Surv Franchisor LLC Continues Nationwide Expansion with Franchise Launch in Ogden, Utah: Surv Franchisor LLC announces the signing of a new franchise in Ogden, UT, further expanding its presence in the home services industry and reinforcing its commitment to helping homeowners tackle their everyday to-do lists.
“Becoming a Surv franchisee allows us to run a business that makes a tangible impact” said Brent and Leslie Hadley, the owners of the new Ogden franchise. “That’s what drew us to the brand.”
New Leadership Drives Growth. Surv’s growth is driven by the leadership of newly appointed President David Dunsmuir, an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience at national brands including The Home Depot, Cabinets To Go, Re-Bath, and Lumber Liquidators. Under his guidance, Surv is scaling its franchise network and supporting business-savvy professionals to bring reliable home assistance to their local markets.
Proforma Announces Strategic Expansion of Executive Leadership Team: Proforma is proud to announce the recent expansion of its executive leadership team, including Greg Armstrong, Chief Sales Officer; Jeff Myers, Chief Finance Officer; Brian Roney, Chief Revenue Officer; and Michael Roney, Chief Strategy Officer.
All four leaders have played instrumental roles over the last few months in advancing Proforma's milestone acquisition agreement with Safeguard®. Each of their expanded responsibilities will continue to focus on driving operational alignment, accelerating revenue opportunities, and ensuring a seamless integration process in the coming months.
Greg Armstrong is returning to Proforma’s Support Center Team after stepping away for a few years to serve as President for one of the Network’s largest distributorships, Global Promotional Sourcing.
Potbelly Sandwich Shop Opens Fifth Location in Charlotte: Potbelly will open in Midtown Charlotte on Friday, January 30. Situated within The Metropolitan, the city’s vibrant mixed-use shopping and dining destination, the new shop offers convenient access for local residents, shoppers and workforce to enjoy the brand’s signature warm, toasty sandwiches, wraps, salads and shakes all in a friendly neighborhood atmosphere, for delivery or pick up.
Potbelly franchisee Shak Patel is the owner of this new shop, and five others throughout North Carolina. His Breaking Bread LLC already operates locations in Charlotte, including Uptown, Ballantyne and South Park. With more than two decades of experience in the restaurant industry and a strong record of successful Potbelly operations, Patel and his team continue to positively support the brand’s growth across the state.
“Charlotte has been an incredible market for us and we can’t thank the residents and businesses enough for that. We are thrilled to bring Potbelly to a community hotspot like The Metropolitan,” said Patel. “Each new shop gives us an opportunity to serve our neighbors and introduce more people to the Potbelly experience. Our team is committed to creating a warm, welcoming spot in Midtown where guests can enjoy great food and friendly service, or enjoy it for delivery and pick up.”
Chicken Salad Chick Continues Colorado Momentum, Opening New Restaurant in Greater Denver: Chicken Salad Chick announced today the opening of its eighth restaurant in Colorado, located in Greenwood Village. Built in the Denver Tech Center (DTC) – a premier business, financial and technology hub – the restaurant will celebrate its grand opening on Wednesday, March 4, where the first 100 guests in line will win free chicken salad for a year*.
During the grand opening week, guests can expect to experience the Southern hospitality that Chicken Salad Chick is known for, as well as a community focused mindset with various specials and giveaways.
Chicken Salad Chick of Denver Tech Center is owned and operated by Maureen McFerson with support from her husband, Luke Hadden, and their family. Denver Tech Center marks McFerson’s second restaurant, following the opening of her Littleton Chick in September 2024. Prior to opening her restaurants, McFerson spent most of her career in the food industry, including a decade as an R&D and quality scientist primarily with global pizza chains, and earlier roles at a diner and as a barista. Inspired to pursue franchise ownership – and as a longtime fan of Chicken Salad Chick – she set out to bring the brand’s welcoming environment to her home state.
Venture X Franchise Owners Grow Their Flexible Workspace Portfolio with the Acquisition of Four Locations in Dallas-Fort Worth: Venture X® announced today that multi-unit franchise owners Kevin & Geidre Priddy of Priddy Spaces have acquired four existing flexible workspaces in the Dallas-Fort Worth market and are converting them to Venture X. The Priddys began developing their coworking portfolio with the acquisition of Venture X in West Palm Beach, Florida in 2022 and have since grown it to seven total Venture X and one Office Evolution® open and operating with several more in active development.
The husband-and-wife team acquired their four Dallas-Fort Worth locations from Plano-based landlord Michael Comegys. With Comegys wanting to center his focus on his core business as a commercial landlord, he sought to partner with experienced flex workspace operators who would bring their expertise into the spaces and help them thrive. Formerly branded as CityCentral, the spaces are currently being converted to Venture X and will offer the brand’s signature amenities and hospitality-centric member experience.
