The Daily Edition of Franchise Business News

Due to the growing popularity of LED lighting, as well as a strong franchise business model, international lighting solutions provider LED Source experienced a record year in 2012.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) announced today the official opening of Park Hyatt Busan, the tenth Park Hyatt property in Asia Pacific and the second Park Hyatt hotel in Korea following Park Hyatt Seoul.

VooDoo BBQ & Grill, a fast-growing chain of barbecue restaurants, has opened its first location on New Orleans' West Bank, a populous and high-growth area with great potential.

Patrice & Associates, the nation’s preeminent hospitality recruiting company, announced its newest Texas office.

DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN) today announced that management will present a Company overview to investors at the Raymond James 34th Annual Institutional Investors Conference on Monday, March 4, 2013.

Too Cool T-shirt Quilts® (http://www.toocooltshirtquilts.com), founded by entrepreneur Andrea Funk in rural Charlotte, Mich., has been growing 25-30 percent annually for the past 20 years.

DoubleTree by Hilton today announced the opening of the DoubleTree by Hilton Raleigh-Durham Airport at Research Triangle Park.

Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (NasdaqGS: TXRH), today announced that the Company will be presenting at the Raymond James 34th Annual Institutional Investors Conference at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes Hotel in Florida.

Now, guests interested in waxing in Fontana, CA that purchase one full-priced waxing service can receive a second service of lesser or equal value at 50% the cost.

The newest South Beach Tanning, located at 9335 N Tryon Street #103 in Charlotte, is the second franchise location that owner, Scott Cline, has opened in Charlotte.

The ServiceMaster Company, one of the world's largest residential and commercial service networks, today announced preliminary unaudited 2012 results, including operating revenue of $3.2 billion, a decline of 0.4 percent compared to 2011 results.

Hell has officially frozen over — Hell, Michigan that is! Today, the gourmet burger expert will celebrate by warming up guests with a free cup of Red's Chili Chili™.

The Growth Coach is proud to announce that Michael Neuendorff has been selected for the 2013 President’s Forum. Neuendorff owns the Growth Coach in Burlingame.

Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza today announced that Lessing's Hospitality Group has signed an agreement to develop ten franchise stores in the New York Metro area, Long Island, Westchester and Rockland counties and southern Connecticut.

Krispy Kreme® is adding the creamy flavor and silky smoothness of Ghirardelli® White Chocolate Sauce to your favorite caffeinated and uncaffeinated beverages.

Mellow Mushroom will celebrate a new and comeback opening in historic downtown Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Monday, March 4.

As February typically marks the peak of cold and flu season, Chem-Dry has comprised a list of preventative measures that homeowners can take to prevent the flu from entering and spreading within the home.

Handcrafted pizza, ever-changing unique beers and an exciting atmosphere are just a few great reasons to stop into Mellow Mushroom Decatur, Alabama, beginning, Monday, March 4.

East Coast Wings & Grill, a North Carolina-based restaurant concept known for its 75 flavors of award-winning buffalo-style wings, recently opened its newest restaurant at 9711 Northlake Centre Parkway in Charlotte.

European Wax Center Kennesaw recently announced their latest promotion and the first of 2013.

Haynes and Boone, LLP Litigation Partner Emma Cano has been chosen as a member of the 2013-2014 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellows Program.

Award-winning Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch restaurant First Watch continued its expansion in the Indianapolis market today with the opening of a restaurant in Carmel, Ind.

This tax season, there were approximately 1,000 changes to the federal individual income tax code. Throw in almost 4,400 state changes and one can start to get a picture why going it alone could be a daunting task.

Piperlime continues to grow its successful Guest Editor Program. In partnership with leading lifestyle brand POPSUGAR, blogger Aimee Song of Song of Style will join Piperlime's Guest Editor program beginning this spring.

Hooters of America, LLC today announced the launch of a new advertising campaign and has selected Skiver Advertising as its new advertising agency of record.

The United Franchise Group (UFG), the global leader for entrepreneurs, announced today an agreement with FirstREX to make FirstREX’s home equity-based business funding available to current and future franchisees.

RE/MAX R4 Convention -- More than 6,000 top RE/MAX agents and broker-owners gathering for their annual R4 Convention in Las Vegas today will watch the unveiling of the brand-new RE/MAX Design Center during the opening General Session.

Crunch, the health club chain best known for making serious fitness fun through unique programming and cutting-edge training, announces the opening of its newest franchise location at One North Broadway, White Plains, New York.

port Clips Haircuts launched its "MVP Moment Maker" campaign today, that will give participants the opportunity to feel like an MVP if designated as one of the winners of $10,000 and other cash and instant-win prizes.

The Award-Winning casual-dining franchise Quaker Steak & Lube® announced today that its newest Texas location raised more than $7,015 during a week long promotion to support the Plano Independent School District (ISD).

