TGI Fridays Agrees to Deal to Take it Public

Privately held TGIF Holdings LLC and Allegro Merger Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, have signed an agreement that would take the casual-dining chain public, the companies announced. The Dallas-based parent of the TGI Fridays and New York-based Allegro Merger, said that, at closing, TGI Friday’s holders will receive a combination of cash and stock…

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Wendy is hungry for more frequent customers

A honey butter chicken biscuit sandwich served during breakfast hours. The return of Wendy’s to Europe within 18-months. 50-piece orders of spicy chicken nuggets being ordered by those that saw a bullish Chance the Rapper tweet about them. The Baconator ordered on the Wendy’s app and delivered soon thereafter by Grubhub. Clearly, this is not…

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Burger King discount ‘mistake’ costs franchisee millions: ‘We screwed up’

A “mistake” allowed customers to combine Whopper discounts at certain Burger Kings, costing the franchisee millions. A restaurant group based out of upstate New York revealed the extent of the mistake during a recent earnings call, according to reports. The discount mistake cost the franchisee an estimated $8.2 million. Customers were able to take advantage of…

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Veggie Grill Debuts Prototype in Chicago

The restaurant is the Culver City, Calif.-based fast-casual brand’s fourth restaurant in Chicago and is located in the West Loop at 911 W. Randolph St. The company said the design, largely in shades of white, is a new store prototype. It covers 2,500 square feet and has 58 seats. “We look forward to expanding in…

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Walk-On’s Success Story is Just Getting Started

For many sports bars and casual-dining restaurants, the name of the game has been to slow down, cut back locations, and eliminate weak performers. And then there’s Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based sports bar franchise that been expanding at a rapid-fire pace, not scaling back. With 32 locations, the brand’s revenue spiked…

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Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings franchisee Diversified Restaurant Holdings has agreed to be acquired by the private equity firm ICV Partners in an all-cash deal valued at $130 million. The $1.05-per-share price exceeds the value of Diversified’s common shares at the end of trading on Nov. 5 by 123%, according to the deal participants. They noted that…

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Outback Parent Bloomin’ Considers Sale

Bloomin’ Brands Inc. is considering “strategic alternatives” including a possible sale, the company said in a release announcing its third-quarter earnings. “The Company plans to proceed in a timely manner, but has not set a definitive timetable for completion of this process,” according to the news release. “There can be no assurance that this review will…

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Effective Food Safety Detection Tech

The U.S.D.A.’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (F.S.I.S.) has developed a guideline to help meat and poultry establishments develop a written program to respond to complaints about foreign matter consumers find in meat and poultry products they purchase. The guideline outlines best practices companies can use to respond to these complaints. But instead of knowing…

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The F.D.A. Must Clear up Confusion Around C.B.D. in Food

The Food and Drug Administration’s approach to regulating food and beverages formulated with cannabidiol (C.B.D.) is creating confusion in the marketplace. The agency’s official stance is it is not permissible to formulate C.B.D. into food or dietary supplements in states where cannabis is not approved for recreational use. Yet finished products featuring the ingredient are…

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