#restaurant-expansion

#restaurant-expansion

This was Shake Shack's strongest earnings print in years, and the numbers back it up across nearly every dimension. The EPS beat was extraordinary, the revenue acceleration is real, and management is putting capital to work efficiently: average new Shack build costs fell 20% YoY to under $2M, making unit expansion far more capital-efficient than it once was.

If there's one thing worse than too much of a good thing, it's too little of it. That was the knock on Ha's Snack Bar, which opened last year to such instantaneous acclaim that word spread the proprietors were immediately looking for a larger second location. The Snack Bar was great, but with two dozen seats, most of them not especially comfortable at that, it could be a treat on the palate and a pain in the ass.

José Andrés Group CEO Sam Bakhshandehpour is stepping away from the top role in the company's hospitality and media empire. Andrés tells Washingtonian his longtime friend and board member David Strasser-a managing director in venture capital firm Swan & Legend and former board member of Cava-will become the next CEO. The change is a "good next phase for all!," Andrés says in a text message.

The secret's out: one of Greater Boston's most iconic restaurants is getting a new location in an unexpected spot. Kowloon, the Chinese restaurant in Saugus that has been on the map for more than 75 years now, is expanding to Revere Beach. By the sound of it, the expansion location will be a whole new experience. The Phantom Gourmet broke the news Wednesday morning on social media, with CEO and program host Dave Andelman assuring viewers that it was "not a joke!"

Northwest Londoners will no longer have to travel all the way to Dartmouth Park to grab a slice of their favourite pie, as Yard Sale's latest branch will serve all of East Finchley, Muswell Hill and Hampstead Garden Suburb as well as parts of Highgate, Finchley Central and North Finchley. After opening in Clapton in 2014, Yard Sale quickly became one of the city's best-loved for a Neapolitan-style pie.

"LA's so casual," Sonenshein says. "This is still a casual spot in a lot of ways - you can wear jeans and come in for lunch and whatever - but I think we're treating service really like a craft. We have felt how special it feels as the diner. And I think we started to see this as an opportunity for ourselves."

The explosion of Dave's Hot Chicken will continue in Pinole on Friday, as the franchise opens its 387th store - its 20th in the Bay Area. Gregg Fleury, owner of the Pinole location, opened his first Dave's franchise four years ago, and it was store No. 22. "Now, we're No. 387," he said. "It is insane, the growth of this concept."

The explosion of Dave's Hot Chicken will continue in Pinole on Friday, as the franchise opens its 387th store its 20th in the Bay Area. Gregg Fleury, owner of the Pinole location, opened his first Dave's franchise four years ago, and it was store No. 22. Now, we're No. 387, he said. It is insane, the growth of this concept. Dave's began in 2017 with a parking lot pop-up in East Hollywood.

Jimmy Seidel earned the nickname "Snarf" in college for his ability to snarf down food. He used this reputation as the compass to fuel his Boulder-based restaurant and his mission to make the world's finest sandwich using only first-class ingredients. Made on fresh bread delivered to stores six ways a week, a carefully curated assortment of meats and cheeses are layered and smashed into the bread, ensuring each bite is packed with flavor.

If you're not familiar with Nashville hot chicken, you might wonder: What's the big deal about spicy chicken? Well, while buffalo-style has largely dominated the spicy chicken market in the U.S. for longer than any of us can remember, there's a new fiery, Nashville-born bird in town. And we have Dave's Hot Chicken to thank, in part, for its surge in popularity.

A new barbecue spot arrives in San Jose in a few days, carrying forward a local tradition with Empire Armadillo BBQ & Deli. The restaurant takes over the former Armadillo Willy's space at 878 Blossom Hill Road, with a planned opening on November 20. This marks the second outpost for the concept, following a successful launch in Sunnyvale just over two months ago.

Recently recognized by the MICHELIN Guide with a Bib Gourmand Award, Lewis Barbecue is renowned for its legendary brisket, housemade sausage, and handcrafted smokers. The upcoming 8,276-square-foot space at Salvage Yard, an adaptive reuse project by Grubb Ventures, will feature a 1,625-square-foot outdoor smokehouse, allowing guests to experience the artistry behind its authentic Central Texas barbecue. "We're honored to bring our authentic Central Texas-style barbecue to Raleigh and join such a vibrant community at Salvage Yard," said John Lewis, founder and pitmaster of Lewis Barbecue.

