FlashNews - Chain Expansion Report

January 30, 2006

Chain Expansion Report

California Pizza Kitchen, Domino’s and IHOP were among the companies releasing expansion information.

Bennigan’s opened its first Bennigan’s Express™ in Monterrey, Mexico. The Express concept is a smaller version of the traditional restaurant featuring a condensed menu. The Monterrey location measures 1,500-square-feet and seats 70.

Bob Evans announced the closing of its eight remaining Owens Restaurants in Texas. The company signed an agreement to sell the eight properties, plus two others that previously closed, to The Woodmont Co., of Ft. Worth, Texas, and Commercial Net Lease Realty Inc., of Orlando, Fla. The sale will not affect Owens County Sausage Inc., a subsidiary of Bob Evans.

CPK opened a new location in Northridge, Calif., and Norfolk, Va. The chain now operates 190 stores, including 159 company-owned units.

Creative Eateries Corp. announced plans to open its third Kokopelli Sonoran Grill franchise nationwide on Feb. 9 in Toledo, Ohio. The company plans to open a total of 61 locations, at a rate of one or two every three months, in various states including Michigan, Oregon and Arizona.

On Jan. 26, Domino’s Pizza opened two new stores, one each in Huntley, Ill., and Panama City, bringing the chain‘s systemwide total to 8,000. This includes 5,000 U.S. stores and 3,000 international units.

Einstein Bros. Bagels opened its fourth store in Boca Raton, Fla. The unit measures more than 2,200-square-feet and seats up to 40 customers.

During the next five and a half years, IHOP franchisees have agreed to open 26 restaurants. This includes units in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The company’s goal is to open 377 new locations over the next 11 years.

Papa John’s opened two new locations overseas, one in Seoul, South Korea, and the other in Shanghai, China. The company now has 27 locations in China with plans to create a total of 250 during the next five years.

Taco Del Mar opened its first-ever location in San Francisco on Second Street, and plans to open another in the downtown area in February. The company also opened a restaurant just outside the city in Pleasanton, Calif., and plans to expand by 50 locations in the Bay Area during the next four years. In addition, Taco Del Mar announced plans to open 50 locations throughout Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Okla., and Witchita Falls, Texas, during the next five years.