Franchising's Weekly Rewind

Papa John’s Sales are now over half digital Pizza-maker Papa John’s has announces that its digital and mobile channels now account for more than 50 percent of its total U.S. sales. This has positioned Papa John’s as the first in the industry to surpass this milestone. In addition to hitting this milestone, Papa John’s has also announced that customers can now pay with Google Wallet Instant Buy through the Android App. (From Entrepreneur) Edible Arrangements’ Founder Launches Tech Company Founder and CEO of Edible Arrangements, Tariq Farid, launched Naranga a new technology company this week. Naranga has been positioned as a software solution designed to help franchise companies and small business take advantage of emerging technologies. Farid acquired franchise solutions provider eMaximation earlier this year; he expanded the products and services and rebranded under the new name Naranga. (From FastCasual.com) McDonald’s Expands Custom Sandwich Option McDonald’s has announced plans to expand their “Create Your Taste” test platform to 2,000 U.S. locations in 2015. The Create Your Taste allows customers to skip the counter and use tablet-like kiosks to order and customize their burgers from buns, to cheese and sauces and more. This started as a test in four Southern California stores, and it’s now immediately expanding to 30 more locations in five states. This comes after the brand has seen a decline in same-store sales, falling stock prices and a shrinking base of younger fans. (From USA Today) Dunkin’ is Going Green Dunkin’ Donuts has announced the launch of their new initiative, DD Green. This is a green building certification program that will help franchisees build sustainable, energy-efficient restaurants. The company has plans to build 100 new Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants with a DD Green certificate by the end of 2016. (From QSR Magazine) Chick-fil-A is Rolling Out Mobile Payments The Atlanta-based quick-serve brand, Chick-fil-A has rolled out mobile payments nationwide. The company has also expanded their mobile order-ahead option to 130 locations. The company is expecting customers to be able to order and pay ahead of time using their smartphones system-wide by the end of 2016. (From Nation’s Restaurant News)