Rock N Roll Sushi and 19 More Restaurant News Headliners of the Past Week

Rock N Roll Sushi, Happy Joe’s, Summit Restaurant Group, Tim Hortons and Nathan’s Famous lead RestaurantNews.com’s top stories for the week ending January 7, 2024.

1) Rock N Roll Sushi Finds Perfect Harmony with Southeast Florida Franchise Agreement
The American-style sushi brand recently signed an Area Development Agreement with brothers Vincent and Nicholas Gannascoli to open two locations in southeast Florida. The brothers moved from New York to Florida in 1994, and have owned and operated three Tropical Smoothie Cafés in the Stuart and Jensen Beach area for the past 22 years.

2) Happy Joe’s to Go Large in Minnesota with Six New Locations
After a recent brand relaunch, including a new store prototype, new website and new franchise development website, interest in owning a Happy Joe’s has increased even more. For example, the brand recently signed a new franchisee as an area agent. This agreement will allow their newest franchisee to partner in the development of up to six new restaurants in the greater Twin Cities area. Our franchisee will be looking to bring on other developers interested in owning their own Happy Joe’s in the Minnesota market. These can be existing restaurant owners or entrepreneurs.

3) Summit Restaurant Group Announces Exciting Organizational Changes and Strategic Promotions
Amber Carlson, a pivotal member of the team for over five years, has been promoted to President of Restaurant Operations. Amber’s exceptional tenure as Front of House (FOH) Operations Director, marked by outstanding leadership and operational expertise, makes her the ideal candidate to spearhead the company’s ambitious growth plans. In another significant move, the restaurant group also announced the promotion of Po Wang to Vice President of Culinary. Po’s unparalleled dedication to culinary innovation and his prowess in managing the scratch kitchens across five unique brands has been remarkable.

4) Tim Hortons is Turning 60 and Expanding Across the US
The Tim Hortons brand is celebrating its 60th anniversary, the 40th anniversary of its launch in the United States, and the 50th anniversary of Tim Hortons Foundation Camps, which has supported over 315,000 underserved youth in its history, in 2024. Tim Hortons also ended 2023 with its largest number of U.S. restaurant openings in over five years, expanding into new markets such as Texas and Georgia and signing agreements with franchisees who have committed to open new restaurants in additional markets, including Tennessee, Missouri, Delaware and New Jersey in the coming years.

5) Franklin Junction Awarded Global Exclusivity for Nathan’s Famous Virtual Restaurants
Host Kitchen creator, Franklin Junction, marks the third anniversary of their relationship with Nathan’s Famous by landing exclusive license rights for all future virtual restaurants worldwide. The deal also includes rights to Nathan’s Famous sister brands, Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips and Wings of New York. The partnership has already expanded the iconic Nathan’s Famous brand to more than 150 new locations in the United States and Europe.

6) Twin Peaks Signs Multi-Unit Deal with Top Franchisee to Grow in Northern New Jersey
The Northern New Jersey region will welcome five new franchised Twin Peaks Restaurants after the brand’s most recent area development agreement with TWG Management Co. Inc. Tom and Matt Graziano of TWG Management Co. Inc. have committed to opening five units, making this Twin Peaks’ fifth franchise area development agreement signed this year.

7) Krispy Krunchy Chicken Celebrates Record-Breaking 2023
As one of the fastest-growing foodservice solutions in the industry, Krispy Krunchy Chicken has tapped into a new momentum and secured its spot as a leader in the space with record-breaking success in 2023. The hot food concept is nearly 3,000 locations strong, aided by the opening of 481 new units in 2023.

8) Pizza Inn and New Franchise Partner Team Up to Bring 50 New Locations to Saudi Arabia
Pizza Inn has announced a major franchise agreement with Blessings Basket Company for Serving Food to substantially expand its footprint in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The 50-unit deal will kick off with the opening of the first two locations in January 2024.

9) Zaxby’s Makes Its Debut in Greenwood, Mississippi
Saucy chicken chain Zaxby’s opened its first location in Greenwood, Mississippi at 1000 West Park Ave. The new Zaxby’s, owned and operated by Oxford Foods, Inc., opened for both drive-thru and dine-in on Saturday, Dec. 30. Zaxby’s serves fresh, prepared-at-order Chicken Fingerz and wings tossed in a variety of bold and spicy sauces. The menu features the wildly popular Fried Chicken Philly limited-time offer, Zaxby’s fan-favorite Fried Pickles and its mouth-watering–Chicken Bacon Ranch Loaded Fries.

10) A Record 2023 Fuels the Future for Eggs Up Grill
Eggs Up Grill is wrapping up 2023 by breaking records in new restaurant openings, development commitments and sales growth, setting up an even bigger year ahead in 2024. This year, the Better Breakfast concept opened a record 12 new restaurants, including its first in Texas. The Brand signed 18 new franchise groups, adding 47 restaurants to its development pipeline. The growth means the Brand is approaching 200 restaurants open, under development or committed to future development.