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| Good Morning Wolf Pack, Today's newsletter covers L&L Hawaiian Barbecue's Canadian debut, Krispy Kreme's 33-shop New York deal, and Crisp & Green's purchase of 33 Mad Greens and Snappy Salads. Enjoy! Was this email forwarded to you? FROM THE WOLF DEN 1) L&L Hawaiian Barbecue Enters Canada With 5-Unit Franchise Agreement L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is crossing the border. The brand will debut in Canada in 2027 through a five-unit franchise agreement with Edmonton-based Edmonton Ice District Ltd. The deal covers the province of Alberta, with the first restaurant planned for Edmonton. Founded in Honolulu in 1952, L&L entered the continental U.S. in 1999 and now operates in 19 states and Japan. It has ranked No. 1 in Entrepreneur's Asian food category every year since 2017, and it is still recruiting franchise partners in California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Idaho and Arizona. CEO Elisia Flores said the deal "reflects our confidence in bringing our aloha spirit and made-to-order comfort food of Hawai'i to new international markets." 2) Krispy Kreme Targets Shop Growth in New York Krispy Kreme signed a franchise development agreement with Original Entrepreneurs LLC to open 33 new shops across the New York metro area over the next five years. Development will span New York City, Long Island and New Jersey. Original Entrepreneurs has been a franchisee since 2017 and runs 12 Krispy Kreme shops in New Jersey and New York today. The deal fits a turnaround plan the chain launched after its McDonald's partnership ended, which centers on refranchising and asset-light growth. Krispy Kreme had 350 locations at the end of 2025, according to Technomic, and its website now lists 361. CEO Josh Charlesworth said the agreement "reflects our focus on capital-light franchise growth." 3) Crisp & Green in 'Acceleration' Mode After Buying All Mad Greens and Snappy Salads Stores From Coors Family Minnesota-based Crisp & Green is buying 33 restaurants from Salad Collective, the restaurant company owned by the Coors family. The deal covers the entire Mad Greens and Snappy Salads systems, which Crisp & Green plans to convert and run as corporate stores. That adds to Colorado and Texas and brings the brand into Arizona, moving it closer to 100 units from its current 54 in 16 states. After pausing new franchise development last year, Crisp & Green says it is renewing those efforts following investments in operations and its supply chain. The Coors family will become a strategic minority partner. Executive Chairman Steele Smiley called it an "acceleration point" and said the layouts were "virtually the same," which made the conversion "a very cost-effective way to add new units quickly." EXTRA SAUCE 💥 Five Iron Golf to Bring Simulators to Restaurants and Other Venues Five Iron Lounge is a new licensing program that lets hotels, bars and restaurants add Five Iron golf bays to their properties. BrewDog is the first partner, planning a Lounge at its Las Vegas brewery. The chain has more than 100 locations and grew sales 26.8% last year, per Technomic. Captain D's Builds Momentum for International Growth as Franchise Interest Expands Across Europe Captain D's is heading back to Europe to meet prospective franchisees, with Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom on the itinerary. Italy has been the most active market, and the seafood chain is also eyeing Madrid, Valencia, Poland and France. It is looking for multi-unit and master franchise partners. Papa Murphy's Signs a Co-Branding Deal With Pinkberry Three franchise agreements will put take-and-bake pizza and premium frozen yogurt under one roof for the first time. The first co-branded shop opens in early November in Sunriver, Oregon. Both brands are owned by MTY Food Group, which says the model shares real estate and labor costs. Shoney's Rides the Comeback of All-You-Can-Eat Dining Shoney's says it is seeing renewed popularity as inflation-stressed diners go looking for value. CEO David Davoudpour says people are asking restaurants to "make every dining dollar count." The legacy brand is leaning on all-you-can-eat as its answer to a new definition of value. Lisa McGill Heads Franchise Development for Jeremiah's Jeremiah's Italian Ice named Lisa McGill vice president of franchise development to drive its national growth strategy. She brings experience from BrandONE Franchise Development, Rolling Suds, Home Franchise Concepts and Wild Birds Unlimited. The Florida-based brand is looking to scale its franchise system. Famous Brands International Welcomes Richard Screnci Famous Brands International, parent of Mrs. Fields and TCBY, appointed Richard Screnci executive director to strengthen franchisee success across both dessert concepts. He previously worked with Restaurant Brands International and Aramark. Screnci says the approach is about "building on something that already has deep consumer trust." Picklr Files for Bankruptcy After Pickleball Franchisor Signs 'Too Many' Lease Guarantees Picklr filed Chapter 11 with about $915K in assets and almost $2.4M in liabilities, more than $783K of it lease guarantees. A franchisee-led investor group is providing $4.5M in financing and is expected to sponsor the reorganization plan. The brand has more than 75 locations and does not expect to close any clubs right away. Premier Martial Arts, Franchise Fastlane Misled Franchise Buyers, FTC Says as Companies Agree to $1.85M Settlement The FTC says more than 200 buyers paid franchise fees of at least $49,500 after hearing they could run profitable locations in under 15 hours a week. The proposed order needs court approval and neither company admitted the allegations. The article calls it the first FTC action against a third-party franchise sales organization. La Madeleine Aims to Renew Franchise Growth Efforts With Midwest Debut La Madeleine signed an eight-unit development deal for Kansas City, spanning Kansas and Missouri over eight years, with the first opening expected late next year. The Groupe Le Duff-owned chain had 86 units and saw 2025 sales fall 10.3% to $176M. A new CEO took over in August. Take a Look at Walk-On's Scaled-Down Restaurant Prototype Walk-On's new prototype cuts the footprint from 7,000 to 8,000 square feet down to 3,500 to 4,000, with development costs as low as $2M. The first one opens in Baton Rouge in early 2027 with 125 seats and a bigger focus on takeout. The brand has nearly 80 locations. Shoot 360 Debuts in Manila as Franchise Demand Drives Global Growth The basketball training brand opened in Quezon City, now with eight international locations across five countries. Japan and the Philippines are each expected to add at least two more within a year. The goal is 200 locations open or in development across Asia by 2030. Scooter's Launches Third-Party Delivery, Revamps Digital Ordering Channels After a DoorDash pilot saw about a 25% order failure rate, Scooter's switched to Olo and had 700 locations live on third-party delivery within 60 days. App ordering moved to Olo too and went live Sept. 15 with over 260 menu items. AI personalization is next on the roadmap. 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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