McDonald’s Sales DeclinMcDonald’s posted $93.3 billion in system sales in 2020, down 6.8 percent from the year before, and retained first place on the newly released Franchise Times Top 400, which ranks the largest U.S.-based franchises by global systemwide sales.

Multi-unit franchisors talk expansion plans, issues plaguing growth. Franchising can be difficult in the best of times, but add in supply chain issues, labor shortages and a pandemic and it can be downright impossible. A panel of expert franchisors discussed modern multi-unit franchising.

Fast-growing Slim Chickens, Freddy’s Expand Pipelines, Plus More Development News. The multi-unit agreements keep coming for Slim Chickens, which with recent signings added 59 locations to its pipeline. The chicken chain signed a 32-unit agreement with Thomas Barnett and Shane Jacobs of Barnett Management.

Happy Joe’s to increase footprint by over 50% with monumental master franchise agreement 46-unit pizza concept partners with master franchise holder to open at least 25 new restaurants across the Middle East and North Africa over the next decade

The operator of the New London location of the Shaking Crab told The Day that the ocean-themed restaurant will use regular waiters and waitresses to explain the menu and take orders but that the robots will deliver the meals to the tables.wer to staff shortages: Robot servers.

Zoom Room 'Zee Is a 'Rare Treasure' KC Gardner. She’s been in the dog business for more than 20 years, and recently opened the first Zoom Room location in Nevada. Zoom Room is a dog training franchise that focuses on building the relationship between dogs and their owners

Latest Franchise Investment Trends. Recently, I moderated a panel for an International Franchise Association webinar “From Venture Capital to Private Equity: Franchise Investment Trends and Terms”. One of the main takeaways was the emphasis all panelists placed on a healthy relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee.

Federal Court Dismisses Case When Franchisee Association Fails to Satisfy Requirements to Establish Associational Standing. district court for the Northern District of Texas granted a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1), on the grounds the franchise association plaintiff lacked standing.

Fast-Growing Tropical Smoothie Cafe® Reaches 1,000 Locations. Brand celebrates milestone with Texas grand opening on Friday, Sept. 17. The milestone comes at a time when the company is experiencing record growth and is on pace to open 130 new franchised locations in 2021.

Auntie Anne's Hits the Pavement, and New Audiences Nationwide. Franchisees are racing toward a food-truck opportunity that opens accessibility to the classic brand.“Well, the retail landscape has changed dramatically,” franchisee Linda Reed says when asked why she decided to open the first Auntie Anne’s food truck in California.

Dogdrop Announces $2.9M in Funding to Scale New Franchising Model. The dog care startup will begin to sell franchise territory agreements to provide unparalleled dog care in the U.S. Dogdrop launched out of Science Inc., the startup studio behind DogVacay

800 Degrees, Pizza Robots, and the Future of Innovative Growth. The chain plans to grow via street side stores, ghost kitchens, and robotic kiosks. “How do we become more consumer-friendly and guest-friendly for this off-premises need and then the pandemic it?”r.

Caribou launches domestic franchise plan fueled by Panera. Caribou Coffee, a Panera Brands portfolio concept with 714 locations, has launched a franchise program. Leveraging the model growth for three decades, Caribou Coffee's domestic franchise launch marks the first time candidates to own and operate coffeehouses

PEAK6 InsurTech to Acquire We Insure Group, One of the Fastest Growing Insurance Franchises in US. The acquisition will build on PEAK6’s acquisition of National Flood Services in 2018 and pending acquisition of Team Focus to position PEAK6 InsurTech with a growing distribution network of franchises across the United States.

Everbowl Signs 50-Unit Development Deal With Sloan Capital.Everbowl founder and CEO Jeff Fenster is either all in, or not in at all. In March 2020, when COVID-19 impeded his ability to travel to open new stores, he pivoted to franchising and refranchised all 28 corporate stores.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Leverages Flybuy to Enhance their Off-Premise Solutions. Tropical Smoothie Cafe® (TSC) has partnered with Flybuy, by Radius Networks, to help power its digital footprint by enhancing its off-premise solutions for curbside, in-cafe pickup, and same-day delivery.

Impressive third quarter growth underscores momentum for Smoothie King. World’s largest smoothie brand reports 18% same-stores sales increase, aggressive international and domestic expansion alongside strong financial performance top stores

Krystal opens first franchise location in 15 years. Atlanta-based Krystal Restaurants LLC will open its first franchised location in 15 years. Located at 1624 Veterans Blvd. in Dublin, Georgia, and is slated to open in October 2021. Yates Hospitality Services LLC is the franchise partner, according to a press release.

Tint World® expands its reach with new Kennesaw location National Automotive Styling Centers™ franchise continues growth. Tint World® Automotive Styling Centers™, a leading auto accessory and window tinting franchise,

The Wealthy Franchisee: How to retain your team by boosting your culture. Three ways that successful franchisees build culture that workers can’t help but want to be a part of. Establish a clear set of Beliefs,Train for culture. Establish a clear set of rituals.

Portillo's Eyes $405 Million IPO. The chain would be valued at $1.42 billion. The 67-unit chain is selling 20.27 million shares, with underwriters having the option to purchase up to an additional 3.04 million shares. At a price of $17 to $20, Portillo's would raise between $344.6 million to $405.4

Krispy Kreme to take majority control of franchisee Krispy K Canada. Krispy Kreme has signed an agreement to partner with franchisee and operator Krispy K Canada, which owns and manages 10 locations throughout Ontario and Quebec.

TINT WORLD® RECOGNIZED AS A TOP 400 BRAND BY FRANCHISE TIMES. BOCA RATON, Fla. – Tint World® Automotive Styling Centers™, a leading auto accessory and window tinting franchise, has been named to the prestigious Franchise Times Top 400 list, solidifying its claim as the No. 1 auto styling center in the world. The company saw a sales growth of 20.9% and a unit growth of 16.4%.

Neighborly® Launches New Mobile App, Offers Early Users a Chance to Win $10,000. Home repairs and enhancements app goes live with sweepstakes presenting opportunities for daily prizes worth up to $100, plus the chance for three lucky users to receive $10,000 each

Burgers across America: New items from Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, Bennigan’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, BurgerFi, Burger King, Dog Haus, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, Elevation Burger, El Torito, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, Friendly’s, Hurricane Grill & Wings, IHOP, Krystal, Logan’s Roadhouse, Shake Shack, Slater’s 50/50, Red Robin Gourmet

'Very Challenging' Labor Shortage Strains Domino's Momentum. U.S. same-store sales fell for the first time in several years. Domestic same-store sales fell 1.9 percent in the period, pizza chain was rolling over a 17.5 percent increase in Q3 2020,

Fast-casual 800 Degrees plots rapid expansion with both REEF ghost kitchens and robotic pizza-making kiosks New franchising strategy aims to expand operator reach with lower-investment options and an off-premise focus, relaunching its franchising program with a new strategy

Teaspoon Experiences Our sales team has been incredible showcasing Teaspoon and all that we have to offer our franchise partners,” stated Amy Lai, Co-Founder of Teaspoon. Explosive Success in Franchise Sales. Amy Lai amy@teaspoonlife.com 650-209-5071

Operators Who Acquire Franchise Brands Balance Risks, Rewards. Longtime franchisee-turned-investor Anand Gala partnered with SSCP Management, a large Applebee’s and Sonic Drive-In operator, to acquire Cicis for $83 million. Their group, D&G Investors, consolidated operations

McDonald's raises quarterly cash dividend by 7% and resumes share repurchases. McDonald's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.38 per share of common stock payable on December 15, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 1, 2021