Surf’s Up, Off The Hook Restaurants, The Peach Cobbler Factory, Mike’s Hot Honey and Via 313 Pizzeria lead RestaurantNews.com’s top 20 stories for the week ending August 24, 2024.

1) Chicago-based restaurant chain Surf’s Up opens a new location at Soldier Field
Surf’s Up just opened a new location at Chicago’s Soldier Field, selling its delicious, Southern-inspired jumbo shrimp and Gulf-grown fries. This will be Surf’s Up’s eighth location in Chicago and their first arena location.

2) Peach Cobbler Factory Announces Location #100, Continuing Rapid Expansion
Last year, the rapidly expanding dessert franchisor was named the fastest-growing quick-service restaurant company in America by sales volume and the second-fastest-growing company by number of stores by QSR Magazine.

3) Off The Hook Restaurants Appoints Bailey Richard as New Director of Marketing, Communications and Compliance
With his impressive background in strategic marketing and brand activation, Richard will lead the company’s efforts to enhance its market presence and ensure compliance with industry standards.

4) Mike’s Hot Honey appoints WNBA legend Candace Parker to board
Mike’s Hot Honey, the country’s original and leading hot honey brand, announced the appointment of former WNBA superstar Candace Parker to its board of directors, further reaffirming its commitment to strong corporate leadership and diverse advisory.

5) Via 313 Pizzeria opens its 20th branch, reaches 125,000 regular customers and lands on the Inc. 5000
Via 313 began 13 years ago in a small, nondescript trailer in Austin, Texas. The pizzeria was founded by Detroit-born brothers Brandon and Zane Hunt, who were passionate about sharing the style of pizza the Hunts knew and loved as children. Their name says it all: Via means “by the way” and “313” is the area code for their hometown of Detroit.

6) City Barbeque celebrates 25 years of joy and serves as a service provider
In 1999, Rick Malir founded City Barbeque with the mission of serving the best barbecue around. A quarter of a century later, the brand is still serving and bringing joy to the countless barbecue lovers who come to the restaurants every day.

7) la Madeleine opens its fourth location in El Paso
French-founded and French-owned La Madeleine continues to grow, opening its fourth cafe and bakery in El Paso on Tuesday, August 20, at the Eastlake Marketplace Center. The French cafe was founded in Dallas in 1983 and has since grown to over 80 locations across the United States, each with its own unique charm.

8) Savory Fund’s 6th Annual Restaurantology Summit Covers Growth Strategies, Real Estate, Franchising, Team Mental Health and More
In 2021, South Block founder Amir Mostafavi attended Restaurantology as a motivated operator. At the conference, Savory – a private equity firm that invests in emerging restaurant concepts – presented an “investor scorecard” that allows brands to document their metrics and see where they stand from an investor’s perspective. Mostafavi filled out his scorecard and quickly realized that South Block exceeded the ideal metrics on all fronts.

9) Panera adds flavor with a “Swicy” offering, five irresistible new baked goods and new croissant breakfast sandwiches
Panera is adding even more flavor and variety to menus nationwide with tantalizing new additions to its bakery counter, including a selection of five new baked goods and three brand-new croissant breakfast sandwiches. These additions offer a mix of popular flavors and innovative twists on classic items and are perfect for breakfast or as a sweet treat any time of day.

10) Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ expands in the Northeast and comes to Avon, CT
Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ, one of the fastest growing hot dog and BBQ franchises, is excited to announce the signing of a new franchise agreement in Avon, Connecticut. This expansion to Avon represents a significant milestone in the brand’s continued growth as it brings its unique blend of American classics to new audiences in the Northeast.