Good, Bad, and Other News! – September 2021

Welcome back to our monthly news roundup. It’s a mixed bag these days, with the optimism of summer’s business reopenings dampened by the tidal wave of Covid’s delta variant cases, especially in the South and in states with Republican governors. (No politics here, just going by the numbers!) But franchising carries on with growth and expansion as it always has, despite all the “anti’s.” Just say yes!

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

6 Ways Businesses Can Turn Covid-19 Uncertainty to Their Advantage

Warning of a New Crisis, Restaurant Industry Presses Congress Again for More Aid 

The Next Frontier for Restaurants’ Off-Premises Growth

Full-Service Restaurants Tap into Off-Premises Potential

Fast Food Customers Return But Workers Don’t, Triggering Major Changes

Restaurant Workers of the Future Need Heightened Digital & People Skills

HIRING & EMPLOYMENT

How To Bring in Staff During the Worst Labor Shortage in 30 Years

What Can Companies Do To Retain Staff?

4 Reasons Workers Are Staying Away from Restaurants & What To Do About It

Get Shots or Get Out, U.S. Employers Tell Workers

COMPANY NEWS

All-Drive-Thru Brand Dutch Bros Coffee Launches IPO

Home Franchise Concepts Acquires Two Maids & A Mop 

Sweetgreen To Acquire Robotic Restaurant Concept Spyce

126-Unit Playa Bowls Lands Investment Funding To Fuel Growth

PrimoHoagies Signs 18 New Franchise Agreements Across 4 States

Gong Cha To Debut in Chicagoland with First 5 Corporate-Owned U.S. Stores 

Bashas’ Diné Markets To Add Starbucks to Navajo Nation Stores

Report: Amazon Plans To Open Its Own Brick & Mortar Department Stores

FRANCHISING CARES

Darden Donates Refrigerated Trucks to 10 Food Banks in  6 States

LEADERSHIP

DEI in the C-Suite: Passing the “Vulnerability Test”

MARKETING/CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Survey: Shoppers Still Headed to Stores – But Are Taking Precautions

Buy Now, Pay Later Consumer Financing Grows Among Younger Buyers

Growing Appetite for Ghost Kitchens Will Influence Restaurant Customer Experience

Build a Winning CMO–CFO Relationship with Better Marketing Data

OOH Ad Spending Fell in the US, but Consumer Time Spent on It Grew

Study Indicates Ads Placed in News Media – Especially Print – Outperform Social

OPERATIONS

Are Virtual Restaurant Brands the New Frontier for Franchising? 

What Is the Future of Restaurant Delivery?

TECHNOLOGY

A Look at the Future of Restaurant Technology 

PEOPLE & MILESTONES

McDonald’s Taps New Global, US CMOs in Executive Shuffle

Tom Curtis Promoted from COO to President of Burger King Americas