Nick Santerre’s Post

Sad to report the buffet and hut-shaped roofs will not be coming back. In a bid to elevate the customer experience, Pizza Hut is piloting a new restaurant design in Plano, Texas. The new location features self-service touchscreen kiosks, heated cabinets for contactless pickup, and a new drive-thru menu with "ready-now" items for quick pickup. The key to the design is a "Chipotle-esque" pizza-making station in the center of the restaurant so that customers can see their food being made. Pizza Hut's president of global franchise markets and operations explained to CNN that the remodel helps push a seamless digital experience while still placing employees and Pizza Hut's food at the center of attention. The restaurant design is the first of its kind in the US, but already extremely common abroad. Pizza Hut has nearly 2,000 similar locations in over 80 international markets, which have helped drive more in-restaurant foot traffic compared to their previous dining formats. Despite the tech-heavy remodel, the Plano location remains the same size as its predecessor and still employs the same number of workers. If the design proves to be a success, Pizza Hut intends to roll the format out to other cities across the US. 🎥 : Pizza Hut / Yum Brands

So glad that I could connect with Zack Fishman, CFE in advance of Multi-Unit Conference next week. We Sell Restaurants will be represented with Eric Gagnon, CFE, CBI and myself in the crowd while Debra Sawyer, one of our multi-unit franchisees will be on the main stage sharing her point of view. I am looking forward to speaking with LOTS of multi-unit owners who are looking to diversify their restaurant investment with our our award-winning franchise. Our franchise model offers an attractive proposition: Average Gross Commission Income of $350,912 for our franchisees - No need for leases or employees - Minimal overhead and low capital investment - Quick start-up, launching in as little as 60 day Franchisors - Franchise Times recently reported that 28% of brands had shrinking footprints over the last three years. The reality of 10,000 Baby Boomers retiring every day is hitting brands hard as more units close than their development teams can open new units. Luckily, We Sell Restaurants has a solution.  Hit me up with a direct message or let's connect in Vegas to discuss a franchise resale program that reverses this trend for your restaurant brand. Direct message me here to connect Las Vegas.

Chipotle Sets Record Pace for Store Openings in a Challenging Year for Restaurants In a year marked by difficulties for the U.S. restaurant industry, Chipotle Mexican Grill is on track to open a record-breaking 300+ new locations in both 2024 and 2025. Despite rising costs and slowing sales affecting many dining chains, Chipotle reported a 13% increase in Q3 revenue to $2.8 billion and a 24% surge in net income to $387.4 million. With 185 restaurants already opened by Q3 2024, Chipotle is pacing ahead of last year's development. The company aims to reach 7,000 locations by the end of the decade, nearly doubling its current count of around 3,600. This expansion highlights Chipotle’s resilience and strategic growth during challenging times. #Chipotle #RestaurantGrowth #FastCasual #RetailDevelopment #BusinessExpansion #CommonwealthLandTitle #CommercialRealEstate #TitleInsurance #MarketTrends

Oh come on, you didn’t think I’d forget about the restaurant space, did you? Let’s be real, multi-unit ownership begins and ends with the restaurant industry. Period. Growth in the F&B world comes in a LOT of shapes and sizes, second-generation ownership is on the rise, the average owner’s age is FINALLY getting younger and there’s 4 or 5 ways to break down the industry (FSR, LSR, Fast Casual, QSR and NextGen…credit to Danny Klein & team on that last one). Needless to say, there are TONS of big topics to choose from, so just writing a post on my thoughts on it before #MUFC2024 just didn’t seem like enough. Had to call in the big guns for this one, which obviously means restaurant industry extraordinaire, Robin Gagnon, MBA, CFE, CBI, joined me on Franchisors.com’s Modrn Business 😎 If you’re someone who doesn’t like homework (I never did), here are some of the highlights of the episode: 🍔 Second generation ownership is really starting to become prevalent as the industry tries to get younger, so I obviously had to ask the expert (We Sell Restaurants sees more of this trend than anyone) around what types of brands are resonating with this trend, when to know when a brand requires a refresh and when to check if a brand is no longer the “Pretty Young Thing”. 🌮 The types of brand that MUMBOs are investing is changing. A LOT. For many years, several of our best owners made their living on FSR and QSR brands. Nowadays, consumers want something delicious, healthy and fast (Fast Casual) or want to dine-out but don’t necessarily want to converse with waitstaff (LSR/NextGen). We dive deep into the trends causing this shift, the brands leading the way and how it will change the restaurant space. 🍕 Most people just mash together the F&B space as one industry. Robin Gagnon, MBA, CFE, CBI and I are not those people. We go through each of the 4 types of restaurant brands to determine why a MUO would invest in them today. We dive deep into co-branding, “fads” vs “old reliables”, how different generations influence trends and where the economy plays a role (ahem, people going to grocery stores more than the value meal of QSR like we saw in the earnings of McDonald's and The Wendy's Company). All in all, we all know everyone needs to eat, so this industry will always be franchising’s largest. But it’s impossible to ignore that times are most certainly changing. Will it be for better or for worse? Give us a listen and let me know your take 👊🏻 Jake Fishman Ryan Hicks, CFE Lane Fisher Brad Fishman Sherri Fishman, CFE Debra Vilchis

I honestly think our qsr and restaurant industry in general is in trouble as costs are too high and value can't keep up. Experiential dining may not be affected like high end restaurants that offer a great celebration location or the standard value restaurants like Taco Bell will always fit a need for those looking for super affordable. But the chains that are idle and not changing the customer experience are slowing losing market share and growth capabilities to the new fresh concepts. The other part is locations. We have had a stall in retail development which has driven prices up and foot traffic down. As an example look at the retail space west of 31 on SR 32. Most of those concepts were developed and created on high density markets and not completely reliant on drive through business. As an owner of a couple of pizzeria's I can first hand tell you that the business model for regular old food is not really there any more.

