Good, Bad, and Other News! - August 2021

Welcome back to our monthly news roundup. Talk about “dog days!” After a fairly optimistic start to summer with full reopenings in many states, the surge in Delta variant cases among the unvaccinated has been a huge buzzkill for business and consumer optimism. But franchising carries on with growth and expansion, as it always has, despite all.

Here’s your chance to follow the leaders, 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

SBA To Simplify PPP Loan Forgiveness for Borrowers of $150,000 or Less

5 Ways To Win the Post-Pandemic Franchise Buyer

Wendy’s Inks 700-Unit Ghost Kitchen Deal; Will Build Stores in Walmarts

Alignable’s August “Road to Recovery Report” Shows Most Businesses Expect a Slowdown from the Delta Surge

Restaurant Recovery Was a Slow Go in Q2

Consumer Sentiment Sinks Amid the Delta Variant Spread

47% of SMBs Fear New Government Shutdowns as Delta Variant Surges

Will Gyms Go the Way of Arcades and Movie Rental Stores?

COMPANY NEWS

JAB Merges Panera, Caribou, & Einstein into Panera Brands

Fuddruckers’ New Owner Nicholas Perkins Becomes 1st African American To Own a National Burger Franchise

Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Inks AD Deal for Southwest Florida

Chicken Salad Chick Reports 17 New Locations & 14 Signed Agreements in First Half

New Home-Based Car Buying Concierge, Your Car Buying Advocate, Begins Franchising 

How Crunch Fitness Stayed in Shape During Covid

Curry Up Now Launches Franchise LTO for New Deals Signed Before Sept. 30

HIRING & EMPLOYMENT

Companies Face the Big Work Question: Return to Office… or Not?

Papa John’s Plans 800+ Recruiting Events To Hire 20,000+, Aug. 16–22

Vanguard Offers $1,000 to Each Vaccinated U.S. Employee (16,500!)

Winning the Talent Wars: Recruiting and Retention for the New Hybrid Workplace (Report)

Attracting and Retaining Hourly Employees and Their Managers (Report)

FRANCHISING CARES

Fazoli’s Donates $10,000 to Children of Restaurant Employees

LEGAL

Kazi Foods Wins Six-Figure Verdict Against KFC in Federal Suit on Sales Impact Studies

MARKETING

Zero-Party Data: An Optimal Path to Personalization (White Paper)

Ghost Kitchen Provider Reef Is Launching Its Own Consumer-Facing App

Bojangles Puts Its First Food Truck on the Road

Restaurant Gift Card Sales Are Surging

Inspire Brands, Marriott, & GM Financial Share Their Current Obsession: The Customer

National Customer Foot Traffic Report

How To Incorporate Brand Ambassadors Into Your Influencer Marketing Strategy

OPERATIONS

Pizza Hut Expands Beyond Meat Partnership To Test New Plant-Based Pepperoni

Why Restaurants Are Abandoning Conventional Service Models

TECHNOLOGY

How the Pandemic Accelerated Restaurants’ Digital Transformation

Lessons from Domino’s Focus on Digital – Q&A with New Business Book Author

PEOPLE & MILESTONES

Pokeworks Appoints Restaurant Industry Veteran Steve Heeley as CEO

TCBY Celebrated Its 40th Anniversary with 40-Cent BOGO Offer