Good (and Other) News! – May 2021

Welcome back to our monthly news roundup. We’ve added a note of realism, calling it “Good (and Other) News!,” to reflect the ongoing effects of the pandemic on franchising – and now, with vaccines becoming more widespread every day, a glimmer of optimism.

So in addition to our regular grab bag of news about business growth and change, we’re leading with our section on how businesses are beginning to get comfortable with the idea of a post-Covid recovery. Here’s your chance to follow the leaders, every third Tuesday of the month! And if you’re not doing it already, send us your good (and other) news here!

POST–COVID: REOPENING & RECOVERY New York Plans To Drop Most Restaurant Restrictions on May 19 Dunkin’ Has Reopened 2,600+ Dining Rooms, Plans More Americans Paying Off Credit Cards at Fastest Rates in Years More Borrowers Late on Mortgages than Since the Great Recession Survey: 8 in 10 North American Execs Are Prepping for a Future Pandemic DoorDash Allows Restaurants To Choose Commissions in a Post-Pandemic Future Yelp: Q1 Restaurant & Food Openings Up 5% YOY 4 Key Ingredients for Restaurant Success in a Post-Pandemic Era A Recipe for Building Restaurants Back Stronger and Better Chicken Shortage Sends Prices Soaring; Restaurants Can’t Keep Up Subscription Models Grew in 2020 with More Growth Expected HIRING & EMPLOYMENT It’s Not a Labor Shortage, It’s a Great Reassessment of Work in the U.S. Navigating the Labor Shortage in a Recovering Restaurant Industry Why the Hiring Crisis Is a Moment of Reckoning for Restaurants KFC Looks To Hire 20,000 Following a Strong Q1 Taco John’s Seeks 6,000+ Team Members Following Strong Sales and Growth Ledo Pizza Seeks More Than 1,000 Team Members Following Rapid Growth FINANCE/M&A SBA Announces PPP Funds Are Exhausted How To Apply for a Restaurant Revitalization Fund Grant Employee Retention Tax Credit for Small Businesses Extended to Dec.

31 $29B Restaurant Revitalization Fund Could Run Out of Money Quickly SBA Already Has Received 186,200 Restaurant Revitalization Fund Applications COMPANY NEWS White Castle Opens in Florida After 50 Years to Massive Lines Krispy Kreme Prepares To Go Public Again Bojangles & Chaac Foods Restaurants Announce 80-Unit Development Agreement Slim Chickens Inks 30-Unit Deal for NC, SC, VA Rita’s Italian Ice Expects To Sign at Least 90 Franchise Sales Deals in 2021 Papa John’s Q1 Revenues Rise 24.9% Steak ‘N Shake, Zurich Unit Agree To End Virus Coverage Suit Pepsi Launches Pep’s Place, a Virtual Restaurant with Famous Dave’s Noodles & Company Sees Early Progress Toward Major Growth Objectives LEADERSHIP 5 Things Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Can Do To Retain Remote Workers NRN’s 50 Most Influential Women In Foodservice TECHNOLOGY The Digitized Future Is Here FRANCHISING CARES Panda Express Launches $10 Million Program To Uplift Diverse Groups OPERATIONS Dog Haus Expands Its Virtual Brand Presence in California MARKETING Global Omni-Channel Benchmarks Report (Innovid) Per-Advertiser CTV Spend Up 22% in 2020: 35% Expect To Increase CTV in 2021 How Apple’s iOS 14.