Was That Ad Written By A Robot?
Just about every marketer knows the joy of tweaking and testing online ads. But what if artificial intelligence could do it instead?
Business and Finance
Others ‘Create Holes Every Day,’ and PatchMaster Will Fix Them
Raise your hand if you have a hole in your home’s drywall. Yep, Kathleen Kuhn thought so, which is why the president and CEO of HouseMaster launched a new franchise called PatchMaster.
Try, Try Again Is Melt Shop Founder’s Motto
How hard could it be to create the perfect grilled cheese sandwich? Spencer Rubin, founder of the Melt Shop whom I recently met in his New York City flagship store, says it’s far more difficult than you might think.
Hotel Building Spree Continues, Hilton Adds 40 New Hotels
As the current hotel boom approaches the decade mark, there’s no end in sight as most major hoteliers continue adding new rooms, remodeled properties and entirely new builds. Following an impressive first quarter, Hilton—13th on the Franchise Times Top 200+—is opening an average of four properties per week.
More Growth as Code Ninjas Inks 33-unit Deal
A screen of text, brackets and semicolons wasn’t going to hold the attention of kids, even those interested in coding, so David Graham took a different approach in creating his startup franchise, Code Ninjas.
Wendy’s Embraces Vine-ripened Tomatoes
Will the next next battle in the QSR freshness war be over tomatoes? If it is, Wendy’s has quite a lead on the rest of the industry.
Taco Bell ‘Zee Adds 25 More Units
Virginia Beach, Virginia-based Taco Bell franchisee Burgerbusters added 25 units of the quick service Mexican chain to its growing portfolio, bringing its total Taco Bell count up to 142.
A&W Looking Good, Still Growing at 100
Making it to 100 is a gift for anything or anyone, and A&W Restaurants is looking unusually spry as America’s first and oldest restaurant chain approaches the century mark. The food and treats brand expects to open 12 new units this year after adding 15 franchise locations in 2017.
A Notebook Full of Stories from the IFE
When the founders of Cinnaholic got an offer on Shark Tank four years ago, they took the money on the TV show itself but didn’t sign the contract afterward. Why? “Different visions. They didn’t want to franchise,” said Marty Welch about the Shark Tank judges. Welch was one of many engaging individuals exhibiting at the International Franchise Expo in New York City last week.
‘Big Ambitions’ as Harvest Acquires Dwyer Group
One every four months. That’s the number of acquisitions, or 11 in total, the Dwyer Group made since August of 2014 when The Riverside Co. acquired the franchisor. Harvest Partners of New York is the new majority investor, announced June 4.
