Franchise News
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1851 Franchising Weekly Rewind
Check out the hottest franchising headlines from the past week.

Franchise News
SPONSORED
Check out the hottest franchising headlines from the past week.

Judge Rejects Request to Block Seattle’s Minimum Wage Law for Franchises
U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones has rejected a request from franchises to block part of Seattle’s minimum wage law from taking effect next month. This ruling means locally owned franchises are on the same fast track as large employers for paying workers $15 an hour in the next two to three years. The judge said the franchise owners and industry association didn’t show that the city was intending to discriminate against them.
Playing Chicken at Popeye’s
Popeye’s introduced the new Red Stick Chicken with a virtual staring contest featuring a lifelike chicken. The brand is launching its first mobile app, Red Stick Staredown, which features facial recognition technology created by Mithun. The game asks user to stare at a virtual chicken without blinking, turning their heads or scratching for a chance to win. The game doesn’t offer prizes, but the scores are shareable on social.
South LA Fast Food Ban Hasn’t Cut Obesity
Seven years ago, South L.A. made headlines by banning new fast food restaurants from moving into the area. This was an attempt to reduce obesity in the region. A new study has found the effort has not accomplished its goal. A report released by A Rand Corp. says that from 2007 to 2012, the percentage of people who are overweight or obese increased everywhere in L.A., and fast food consumption went up in South L.A., as well as across the entire country.
Culver’s Goes Gluten-Free
According to Culver’s restaurants, the chain will be adding a new gluten-free bun to their menu. The new bun will be available at all Culver’s locations by the end of March. This will allow customers with gluten intolerance and those who want to cut down on their gluten intake to enjoy Culver’s staples like ButterBurgers and Grilled Chicken Sandwiches.
Win $1 Million from Pizza Hut
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust pizza, Pizza Hut is offering Americans the chance to win $1 million dollars by making a half-court shot —backwards. The pizza company will hold a live event on Sunday, April 5, 2015, where four fans will attempt to win $1 million by making a backwards half-court shot. Fans can enter to compete by signing up at www.stuffedcrustshot.com by March 29.
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About the Author
Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.