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06/08/2026

Bain Capital is buying Gong cha, a bubble tea brand with 2,200 global units and 240 U.S. locations. The chain recently acquired 170 stores from its U.S. master franchisee as part of a shift towards a direct franchising model.

The private equity firm will assume control of a 2,200-unit global chain, with at least 240 stores in the U.S.  

06/08/2026

7 Brew is launching its mobile app and updating its loyalty program. The new changes could help the fast-growing franchisor sustain its sales momentum and unit growth by improving consumer engagement.

The new app could aid the coffee brand’s growth by driving sales and raising the quality and volume of consumer data it collects.

06/08/2026

Dutch Bros is buying the real estate and site assets of 65 of Salad and Go’s units, following the latter’s bankruptcy filing. The beverage chain will convert the small-footprint salad shops into drive-thru focused coffee shops, speeding up its unit development considerably.

The coffee chain will convert units in Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma and Texas as part of its strategy to reach 2,029 units in 2029.

06/08/2026

Salad and Go’s Chapter 11 filing resulted from a range of factors ranging from structural business issues — the chain’s expansion in Texas was too fast and too costly — to extreme contingency — this summer’s cyclosporiasis outbreak hammered efforts to revive sales.

The fast casual chain faced significant expenses following an aggressive expansion. It also suffered from wilting demand and was unable to sell itself prior to filing for Ch. 11.

06/08/2026

Burger King has reclaimed the flame with an 8.5% same-store sales jump in the U.S. in Q2. The chain still has a significant number of remodels to complete, which could provide it a substantial sales tailwind for a while, RBI executives said on the company’s earnings call.

Popeyes, however, continues to face shrinking comps and efforts to improve its core products, value positioning and operations have yet to translate into sales gains. But RBI leadership sees a path out of the wilderness for the chicken chain.

While Burger King’s revival has gained momentum in recent months, Popeyes has continued to struggle despite its turnaround efforts — but RBI has hope for the chicken chain’s sluggish sales.

05/08/2026

Portillo’s is hiring Kevin Kalicak as CFO effective Sept. 7. Kalicak, a long-tenured Darden alum, is succeeding Michelle Hook, who left the hotdog chain earlier this year to take the CFO post at Shake Shack.

Kevin Kalicak, who has spent nearly 30 years at Darden, will join the fast casual chain on Sept. 7, succeeding Michelle Hook.

05/08/2026

Checkers & Rally’s has hired Peter Busse as chief development officer as the burger brands look to recover from a multi-year spell of storecount declines.

Peter Busse, an alumnus of Torchy’s Tacos and Yum Brands, will help the burger brands plot a turnaround after years of shrinking store counts.

05/08/2026

Dave & Busters CFO Darin Harper succeeded Tarun Lal as CEO earlier this week, in the chain’s third CEO succession since 2021.

Darin Harper has moved into the top executive position from CFO, succeeding Tarun Lal, who retired effective Aug. 3.

05/08/2026

The Minnesota Department of Health said 75 Salmonella patients reported eating Chipotle before falling ill, prompting the Mexican fast casual chain to identify and pull a batch of potentially contaminated jalapeños. The Department of Health said it had no further concerns regarding Chipotle, but other infected consumers reported eating at different Mexican chains in the gopher state.

The brand, which has a long history of food safety scares, said its ingredient tracking system identified a batch of peppers that may have been affected.  

Salad and Go will shutter all of its remaining stores this week after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections. The ...
05/08/2026

Salad and Go will shutter all of its remaining stores this week after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections. The fast casual chain faced declining demand from core consumers, with this summer’s cyclosporiasis outbreak undermining its turnaround efforts.

The salad chain said it faced ongoing pressure on consumer demand, including an indirect impact from the Cyclospora outbreak.

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