Franchising's Weekly Rewind

Rock Lobster New York-based Luke’s Lobster has made a name for the brand and is expanding up and down the I-95 corridor. Luke’s Lobster is a seafood startup with a father-son team behind it, serving premium products at an elevated price point. The best seller at Luke’s Lobster is the lobster roll, which is being offered as a permanent menu item at a growing chain for the first time in recent memory. (QSR Magazine) Yum! Tries Bahm Mi Yum! Brands Inc. will open the first of two Vietnamese-inspired fast-casual sandwich shops. The new Bahn Shop will open in the Dallas area. It will serve bahn mi sandwiches. In addition to Bahn Shop, Yum, the parent company of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, has been testing many new restaurant concepts this year, including Super Chix in Texas and U.S. Taco Co. in California. (Nation’s Restaurant News) Penn State Chipotle Shuts Down After Walkout On Wednesday Sept. 10, 2014, managers at the Chipotle near Pennsylvania State University quit over reportedly brutal working conditions and understaffing. The former employees left a sign on the door pointing at their working conditions for the cause of the closure. The restaurant re-opened at 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold. This walkout came a week after fast-food workers protested in several cities around the country for higher wages. (The Huffington Post) Wingstop Names a New COO Bill Engen has just been named the chief operating officer of Wingstop Restaurants Inc. Before being named COO, Engen was previously an executive with 7-Eleven Inc. and Circuit City Inc. Engan will be replacing Bill Knight, who is retiring from the Wingstop team after 11 years. (Fast Casual)