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| Good Morning Wolf Pack, Today's newsletter covers Red Robin closing an $89.4 million refranchising deal, FG Brands opening the franchise industry's first dual-concept beauty studio, and Firehouse Subs opening its 200th restaurant in Canada. Enjoy! Was this email forwarded to you? FROM THE WOLF DEN 1) Firehouse Subs Opens Its 200th Restaurant in Canada Firehouse Subs just doubled its Canadian footprint in under two years. The firefighter-founded sub brand opened its 200th Canadian restaurant in Calgary, Alberta, which is cool a full-circle moment, since Alberta was also home to the chain's 100th location. Franchisee Cody Gosling, who brought Firehouse Subs to Alberta with his first restaurant in Okotoks, owns and operates the new location, which is his sixth with the brand. As part of the opening, Firehouse Subs is donating $54,389 to the local Redwood Meadows Fire Station to help replace equipment lost in a 2025 station fire. "We're so proud to open our 200th restaurant in Canada," said Mike Hancock, President of Firehouse Subs. "Nobody makes a hot sub better than we do, and we love bringing our sandwiches to new communities." Across Canada, the brand's Public Safety Foundation has funded more than $6.3 million in lifesaving equipment for first responders. 2) FG Brands Debuts the Franchise Industry's First Dual-Concept Beauty Studio FG Brands just opened what it's calling a first for the beauty and wellness franchise world. The company remodeled its Bare&Sol studio in Birmingham's Mountain Brook community, adding facial collective as a co-located sister brand under the same roof and lease. The result is a single location now serving more than 1,000 members across both brands, with a meaningful share holding memberships in both. FG Brands is positioning Birmingham as proof of concept before rolling the model out to prospective franchisees nationwide. "Birmingham shows exactly what we set out to build with this dual-concept model," said Jan Zalud, CEO of FG Brands. "Each brand stays independent... franchisees get two focused, proven businesses instead of one that's spread thin. We're excited to offer this same opportunity to franchisees across the country." 3) Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Completes $89.4 Million Sale of 108 Restaurants Red Robin just handed off more than 100 restaurants in one of the biggest ownership shakeups in casual dining this year. The chain closed the substantial majority of its refranchising transactions, selling 108 company-owned units across three separate deals for roughly $89.4 million in gross proceeds. Op Burgers picked up 69 restaurants across eight states for $62.5 million, Kuber LLC took 17 units in Oregon and Washington for $10 million, and Evergreen Dining LLC acquired 30 restaurants in Washington and Western Idaho for $23.5 million. Eight more locations are expected to close by the end of Red Robin's fiscal year, pending liquor license transfers, pushing the total haul to about $96 million. "Our talented team has made incredible progress in the execution of our First Choice Plan over the past year, and the completion of these refranchising agreements is a critical next step in strengthening our balance sheet as we position our business for sustainable, long-term growth," said Dave Pace, President and CEO of Red Robin. The company plans to use the proceeds to pay down debt and reinvest in restaurants and technology. EXTRA SAUCE 💥 Zaxby's Brings Its Signature Chicken to Paris, Tennessee The new sit-down restaurant on Mineral Wells Avenue, opening September 8, marks the first Zaxby's in Henry County and the brand's 13th in Tennessee, complete with a two-lane drive-thru and seating for 56. Replay Sports Cards Signs Franchise Agreement to Open in Greenville, North Carolina Father-son duo Jim and Jake Whitehurst, whose own collecting roots trace back to Jake's childhood, signed on to bring the modern card-shop concept to Greenville before year's end, extending Replay's footprint into the eastern half of its home state. Mountain Mike's Pizza Expands Central Texas Presence With Georgetown Opening The new restaurant marks the nearly 300-unit West Coast pizza chain's 17th location in Texas as it continues pushing east from its Bay Area roots. The Flying Biscuit Café Signs Franchise Agreement to Bring All-Day Breakfast to McDonough, Georgia Franchisee Keisha Carter is bringing the Atlanta-born brunch brand to McDonough and the surrounding Henry County market, growing its footprint across its home state. Evergreens Launches Franchise Program Across 12 Western States The Seattle-born salad, wrap and bowl chain, which spent over a decade refining a no-cook, no-exhaust-hood operating model across 14 company-owned restaurants, is now dangling reduced royalty rates for franchisees who sign development agreements by year's end. Chicken Salad Chick to Open First Restaurant in West Virginia The Barboursville opening marks the fast-casual chicken salad brand's first location in the Mountain State and expands its footprint to 26 states. Moe's Southwest Grill Opens First Brick-and-Mortar Location in the Twin Cities Franchisee Satnam Dhillon, who discovered the brand while traveling for work, opened the new Woodbury restaurant as Moe's first traditional location in the market beyond its longstanding counter at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. Angry Chickz Sets Its Sights on Aurora With First Midwest Location The Illinois debut marks the Nashville hot chicken brand's 46th location nationwide, following a recent East Coast opening in Kingston, Pennsylvania, as it builds out a foothold in the Midwest. Hounds Town USA Brings Pack-Play Doggy Daycare Model to Cherry Hill-Woodcrest, NJ Owners Lourdes and Kevin Vandvelt, alongside co-owner and veterinary-field veteran Jen Seroka, are bringing the pack-play daycare and boarding model to South Jersey, with plans to partner with local animal-rescue organizations. K9 Resorts Targets New England for Continued Franchise Expansion With top-performing locations generating average unit volumes north of $2.8 million, the luxury pet hotel brand is prioritizing New England and Sun Belt markets like Boston, Phoenix and Dallas for its next wave of growth. Another Nine Expands Across North Carolina After Selling Out Charlotte Market After selling out a 12-location build-out across greater Charlotte just months after its first franchise opened in Cornelius, the 24/7 indoor golf simulator brand is now offering territories in 14 additional cities, from Asheville to Wilmington. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams Names Ben & Jerry's Veteran Dave Stever as CEO Stever, who spent his entire career at Ben & Jerry's helping it grow from roughly $50 million to over $1 billion in sales, is now leading Jeni's first push into franchising, with its debut location having opened in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this past July. WOLF BITES
That’s it for this edition of The Wolf Report. Feel free to reply with any questions or feedback. Thanks and see you Thursday! — The Wolf | ||||
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