Franchising Weekly Rewind

Starbucks Sales Pass Subway With almost $12.7 billion in U.S. sales in 2014, Starbucks has surpassed Subway, making it the No. 2 restaurant chain in America. It is second only to McDonald’s, which still holds the No. 1 spot with U.S. sales of $35.8 billion. This is according to the “2015 Top 500 Chains Report,” compiled by research firm Technomic. (From USA Today)

Taco Bell Bringing Biscuits to Breakfast Taco Bell will be introducing a new line of Biscuit Tacos to more than 6,000 U.S. stores this week as part of a new morning menu. The Biscuit Tacos are a taco-shaped biscuit that surrounds fillings such as chicken and gravy. This comes as breakfast in the U.S. has grown for four straight years, driving more restaurants to try to get in on the action. (From Bloomberg)

The Melting Pot Creates New Franchisee Financing Program To help with the problem of franchisee retirements, The Melting Pot has developed a financing program to help general managers purchase locations. The Tampa, Fla.-based brand plans to open the franchise up to a larger pool of buyers by putting up as much as 95 percent of the cost to buy locations. The chain is also hoping buyers will reopen locations in Memphis and Chattanooga, Tenn. This program is unique because it focuses on franchise transfer, and sales from one operator to another. (From Nation’s Restaurant News)

Chicken Wing Prices Up 63 Percent During March Madness Restaurant operators are paying about 63 percent more per pound for bone-in chicken wings during the 2015 March Madness tournament than they did in 2014, according to DeWayne Dove, vice president of risk management for restaurant supply chain co-op SpenDifference. In 2014, the average price of a pound of bone-in chicken wings was $1.17, where in 2015 the average price is $1.91 per pound. (From Fast Casual)

BurgerFi Goes International The burger chain BurgerFi has announced its first international development agreement in Mexico City and the surrounding areas. The deal is with EFIT SA DE CV, and includes plans for 40 restaurants to be built in the area in the next five to seven years. The first international location is slated to open in the fall of 2015. (From QSR Magazine)