Good, Bad, and Other News! – April 2022

It’s an up-and-down, back-and-forth Covid world after all… Mask mandates off, mask mandates back on… It’s a delicate balancing act to keep moving ahead when the ground beneath your feet keeps shifting – for both franchises and their customers. Then there’s Russia’s nearly 2-month invasion of Ukraine upsetting the world’s apple cart. In the midst of all this, the world keeps spinning… at least for now. So take a deep breath and catch up on the past month’s franchise-related news, sent your way every third Tuesday of the month. And, if you’re not doing it already, send us your good (and other) news here!

POST-COVID – REOPENING & RECOVERY

How First Watch Got Away Without Price Increases in 2021, Despite Inflation

Technomic Expects Consumers To “Trade Down” Foodservice Because of High Gas Prices

Burger King Lowers Price of Whoppers in France To Offset Fuel Increases

Expansion Roundup: These 4 Brands Are Off to a Strong Start in 2022

Starbucks CEO Gets $60 Million ‘Golden Goodbye,’ Even as Company Tries To Keep Out Unions (Opinion)

Nekter Juice Bar Signs 18 Agreements for 37 Locations in Q1 2022

Newk’s Eatery Sees Comp Sales Increase of 21.7% in Q4 2021

HIRING & EMPLOYMENT

“Shift Shock”: 72% of Job Quitters Regret Their Exit (Survey)

How To Cope with “The Great Return”

Labor Shortages Are Causing Companies To Go on Hiring Sprees – Here’s Why

FINANCE & M&A

Dave & Buster’s To Acquire Dallas-Based Main Event Family Entertainment Chain for $835M

Office Pride Partners with Trivest Partners & Three20 Capital Group

Premium Service Brands Buys 17-Unit Andy On-Call, Its 11th Brand

Five Star Franchising Acquires Mosquito Shield, Its 8th Acquisition Since June 2021

Launch Entertainment, at 30 Units, Targets Mom-and-Pops Following PE Investment

Why a Middle East Sovereign Wealth Fund Invested in a U.S. Franchisee

LEADERSHIP

Red Lobster CEO Kelli Valade Resigns, Effective April 15

Virtual Dining Concepts Taps Former DoorDash Exec Stephanie Sollers as First CEO

LEGAL & LEGISLATIVE

Sen. Cortez Masto Calls on SBA To Take Action Against Harmful Practices in Franchise Sector

Fat Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn Addresses Federal Investigation in Earnings Call

Starbucks Ad Sought In-House Lawyer with Experience in “Strike Contingency Planning”

Owners of 3 Fusion Japanese Steakhouse Units Ordered To Pay $1.45M in Wage-Theft Case

Grubhub Sued by Washington, D.C., for Excessive Fees and False Advertising 

Restaurants Are Suing Google for Creating Digital Storefronts Without Their Permission

Lawsuit: Burger King Whoppers Are 35% Smaller Than in Ads

MARKETING/CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Most Retailers Still Struggle To Meet Customer Expectations for Hybrid Shopping

Baskin-Robbins Rebrands with New Logo and Tagline

3 Keys to Successful Lead Generation in a Post-Cookie World

Opinion: American Shoppers Are a Nightmare

CKE Restaurants Launches Loyalty Program for Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s

Hootsuite Publishes “Social Advertising Made Easy” Guide

OPERATIONS

London Burger King Goes Fully Vegan in Trial Run

IHOP Expands Delivery Menu With Pair of Virtual Brands

Major Restaurant Chains Commit To Eliminating “Forever Chemicals”

Supply Chain Woes Hit Hotels

Chick-Fil-A Taps into Biofuel Trend, Turning Fry Oil into Diesel

TECHNOLOGY

Panera To Test AI-Powered Coffee System from Miso Robotics