Good, Bad, and Other News! – September 2021

Welcome back to our monthly news roundup. It’s a mixed bag these days, with the optimism of summer’s business reopenings dampened by the tidal wave of Covid’s delta variant cases, especially in the South and in states with Republican governors. (No politics here, just going by the numbers!)

But franchising carries on with growth and expansion as it always has, despite all the “anti’s.” Just say yes! 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 6 Ways Businesses Can Turn Covid-19 Uncertainty to Their Advantage Warning of a New Crisis, Restaurant Industry Presses Congress Again for More Aid The Next Frontier for Restaurants’ Off-Premises Growth Full-Service Restaurants Tap into Off-Premises Potential Fast Food Customers Return But Workers Don’t, Triggering Major Changes Restaurant Workers of the Future Need Heightened Digital & People Skills HIRING & EMPLOYMENT How To Bring in Staff During the Worst Labor Shortage in 30 Years What Can Companies Do To Retain Staff? 4 Reasons Workers Are Staying Away from Restaurants & What To Do About It Get Shots or Get Out, U.

S. Employers Tell Workers COMPANY NEWS All-Drive-Thru Brand Dutch Bros Coffee Launches IPO Home Franchise Concepts Acquires Two Maids & A Mop Sweetgreen To Acquire Robotic Restaurant Concept Spyce 126-Unit Playa Bowls Lands Investment Funding To Fuel Growth PrimoHoagies Signs 18 New Franchise Agreements Across 4 States Gong Cha To Debut in Chicagoland with First 5 Corporate-Owned U.S.

Stores Bashas’ Diné Markets To Add Starbucks to Navajo Nation Stores Report: Amazon Plans To Open Its Own Brick & Mortar Department Stores FRANCHISING CARES Darden Donates Refrigerated Trucks to 10 Food Banks in 6 States LEADERSHIP DEI in the C-Suite: Passing the “Vulnerability Test” MARKETING/CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Survey: Shoppers Still Headed to Stores – But Are Taking Precautions Buy Now, Pay Later Consumer Financing Grows Among Younger Buyers Growing Appetite for Ghost Kitchens Will Influence Restaurant Customer Experience Build a Winning CMO–CFO Relationship with Better Marketing Data OOH Ad Spending Fell in the US, but Consumer Time Spent on It Grew Study Indicates Ads Placed in News Media – Especially Print – Outperform Social OPERATIONS Are Virtual Restaurant Brands the New Frontier for Franchising? What Is the Future of Restaurant Delivery?