My first taste of the big leagues was when I worked at Mario Batali's restaurant Babbo. Interning at the hottest restaurant in New York at the time was such a formative experience. The signature dish there was beef-cheek ravioli, with a sauce made from crushed squab livers. I had never seen food like that before, and everything about that experience shaped me as both a chef and an entrepreneur.

Not long after Nobu opened its first location, cofounder Drew Nieporent noticed that diners were coming in with special lists. This was decades before the likes of Yelp or TikTok. But some customers had been blogging about their experience on personal websites, sharing posts like "how to order at Nobu." "Guests would come in with printouts of the list, with step-by-step tips to make the most of the meal,

Spain's leading Asian restaurant chain is making serious waves in South Florida's competitive food and beverage landscape. UDON officially opened its doors at Dadeland Mall today, October 20th, marking a pivotal moment in the brand's aggressive U.S. expansion strategy. This isn't just another mall restaurant opening: it's a carefully orchestrated move that builds on the massive success of their Aventura Mall debut earlier this year. For food and beverage professionals watching market trends, UDON's approach offers fascinating insights into how international brands can successfully adapt to American markets while maintaining their authentic identity.

"I envisioned Sailor to be something for the neighborhood where locals could feel at home," Paredes tells Surface. "When Gabe came to me with this new bar space, I knew we had to carry that same feeling forward and let it evolve. I designed the bar to feel like it had always been there with the same patina and ease as if it had aged alongside the original space." Paredes successfully conjures this lived-in vision, buoyed by a comfortable elegance.

But for restaurateur Stephen Starr, this stretch of wooden planks is more than a backdrop for a family summer vacation. It's where he learned how to do business. Starr worked three summers as a teenager in one of the boardwalk shops, thrusting anything he could - T-shirts, trinkets - into tourists' clamoring hands. "I learned everything about business from being on that boardwalk," he said. "You saw the best and the worst of people, the best and worst of yourself. And we worked 14 hours a day, six days a week."

San Jose welcomes yet another new dining spot with Supreme Crab setting up at 625 Coleman Avenue at the Marketcenter. This location, once home to Sweet Tomatoes, now transforms into a haven for seafood lovers. Construction wraps up as the restaurant prepares to open its doors, complete with hiring for staff to serve the community. The addition marks an exciting expansion for the chain, bringing its popular concept further south along the peninsula.

The first thing you notice when you bite into an All'Antico Vinaio sandwich is the crunch as the crispy exterior of the Tuscan bread, the schiacciata, gives way to the soft interior. Next: the simple perfection of Italian ingredients-meats, cheeses, sauces like an earthy truffle cream. It's no wonder a line of 100-plus eager customers stretched half a block down Boylston Street when the first Boston location of the Florence, Italy-based chain opened this past Friday, October 3 in Copley Square.

When Jatin Bunty Grewal moved to California from India in 2018, he found himself disappointed with what he perceived to be a lack of modern Indian food in the Bay Area. There was still a lot of lag in fine dining or the modern definition of food in India, the young India, which was not served here, he said. A supermodel and actor in Bollywood who transitioned into the food industry when he moved to Dublin,

After opening a second outpost of Speedboat Bar in Notting Hill in the summer, Luke Farrell is now gearing up to open another branch of his southern Thai restaurant Plaza Khao Gaeng. The venue, part of the Chaiyo Restaurants group (run by Farrell with JKS Restaurants), is opening in Borough Yards this November, and will follow the same format as the original site in Arcade Food Hall on Tottenham Court Road.

Ryan and restaurant owner Mohamad Al-Zein weren't ready to share every detail, but here's what we do know about Moona 2.0. The concept will be different from day to night. It starts as a cafe, serving breakfast, pastries, and coffee beverages. But by night, it transforms into a convivial dining room with a Levantine-inspired menu that marries staple pantry items from the Levant with New England seasonality.

Following a Campbell opening in August, the Bay Area-founded Square Pie Guys venture is now baking Detroit-style pizzas in Palo Alto. The restaurant credited with introducing San Franciscans to Detroit-style, crispy-edged square pizza is in expansion mode. After this California Avenue opening, the plan is to head to Walnut Creek, founder-owner Marc Schechter has announced. The group opened its first brick-and-mortar in 2019 in SoMa after running a successful pop-up.