---
title: "Good, Bad, and Other News! - August 2021"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/de91c5d3-7787-4826-9235-79e8453ff1aa
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/good_bad_and_other_news__august_2021.html
author: "Eddy Goldberg"
category: "Franchise Industry"
industry: "Franchise Industry"
published: 2021-08-17T09:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:13:28.347Z
image: https://imgs.franchising.com/art/articles/6200_plate.jpg
---

# Good, Bad, and Other News! - August 2021

**TL;DR:** Wendy's has inked a 700-unit ghost kitchen deal and will build stores in Walmarts. Franchising continues to grow and expand despite challenges, with companies like Twin Peaks and Wendy's expanding their presence in the market.

*By Eddy Goldberg, originally published in Franchising.com on 2021-08-17. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/good_bad_and_other_news__august_2021.html).*

## Story

Welcome back to our monthly news roundup. Talk about “dog days!” After a fairly optimistic start to summer with full reopenings in many states, the surge in Delta variant cases among the unvaccinated has been a huge buzzkill for business and consumer optimism.

But franchising carries on with growth and expansion, as it always has, despite all. 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 SBA To Simplify PPP Loan Forgiveness for Borrowers of $150,000 or Less 5 Ways To Win the Post-Pandemic Franchise Buyer Wendy’s Inks 700-Unit Ghost Kitchen Deal; Will Build Stores in Walmarts Alignable’s August “Road to Recovery Report” Shows Most Businesses Expect a Slowdown from the Delta Surge Restaurant Recovery Was a Slow Go in Q2 Consumer Sentiment Sinks Amid the Delta Variant Spread 47% of SMBs Fear New Government Shutdowns as Delta Variant Surges Will Gyms Go the Way of Arcades and Movie Rental Stores? COMPANY NEWS JAB Merges Panera, Caribou, & Einstein into Panera Brands Fuddruckers’ New Owner Nicholas Perkins Becomes 1st African American To Own a National Burger Franchise Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Inks AD Deal for Southwest Florida Chicken Salad Chick Reports 17 New Locations & 14 Signed Agreements in First Half New Home-Based Car Buying Concierge, Your Car Buying Advocate, Begins Franchising How Crunch Fitness Stayed in Shape During Covid Curry Up Now Launches Franchise LTO for New Deals Signed Before Sept. 30 HIRING & EMPLOYMENT Companies Face the Big Work Question: Return to Office… or Not?

Papa John’s Plans 800+ Recruiting Events To Hire 20,000+, Aug. 16–22 Vanguard Offers $1,000 to Each Vaccinated U.S.

Employee (16,500!)

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- unit expansion (topic)
- franchise growth (topic)
- Franchise Industry (sector)
- Wendy's (company)
- Eddy Goldberg (person)
- Papa Johns (company)
- Chicken Salad Chick (company)
- Walmart (company)
- Twin Peaks (company)
- Crunch Fitness (company)
- Happy Joe's (company)

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Originally reported by Eddy Goldberg, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/good_bad_and_other_news__august_2021.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/de91c5d3-7787-4826-9235-79e8453ff1aa).