Commercial Construction & Renovation

Chefs George Ruan and Daniel Boulud have opened an omakase restaurant called Joji in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. The idea for the new concept came from the sushi restaurants in Tokyo’s train halls and each seating’s menu will …

Full-service casual chain Smokey Bones debuted its drive-thru program in June with features including digital menu boards and order confirmation screens and an express lane. Customers can order ahead or at the window and choose from a menu of dishes …

Jack in the Box‘s new Crave store format is designed to highlight the brand’s modernized design and color palette as well as to integrate new technology including double drive-thrus and digital menu boards. Digital orders now generate upwards of 10% …

Ampex Brands has created a new Au Bon Pain store prototype that will debut next year in the Northeast and be the design for future corporate store remodels. The Cafe of the Future format is designed to be bright and …

Restaurant Brands International‘s $1 billion acquisition of Firehouse Subs in November 2021 has created buzz among RBI’s current franchisees as it sets the stage for expansion. RBI spent the past 10 months integrating Firehouse into its financial and technical structure …

South Korea-based Paris Baguette is back in growth mode in the US after a pause on franchise expansion earlier in the pandemic, with plans to add 56 new locations this year. The chain has unveiled a new format that puts …

True Food Kitchen has raised more than $100 million to add new restaurants and launch a smaller-format fast-casual brand. The investment in the 42-unit, Phoenix-based health food concept includes backing from new investor HumanCo, which has previously invested in ice …

Shake Shack‘s first six drive-thru locations generated an average of $80,000 in weekly sales compared to $76,000 across all of the chain’s locations, and the company aims to have as many as 25 drive-thrus up and running by the end …

Three hotels have signed up for Uno Pizzeria & Grill‘s new franchising opportunity, which allows hotels to convert existing space into a Uno unit. The company is also offering a franchise model that mimics the design of the original Uno …

Chicago-based fast-casual and virtual chain Wow Bao has teamed with Automated Retail Technologies to roll out high-tech vending machines designed for nontraditional venues such as hospitals, airports and hotels. The first 50 machines, which prepare refrigerated bao and dumplings to …