Good News! – December 2020

Back in August 2009 B.C. (Before Covid), deep in the trough of the Great Recession and weary of the daily barrage of “Everything’s going wrong and the world is about to end!”

we began this monthly roundup of what was still going right. Today, Covid-19 has created a new kind of uncertainty — but with a critical difference: everyone is susceptible this time around. No “best practices” or management jujitsu will stop the virus, only slow its spread (or so we hope), until widespread vaccine availability (we hope).

So, in addition to our regular roundup of business growth and change, we’ve added a special section on how businesses are coping with the coronavirus. Sorry, it’s not all good news right now… but you knew that. 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 news here! COPING WITH COVID – REOPENING, RECOVERY, & CLOSINGS What Stays and What Goes in a Post-Covid World Webinar (Dec. 17): Re-Emergence: Decoding Trends that Will Shape the World Beyond the Virus The State of Quick-Service Technology in 2021 (Netsurion) Cheesecake Factory Pays $125,000 Over SEC Covid-Disclosure Charges Chick-fil-A Sues Poultry Suppliers, Alleging Price-Fixing 20 Restaurant Brands that Unveiled New Store Prototypes in 2020 How Automation Is Shaking Up the Kitchen at Restaurants McDonald’s Changes Franchise Fees, Eliminates Happy Meals Subsidy NRA: 10,000 Restaurants Have Closed in the Past 3 Months Nearly 14% of Washington, D.

C. Covid-19 Outbreaks Linked to Restaurants and Bars Should Restaurants Make Covid Vaccinations Mandatory? Nearly Half of U.

S. Workers Say Employers Should Require Covid-19 Vaccines Massachusetts Opts for Different Ways of Making Restaurants Safe Dave & Buster’s Plots Major Ops Changes Amid Continued Pandemic Challenges The Fastest-Growing Brands of 2020 E-Book: 8 Ways To Stay Resilient in the Restaurant and Food Services Industry in the 2020s FINANCE/M&A NRD Capital Raises $47.7 Million FAT Brands Agrees To Merge with Controlling Shareholder Fog Cutter Capital Sun Capital, Friendly’s Owner, Hastens Exit from Restaurants with String of Sales Starbird Chicken Raises $4 Million in Funding NEW UNITS/GROWTH/EXPANSION/NEW & EMERGING BRANDS Orangetheory Expands, Even as Covid Cases Soar Tasty Restaurant Group Adds Another 37 Pizza Huts Salsa Fresca Mexican Grill Preps for Franchise Growth MARKETING Gift Card Giving To Drive Restaurants’ 2020 Holiday Season ANA Blasts Apple’s Newest Move Against Tracking Cookies Pinterest Shares Trend Predictions for 2021 Based on Usage Data FTC Suggests Removing Bad Reviews Might Deceive Consumers Bibibop Asian Grill Offers Entire Month of Bowls for $100, Starting Dec.

22 Dollar General and Dollar Tree Stores Start Moving Upmarket FRANCHISING CARES Denny’s Raises Over $800,000 for No Kid Hungry To Fight Childhood Hunger in the U.S. Domino’s Commits More Than $9.