Franchise Times Magazine

01/07/2026

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is entering a new phase of off-premises growth.

The Louisiana-born sports bar brand launched the first formal catering and boxed lunch program in its 22-year history.

“We didn’t just roll this out in November,” said John Hagen, director of culinary at Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. “There was extensive testing that went on behind the scenes.”

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Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is entering a new phase of off-premises growth.

01/07/2026

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01/06/2026

Dave’s Hot Chicken started in 2017 in a Los Angeles parking lot. Now it’s closing in on 400 stores, and from 2022 to 2024 its unit count grew by 153.9 percent. That surge puts Dave’s at No. 2 on the Fast & Serious list, and co-founder Arman Oganesyan credits organic customer social media posts with powering much of the growth.

Drive-thru coffee brand 7 Brew tops the list with sales growth of 865.4 percent and unit growth of 744.7 percent for the three-year period from 2022 to 2024.

Check out tactics from 40 franchise leaders in this exclusive research project that identifies sustainably growing brands.

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In this exclusive annual Franchise Times Fast & Serious ranking, learn how 40 franchise leaders are driving sustainable growth for their brands.

01/05/2026

Dave's Hot Chicken hit #2 on Franchise Times’ Fast & Serious list! They’ve grown from 102 units in 2022 to over 360 in 2025, thanks to organic TikTok content and their infamous Reaper challenge.

Bill Phelps recently stepped down as CEO, and Jim Bitticks, CFE is stepping into the role, while the founders Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, Thomas Rubenyan, and Gary Rubenyan remain involved. Roark Capital owns a majority stake, and the brand keeps a sharp focus on experienced franchisees and top-notch customer experiences.

01/05/2026

January 2026 cover

01/01/2026

Happy New Year from Franchise Times! 🥂

12/31/2025

Just days before the holiday recess on Capitol Hill, a bill with major franchise implications reached the floor of the United States Senate.

The American Franchise Act, legislation clarifying rules related to joint employer standards, was introduced in the upper chamber by U.S. Sens. Roger Marshall, R-KS, and Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with the Democrats. The legislation is a companion bill to one introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in September.

The joint employer standard is a determination of how much responsibility entities have in relation to labor matters. In the case of franchising, it is used to decide whether two entities, the franchisor and franchisee, share responsibility for violations of the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

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Months after the American Franchise Act was introduced in the United States House of Representatives to provide certainty on the joint employer standard, companion legislation was brought to the upper

12/30/2025

This article is part of "Where Are They Now?"—an ongoing series in which Franchise Times Managing Editor Emilee Wentland and Reporter Alyssa Huglen catch up with emerging brands.

When Namrata Yocom-Jan took over as president for Seniors Helping Seniors in 2020, keeping the brand’s foundation intact was a top priority—especially with her parents being the founders.

Kiran and Philip Yocom launched the in-home senior care concept, which hires seniors as caregivers, in 1998. The brand’s mission combined Kiran Yocom’s love for service—she worked with Mother Teresa for 14 years—with Philip Yocom’s extensive franchise background.

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This article is part of "Where Are They Now?"—an ongoing series in which Franchise Times Managing Editor Emilee Wentland and Reporter Alyssa Huglen catch up with emerging brands.

12/30/2025

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued a Bellingham, Washington-based Little Caesars franchisee this fall, alleging that the operator allowed the harassment of a Black employee.

Target Market Enterprises owns at least nine Little Caesars locations in western Washington, according to the brand’s franchise disclosure document. The EEOC alleges that when an employee—whose name isn’t disclosed in the complaint—used a racial slur against Black people “loud enough to be heard by customers,” the franchisee didn’t properly discipline the employee.

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The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued a Bellingham, Washington-based Little Caesars franchisee this fall, alleging that the operator allowed the harassment of a Black employee.

12/29/2025

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12/29/2025

Franchising was far from David Chang’s mind when he started teaching children’s martial arts from his garage.

A champion martial artist himself, Chang fell in love with the craft as a teenager—even if his parents had other aspirations for him. 🥋

After he retired from competing, Chang pivoted to teaching Wushu out of a home studio in his family’s garage. Seeing the personal impact and increased demand led Chang and his wife, Elizabeth Chang, to open their children’s martial arts business in 2003, Wushu Central’s Kung Fu Kids.

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Franchising was far from David Chang’s mind when he started teaching children’s martial arts from his garage.