FirstLight HomeCare, a growing provider of non-medical, in-home care, today announced that it has received Franchise Business Review’s Franchisee Satisfaction Award for 2013 for the second year in a row.

Moving at rocket speed to launch multiple businesses and rise to the top of new industries almost cost Flip Flop Shops President & Co-Founder Brian Curin his life.

Westin Hotels and Resorts, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), today announced the opening of The Westin Chennai Velachery.

Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar, the upscale burger restaurant offering gourmet burgers combined with perfectly paired wine selections, will open its third New Jersey location on Tuesday, March 5 at the Towne Plaza at Garden State Park, 923...

Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) reported fourth quarter 2012 worldwide revenues of $2.3 billion, an increase of 15.1% year-over-year including the results from our recent acquisition of Dollar Thrifty.

Kathy Moore has joined RE/MAX of Greensboro as the newest member of this dynamic sales team. Kathy brings to the office 4+ years of experience in real estate and was formerly with Jason Bramblett and Associates.

Nectir Denver will provide contingent staffing, contract-to-hire services, direct-hire services and rapid deployment staffing for local and regional companies. The branch is expected to be opening in Spring 2013.

Charles Beaupré, the CEO of Play N Trade, one of the largest video game and consumer electronic retailers worldwide reaffirms his commitment to the consumer, as the video game industry continues to evolve.

Arriving on schedule at the New Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito's Tababela parish are two Johnny Rockets restaurants, dovetailing with the official unveiling of the brand new airport and representing the company's first foray into...

America's most prestigious burger competition brought some YUMMM-y menu innovation with the presentation of Red Robin's first-ever Best of the Bash Award at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Amstel Light Burger Bash.

It's the biggest change to the federal tax code in the past 20 years. But, taxpayers are alarmingly unfamiliar with its impact.

A successful young entrepreneur from Mexico joins Maui Wowi Hawaiian, becoming its newest Franchisee and bringing more paradise to Miami, Florida.

Expedia® CruiseShipCenters® – part of Expedia® Inc, the largest online travel company in the world, was recently named 2012 Retail Travel Agency of the Year by Norwegian Cruise Line.

Hurricane Grill & Wings®, an award-winning, family-friendly restaurant is preparing for their 50th restaurant opening in Minnetonka, MN on March 4th.

With the recent additions of Nectir locations in Colorado, Delaware and Texas, the promising staffing system has grown 100% since third-quarter, 2012.

The largest provider of home services in North America, Clockwork Home Services, kicks off the year with new franchise territories across its family of brands in the United States and now its first in Canada.

Teriyaki Experience are pleased to announce the opening of a Teriyaki Experience location in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest airport (based on passenger traffic since 1998).

Fresh To Order (f2o), the pioneer of “fast fine,” unveiled its new prototype with the opening of its seventh location at Emory Point, which is located across from the Centers for Disease Control and nearby Emory University in Atlanta.

Wingstop has landed in Columbus, Ohio. The 550-unit chicken wing chain has opened its first restaurant in the area, and second in the state, at 2836 Stelzer Road in Columbus.

AFC Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: AFCE), the franchisor and operator of Popeyes®, today announced that its Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year 2012, which ended December 30, 2012, will be filed on Wednesday, February 27, 2013, after...

Pizza Pizza Royalty Corp., formerly Pizza Pizza Royalty Income Fund, today announced a cash dividend of $0.0625 per share for February 2013.

Technology-based Solutions for Keeping Seniors Safe and Independent Work Best When Combined with Professional Support - Consolidation of Functions and Ease of Use Are Also Key.

This summer, two old friends will reunite when Friendly's Ice Cream joins forces with the Cape Cod Baseball League to deliver a home run to fans: the 2013 Cape League All-Star game.

The law firm of Gray Plant Mooty is pleased to announce that Mike Gray, Gaylen Knack, and Kate Nilan have earned the Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) designation awarded by the Institute of Certified Franchise Executives

This year, Dutch Bros. Coffee’s Feb. 14 Dutch Luv Day tipped the scales with 205,322 pounds of food collected — more than double last year’s total — for food banks across seven states.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced the opening of Le Méridien Atlanta Perimeter, the first Le Méridien hotel to open in the Atlanta metropolitan area and one of nine new Le Méridien...

The Dairy Queen® has re-opened its newest, most exciting treat concept, a DQ® Orange Julius® store in Grand Junction at the Mesa Mall.

Cruise Holidays analyzed its river cruises booked on four major river cruise lines, and the total number of reservations has jumped nearly 25% when comparing bookings made January 1-February 13, 2013, to the same time period last year.

Great Play entered the competitive children’s gym category just a few years ago with a highly differentiated and greatly improved offering, and has quickly asserted itself as a category leader.

Two Men and a Truck® continued its impressive 2012 campaign by eclipsing 36 consecutive months of same-store-sales increases, 19 straight months of double-digit growth, the addition of 15 new locations, all while breaking the $250m mark in...