of America Adds 202 Franchisees in 2015, 55 in Q4
• Huddle House Reports Record Growth in 2015
• Juice It Up Closes 2015 with 10% Rise in Q4 Same-Store Sales
• McDonald’s 2015 Results Include Strong Fourth Quarter
• Native Grill & Wings Grew in 2015, Plans 25 Locations Per Year
• Panera Bread’s SSS Rise 2.3% in Q4; 2016 Growth Target Is 2% to 5%
• Primrose Schools Opens 19 New Schools, Signs 44 Agreements in 2015
• ShelfGenie Adds 14 Franchises in 2015
• Valpak Signs 14 Franchise Agreements in 2015
• Weed Man USA Adds 40+ Territories, Tops $83 Million Revenue in 2015
• Wendy’s Q4 SSS Rise 4.8% in North America To Close Out 2015

Financial/Acquisitions

• BD’s Mongolian Grill Buys 9-Unit Asian Cuisine Brand, Flat Top Grill
• South Rock Restaurants Buys 19 McAlister’s from McIndy Ventures

Incentives, Veterans

• 7-Eleven Contest To Award a Free Franchise to a Veteran Ends Feb. 26

International

• Bruster’s Real Ice Cream Inks 10-Unit Deal in South Korea
• Wayback Burgers Signs 10-Unit Master Deal for Alberta, Canada
• Century 21 Real Estate Expands to Republic of Slovenia
• Smashburger To Open 26 Restaurants in Dubai and Qatar
• Hurricane Grill & Wings Opens in Milan, 1st International Location

Milestones

• Winmark Passes $1 Billion in 2015 System-Wide Sales
• Fix Auto Announces 100th Location, Continues Expansion
• Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Reaches 100 Units in California with 4-Store Deal

New Brands

• CycleBar Signs 200+ Studios in First 10 Months; To Open 100 by Year-End
• Snapology Opens First 5 Franchise Locations in 2015, Plans 20 More in 2016
• StoneCoat Begins Franchising; Seeks 25 to 30 Units in 2016
• Kalamata Greek Grill Partners with Franworth to Accelerate Growth
• R Taco, Buffalo Wild Wings Investment, Reveals 2016 Growth Plans

People

• Le Pain Quotidien Names Doug Satzman U.S. CEO, former Starbucks SVP
• Jamba Juice Hires David A. Pace as CEO, former Bloomin’ Brands EVP
• Scooter’s Coffee Names Todd Graeve CEO, Plans 25 Units in First Half