FranNet Appoints Amanda Duplantis as President to Lead Next Phase of Growth: FranNet, a franchise consultancy firm, today announced the appointment of Amanda Duplantis as President. Duplantis will lead day-to-day operations and execution across the organization, working closely with FranNet’s leadership team, franchise owners, and Board of Directors.
Duplantis has spent several years in expanding leadership roles at FranNet, most recently serving as Vice President of Technology and Franchisee Relations. During her tenure, she has helped strengthen FranNet’s internal foundation by modernizing systems and processes, optimizing software investments, leading the adoption of new technologies, and introducing AI training and tools across the nationwide consulting network.
“Amanda brings a rare combination of operational rigor, strategic thinking, and steady leadership,” said FranNet CEO Jania Bailey. “Her appointment reflects both the impact she has already made and our confidence in her ability to guide FranNet forward during a pivotal time for our organization and the franchising industry.”
IFA Says Franchise Output in 2026 to Exceed $920 Billion: Economic output from franchises in the United States is continuing its upward trajectory despite persistent challenges in recent years.
In 2025, the output was estimated at $907.2 billion, up from $891.1 billion in 2024. The increase, according to the International Franchise Association’s annual economic report, was aided by inflation easing to 2.7 percent from 2.9 percent. Additionally, wage growth in the labor market stabilized.
Franchises, however, also were met in the last year with a slowdown in consumer spending growth, from 5.7 percent in 2024 to 3.7 percent in 2025, leading to some softer same-store sales and heightened top-line pressure. For the year ahead, with policy stabilization and anticipated Federal Reserve rate cuts, the IFA is projecting the franchise output to grow by 1.6 percent, exceeding $920 billion in 2026.
Wingstop Reports First Same-Store Annual Sales Decline in 22 Years: System sales continue to increase at Wingstop, but same-store domestic sales were down by more than 3 percent in 2025, the chicken wing franchise announced today.
“As we enter 2026, I could not be more excited about what is in front of us here at Wingstop,” CEO Michael Skipworth said on the fourth-quarter earnings call. “Our 2025 results showcased the resiliency of our asset-light, highly franchised model and demonstrated the opportunity we have to scale Wingstop to over 10,000 restaurants globally.”
Wingstop announced its goal of $3 million average unit volumes and 10,000 stores worldwide on its Q4 earnings call for 2024. Skipworth said Wingstop’s new AI-powered kitchen system and its loyalty program are helping drive sales to reach those goals.
Duck Donuts Works to Revitalize Brand Under New CEO: Duck Donuts has a new CEO, a new shared services model and a turnaround strategy it believes will improve the unit economics of the brand and drive franchise growth.
Devon Mailey, who’s been with Duck Donuts for six years and most recently was its chief financial officer, was named CEO in December after serving in an interim capacity. The move came nearly a year after Betsy Hamm resigned as chief executive officer and followed a number of layoffs at the corporate headquarters in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
“When you're a growing brand, there's going to be transition, right? There's going to be, ‘what got us here isn't going to get us there.’ And that was really the philosophy,” said Mailey of the corporate leadership changes.
Eggs Up Grill Extends Texas Growth Push With 5-Unit Deal: Husband and wife Louis and Lisa Jones plan to open their five locations of the breakfast and lunch concept over the next six years as they draw on backgrounds in foodservice. The multi-unit deal for Houston’s western suburbs aligns with Eggs Up Grill’s larger goals for Texas expansion.
Like many, Louis and Lisa Jones spent their teenage years working in restaurants. Once a Domino’s delivery driver, Louis Jones went on to manage seven of the pizza chain’s units in the Houston area. From there, he took on managerial roles at a Bennigan’s and later left the industry to open an auto repair facility. Lisa Jones worked her way up to a front-of-house assistant manager position at a restaurant before turning to a career in property management accounting.
Restaurant management and financial expertise will come in handy for the husband-and-wife duo as they take on their next shared venture: franchise ownership with Eggs Up Grill.
Del Taco closes all its Georgia locations: Del Taco has reportedly exited the state of Georgia. According to several local reports, the chain’s 11 restaurants in the state abruptly closed this week. The chain’s website currently lists 558 locations spanning 18 states. Georgia is no longer included on that list.
The closures come less than a year after Matadoor Restaurant Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, owned by Red Door Brands, operated those Georgia locations, as well as 11 restaurants in Alabama. The chain’s website now lists just one remaining Alabama location, in Huntsville.
In a statement emailed to Nation's Restaurant News, a Del Taco spokesperson said, "We were recently informed that the franchisee operating our Atlanta, Columbus, and Macon, Georgia locations has closed all restaurants in these markets. This closure occurred without prior notice to Del Taco. The franchisee is currently undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, and we are actively exploring options to reopen these locations as soon as possible. Updates will be shared as plans are finalized."
