Franchising Weekly Rewind: Top Stories

U.S. Adds 15,600 Franchise Jobs in April According to the latest ADP National Franchise Report, the private-sector added 15,580 jobs in April, which is a 0.2 percent increase from the previous month. This has been the lowest level of job growth since July 2014. Auto parts and dealer franchise jobs rose by 20,190, and contributed to the biggest gains in the franchise industry. In April, restaurant franchise jobs dropped by 0.3 percent. (From CNBC)

Panera to Ditch 150 Food Additives by 2016 Panera Bread announced this week it would be removing more than 150 food additives from its menu by the end of 2016. The company will be removing artificial colors, preservatives, monosodium gluatamate and other additives. This announcement is in line with other brands like Hershey, Nestle and Kraft eliminating or cutting back on additives in their products. (From NPR)

McDonald’s to Focus on Franchises In a recent video, McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook outlined the future of the Golden Arches. After a poor first quarter earnings report, the brand will be closing 220 restaurants worldwide. The company plans to focus more on quality products and less on Millennials. The fast food giant is also including franchising in its vision for the future, planning to have 90 percent of its restaurants from around the world franchised in the next four years. (From Eater)

Wingstop files IPO Fast-casual chain Wingstop is the latest brand* to propose an initial public offering of its common stock. The brand is not commenting on the process or numbers of shares it will put up, but the offering will consist of common stock from stockholders and Wingstop. The company has applied to list its common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “WING.” (From Fast Casual)

Sonic Adds 18 LTO Ice Cream Flavors Ice cream is getting an upgrade at Sonic Drive-In. The brand announced 18 new Master Blast flavors that go beyond the usual ice cream and candy concoctions. The Master Blast flavors include dried fruit, cookies and premium candy and are hand mixed with Sonic’s real ice cream. The Master Blast flavors, including Waffleberry Brownies and Malted Brownie Bliss, will only be available for a limited time. (From QSR Magazine)