Unlocking new potential in the restaurant industry is crucial in today's landscape. Discover the significance of "growth" now and in the future with insights from the latest Growth Report. #growth

Unlocking new potential in the restaurant industry is crucial in today's landscape. Discover the significance of "growth" now and in the future with insights from the latest Growth Report. #growth

How Modern Market Combines Impressive Margins with Innovative Restaurant Operations to Engineer a Game-Changing, $2.2 Million AUV Franchise Opportunity in 2024 In the $209 billion world of fast casual dining, standing out is no small feat. Yet, Modern Market Eatery, a restaurant franchise that has woven innovation, health and sustainability into its core, is doing just that. How? By focusing on not only what we eat, but also how it's prepared and delivered, prioritizing both the needs of the modern diner and the modern franchise operator. The result? A fast casual franchise opportunity up-to-par with any of the household-name QSR giants. "In our quest to redefine fast food, our vision at Modern Market is clear: make real food the new standard,” said President and Co-founder Rob McColgan. “Over more than a decade, we've honed our processes to ensure that scratch cooking is fast, repeatable and profitable. We don’t come from traditional restaurant experience, which has allowed us to reinvent the concept from the ground up. Now, we’re inviting others to help us disrupt the fast casual industry." The flagship Modern Market restaurant opened in Boulder, Colorado, in 2009. The brand experienced consistent growth over the next decade, with company-owned operations opening up in Colorado, Texas and Arizona. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, McColgan said it was clear that the brand had to adapt. “We leaned heavily into delivery and digital ordering,” said McColgan. “Modern life makes eating out or ordering online a necessity. This shift towards online transactions has fundamentally transformed our business model and it allowed us to really focus on our growth trajectory. Today, we have a tech stack on par with the most sophisticated retailers and are miles ahead of the largest restaurant brands.” Currently, Modern Market operates 31 restaurants across the country. The brand is owned by parent company Modern Restaurant Concepts, which also owns the fast casual brand Qdoba. This makes Modern Market an emerging franchise with the buying power of an 800-unit chain — a rare blend that provides franchise partners with better pricing and logistics for accessing top-of-the-line equipment and food costs. READ MORE 👇

Holly Petre Nation's Restaurant News tells us about Doug Koob's new role Wienerschnitzel. "Wienerschnitzel, the Irvine, Calif.-based hot dog concept owned by Galardi Group Inc. Group, Inc., has named Doug Koob its new chief development officer, the brand announced Wednesday. In this new role, Koob will oversee sales and business development teams for both domestic and international growth, real estate, restaurant design, and construction. “There are so many things that drew me toward Wienerschnitzel, but it was first and foremost the people behind the brand,” Koob said in a statement. “This is a concept that has 60 years of an incredible culture at its fingertips — it’s a family business that has transcended the QSR space and now lives as an iconic pillar of the hot-dog segment. I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to take what I’ve learned over my career — from being a 16-year-old team member at McDonald's to now — and truly usher in an era of widespread growth for a brand where the potential is sky-high. I can’t emphasize enough how fortunate I am to be joining this amazing group — which we are now dubbing the global development team — to grow this brand to its fullest extent.” The 350-unit quick-service concept’s new CDO has over 40 years of restaurant leadership experience, most recently as the founder of Circle Alliances, a contracting and consulting company that has served brands like MOD Pizza, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters Coffee. Prior to that, Koob spent over two decades with Starbucks leading business development teams in the U.S. and Europe, before moving on to serve as a VP of concept development for First Watch Restaurants Watch, and later the chief experience officer & VP of operations for Asian Box. “I’ve had a narrow focus on finding the perfect fit for a CDO at Wienerschnitzel and after meeting with [Koob], it was extremely clear that he was meant to join our team,” J.R. Galardi CEO of Galardi Group, said in a statement. “We’re at a pivotal time with the brand as we’re now poised to elevate our growth to the next level, both in key U.S. markets and internationally, and [Koob]’s team-first mindset is going to make that a reality. I look forward to watching him flourish as part of our Galardi family...click-thru to read more." https://lnkd.in/enwBseex #QSR #Entrepreneur #Restaurants #Franchise #Franchising #FranchiseChat Chainformation Altir Industries, Inc. Franchise Pipeline Franchise Development Outsource Ned Lyerly Joe Caruso Michael (Mike) Webster PhD Anders Hall Jonathan Martin Michael Scherr  

Major Restaurant Chains That Have Closed Down Locations Across The U.S. In 2024 By Jack Kelly A mix of underperformance issues, financial pressures from inflation, strategic realignments, changing consumer trends and overall cost-cutting objectives have all contributed to the recent wave of location closures across several restaurant chains in 2024. Major chains including TGI Fridays, MOD Pizza, Outback Steakhouse and Applebee's cited “underperformance” as the main reason for closing certain restaurant locations. They are strategically shuttering stores that are not meeting sales and profit expectations. Other chains, like Boston Market, Red Lobster and Tijuana Flats, have closed locations due to severe financial troubles, unpaid bills, landlord disputes and even bankruptcy filings. Their closures are directly tied to efforts to cut costs and restructure amid money problems. Denny's specifically cited inflation-related challenges, like higher costs, as a factor forcing it to close 57 locations in 2023 and planning 10 to 20 more closures in 2024, according to a February earnings call. Some restaurant closures have been driven by shifts in customer preferences and dining behaviors that have made certain locations less viable. For chains facing financial headwinds, closing underutilized locations is a way to reduce costs and shore up their finances through restructuring. https://lnkd.in/ejK6k6gf