FRANKLIN MACHINE PRODUCTS, Lumberton, N.J., has added J.C. Carletti to its sales and marketing team as a business development manager. Carletti had held a similar post for the last decade at San Jamar/Chef Revival. He will work with key FMP accounts in the chain, supermarket, healthcare and dealer segments.

Last week, Quebec restaurant operators turned on a new piece of equipment: government-mandated devices aimed at preventing the use of zappers, or software that enables illegal cash-skimming at the point of sale to reduce the sales amounts on official records. The sales-recording devices, connected to a cash register or POS system, provide receipts with a…

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Smashburger has inked its first international development deals. Georgetown Advisors will open six Smashburger shops in Kuwait and three in Bahrain. In a separate agreement, Al Musbah Group will open eight airport locations throughout Saudi Arabia. The first overseas locations will open in 2012. Denver-based Smashburger operates 120 restaurants across the United States. smashburger.com

With steakhouses thriving again, Sizzler USA is planning to return to Illinois. The Culver City, Calif., chain expects to open 18 Chicago-area restaurants over the next five years, and hopes to recycle as many vacant units as possible. Only 179 of Sizzler’s original 700 outlets remain open. Chicago, once home to 15 stores, has been…

McDonald’s Corp. is pumping millions into renovating its 1,400 Canadian restaurants. The Oak Brook, Ill., burger chain, already revamping the look in 800 of its 14,000 U.S. outlets this year, is moving quickly to upgrade more than half of its Canadian locations by the end of the year. The remaining Canadian units will be renovated…

The nation’s biggest Japanese quick-service chain has opened its first three restaurants in the Colombia. Under a multiyear franchise deal with Frisby S.A., another five Sarku Japan units will open in the South American country by the end of 2011. At least 20 more units are expected to open during the next 10 years. Sarku…

Jack in the Box is getting closer to its goal of becoming up to 80% franchised. New franchisee J&D Restaurant Group has acquired 37 of the chain’s corporate stores in Texas. After refranchising 112 corporate locations in the third quarter, the chain is about 67% franchised. It expects to sell up to 300 units to…

A menu shorter than a cocktail list and a BYOC (chopsticks) rule are two features at Chipotle’s new Asian concept restaurant, ShopHouse. The debut store in Washington, D.C., opened in September. Its interior is similar to that of Chipotle Mexican Grill: spare and industrial, relying on recycled materials with a focus on green design. The…

A smaller kitchen and a streamlined service system are among the changes at La Madeleine. A 3,500-sq.-ft. prototype opening near its Dallas headquarters boasts a theater-style bakery and expanded retail offerings. Future company stores in McLean, Va.; Silver Spring, Md.; and Tulsa, Okla., are also planned. The chain, which currently owns and operates 60 cafes…