AutoQuotes Inc. has named Susannah Albright as CEO. She succeeds AutoQuotes founder Kent Motes, who takes on the title of Chairman Emeritus. In addition, the Jacksonville, Fla., company has named Motes’s three children, Kate (Motes) Schmidt; Kent Motes Jr.; and Alex Motes to the board of directors; Schmidt will succeed her father as the board’s chair.…
Bob O’Brien, senior v.p. of global foodservice for The NPD Group, caught our attention with a recent blog post about restaurant traffic in the United Kingdom. Traffic growth continued positive in the second quarter 2016 in the U.K. (the Brexit vote was June 23), following equally strong growth in the first quarter of this year.…
In the second quarter of 2016, restaurant traffic counts were strongest in the United Kingdom, even as it was voting to leave the European Union, and weakest in Brazil, despite the impending Summer Olympics, according to the latest CREST data from The NPD Group, a U.S.-based research practice. Traffic in the other 10 major foodservice markets…
After ending its collaboration with Subway and Franchise Brands following the death of Subway founder Fred DeLuca a year ago, New Zealand-based BurgerFuel is moving ahead with plans to launch in the U.S. The chain is eyeing the Midwest for its first store. BurgerFuel has 47 domestic outlets and more than 80 outlets in six…
The American “better burger” franchise has inked a multi-unit development agreement with Essam Abu El Hassan to open 20 restaurants throughout Egypt. The first restaurant will open in Cairo later this year. Currently, the brand has 25 restaurants in the Middle East including Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. Elevation Burger offers organic, halal-certified…
Comptoir, marketed as a purveyor of affordable and healthy Arab cuisine, has opened six new sites in the U.K. Founder Tony Kitous has 16 locations of the Comptoir Libanais canteen and delicatessen chain already in London, as well as restaurants such as Pasha in South Kensington and Levant on Wigmore Street. This autumn, the Comptoir…
The UAE’s Marka PJSC is opening Bahrain’s first Reem Al Bawadi Restaurant and Café, the latest in a series of expansions for the restaurant across the Gulf Coast Countries. The franchise in Bahrain marks the 11th branch of the chain, which offers traditional Middle East cuisine and cocktails, throughout the region and is the fifth…
Boojum Mexican Burrito Bar has opened its third—and largest restaurant to date—in Belfast, Northern Ireland, while also releasing plans for further expansion in the Republic of Ireland. The new 95-seat Belfast outlet is the first of four stores in the pipeline for Belfast, Dublin, and a city yet to be named. There are now seven…
Famous Brands, which owns two dozen quick-service and casual-dining brands including Steers and Wimpy, has acquired Gourmet Burger Kitchen for UK£120m. The South African-based company announced an agreement in September to buy 97% of GBK from YellowWood Group and the remaining 3% from management. GBK now comprises 75 restaurants across the UK. It was founded…
Three months after acquiring Angelo Po, Marmon has added a second Italy-based foodservice equipment manufacturer. The assets of Dominioni Punto & Pasta S.r.l., a leading Italian supplier of commercial pasta equipment, have been purchased by Marmon Pasta Solutions S.r.l. Terms were not disclosed. Founded in 1968 by Pietro Dominioni, the family-run business designs and produces…