As 2021 got started, two important events began changing the outlook for the nation’s battered restaurant industry. People started getting vaccines and receiving a new round of $600 government relief checks. Data from the same period shows same-store sales increasing at many chain restaurants, according to the data insight company Black Box Intelligence. That matches…
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No doubt the pandemic has caused stress, financial hardship, and loss across the world. But it’s also brought attention to the good acts people perform in order to help others. Many of those thoughtful deeds took place at Dunkin’ stores across the nation. Whether it has been franchisees, employees or customers performing acts of kindness,…
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It would be hard to think of a tougher year for the restaurant industry than 2020, which saw the coronavirus pandemic turn the world upside down. But as we head into 2021, there is light and hope on the horizon. A slew of new vaccines is rolling out across the country, while the $900 billion…
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The Coffee Café Bakery. It’s a charming, almost quaint, name that belies the state-of-the-art project it represents – a $10 million, highly automated, Centralized Manufacturing Location (CML) being developed in metro Atlanta, and scheduled to open late this year. The Coffee Café Bakery is a subsidiary of a Chunara Food Group (CFG) and ZSC Enterprises…
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As a franchise broker in the San Francisco Bay area, Ellen Hui knows a thing or two about evaluating a good franchise opportunity. She helps potential buyers assess opportunities, get their financial house in order, and understand the big picture of different franchise organizations. She also provides business valuations for retiring franchise owners, helping them…
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Last year roughly 653,000 businesses left California for greener and more business-friendly pastures. More recently, California voters soundly rejected the Proposition 22 ballot initiative, which would have classified app-based drivers as employees instead of independent contractors. This was a direct response to the hotly contested state law known as AB-5, which attempts to codify the…
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There’s a story that many of us in the Association Management profession hear when we first enter the field. It is generally told to underscore the importance of volunteerism and illustrate that associations need to rely on the engagement of their members to ensure their success. It goes like this. There were four people…
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What franchisees should remember about Dunkin’s prior history as a private-equity-owned brand For many, 2020 will be a year to forget. But for the restaurant conglomerate Inspire Brands, it will be a year to remember. Having spent billions to acquire Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins, Inspire has a tall – or Grande – order to fill:…
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There’s a story that many of us in the Association Management profession hear when we first enter the field. It is generally told to underscore the importance of volunteerism and illustrate that associations need to rely on the engagement of their members to ensure their success. It goes like this. There were four people named:…
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Smack in the middle of the COVID-challenged 2020 NFL season, Inspire Brands sealed the deal to acquire Dunkin’ Brands International for the phenomenal price of $11.3 billion. Congratulations to all the players on these two (soon to be one) teams. A new owner is taking over an established and successful franchised brand. What could possibly…
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