INDUSTRY NEWS
INDUSTRY NEWS
NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS...
AroundtheIndustry RESTAURANT
KFC KFC debuted its Next-Gen store design last year at a restaurant in Berea, Kentucky and plans to build about 30% of its new stores in one of two Next-Gen models. The updated store designs include an inline model meant for urban locations and drive-thru models designed to facilitate off-premises orders with double drive-thru lanes, a dedicated entrance for digital orders and parking spots for customers and delivery drivers picking up online orders. Smashburger Smashburger opened its first restaurant with a full bar in its hometown of Denver, with items like beer, wine and craft cocktails on the menu. Miller’s Famous Sandwiches Rhode Island eatery Miller’s Famous Sandwiches operated as an independent restaurant for four decades before opening a second location in Massachusetts in 2010. Today, the owners are taking a similarly measured approach to franchising with plans to work with franchisees to open a handful of new locations along the East Coast in the coming years. Portillo’s Portillo’s opened its first drive-thru-only restaurant to help ease crowding at the hot dog chain’s full-service restaurant five miles away, but the new Joliet, Illinois location also appears to be driving new business. In addition to its two traditional drive-thru lanes, the unit features a third for order pickup. Sweetgreen Salad chain Sweetgreen will roll out its first drive-thru location in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg within the next year as part of the brand’s plan to expand beyond its urban locations. Buffalo Wild Wings Inspire Brands-owned Buffalo Wild Wings will open up to 100 new Buffalo Wild Wings GO units this year to feed demand for off-premises dining. The format, which debuted in Atlanta in 2020, is designed primarily for pick-up and delivery orders with features that include a walk-up window and lockers to keep food warm. Dough Zone Dumpling House When the Seattle-based Dough Zone Dumpling House first opened its doors, the original owners envisioned a small mom-and-pop restaurant that would give customers real Chinese cuisine. Today, the brand has eight locations in the Washington/Seattle area, two in California, and two more under renovation in Washington/Seattle and in Portland.
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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 3, 2022
Chipotle Mexican Grill Chipotle Mexican Grill has begun testing Chippy, a tortilla chip-making robot from Miso Robotics, at its R&D headquarters, with plans to roll out the automated technology at a unit in Southern California later this year. The machine, from the company that developed burger-flipping robot Flippy, reportedly turns out chips with slight variations in shape and seasoning to replicate the way they’re prepared by people.
HOSPITALITY
Cartoon Network Hotel The Cartoon Network Hotel in Lancaster, Pennsylvania offers several family-friendly amenities and attractions. The 159-room hotel boasts decorations inspired by six Cartoon Network series, as well as an outdoor and heated indoor pool, a Toon Room with four Powerpuff Yourself stations, an Omnicade arcade with virtual reality experiences, a Bearista Cafe and the Cartoon Kitchen. Great Wolf Lodge A Great Wolf Lodge water park resort is set to open next to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut in 2024 as part of a partnership between Great Wolf Resorts and Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The $300 million resort will house an outdoor pool, a 90,000-squarefoot indoor water park, an interactive adventure park, a family play area, a 550-room hotel and other family-themed amenities. Grand Floridian Resort The Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida is undergoing renovations, including the lobby, a lounge, a restaurant and the spa. The company is converting the look of the property from the Victorian style to a more modern aesthetic. Suburban Studios Choice Hotels International plans a new look and new name for its Suburban Extended Stay franchise brand in pursuit of a growing low-cost extended-stay market. Suburban Studios, which follows Choice’s acquisition of WoodSpring Suites, will have its first opening this summer in suburban Chicago. Pendry Hotels Boutique hotel brand Pendry Hotels is expanding in urban markets with properties that blend locally connected, artsy hipness with luxury touches inherited from parent company Montage. Station Casinos Station Casinos has commenced construction of its long-expected Durango hotel and casino in Las Vegas as it works on others in the area. Construction of the $750 million Durango project is expected to take 18 to 24 months.
