News Briefs

Alliants, the customer experience specialists, has appointed Kashif Yamin as SVP of Data & Strategy.

As a commercially astute leader with a deep knowledge of data driven decision making, Kashif is devoted to helping hospitality and travel companies optimise their customer experience and make winning decisions.

He commented: “There has been a massive increase in the amount of data that companies are collecting, but there is still a big gap in terms of their ability to translate that into real insights and actions.”

“Alliants is at the vanguard of closing that gap by improving customer experience and creating better outcomes in terms of customer satisfaction, retention, upselling, and ultimately customer lifetime value through its Alliants Experience Platform and data-rich service capabilities.”

Kashif is returning to Alliants, having previously worked with the customer experience experts as Client Director from 2011 to 2017.

Tristan Gadsby, CEO and co-founder of Alliants, said: “We are thrilled to have Kashif back on board and, in some respects, he’s never been away. In the intervening years, we worked together on the machine learning platform Incisively, which has delivered great results for several hotel clients including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.”

Kashif was the CEO and founder of Incisively Limited and the eCommerce optimisation lead with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, resulting in significant conversion and customer experience gains for the luxury brand.

His career spans marketing, product, operations and commercial functions across a host of travel and hospitality businesses, most recently as Commercial Director of Travel Republic, an Online Travel Agency.

Kashif said: “It’s fantastic to be back at Alliants. It is a business that has developed enormously since I left. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with professionals from hospitality and other sectors and helping them find those next levels of innovation to stand out from the crowd.”

Up and coming QSR  Salad and Go  is expanding in Texas with three new locations opening in February in the Houston markets of Katy, Richmond and League City.

The Katy store located opened February 1, the Richmond location at  is set to open February 17, and the League City store plans to open its doors on February 22. These new locations will mark the start of rapid brand expansion across the Greater Houston area.

These suburbs were strategically selected as ideal markets for Salad and Go as some of the fastest growing communities in the region. Conveniently located in some of Houston's most popular suburbs, the new locations will provide fresh, high-quality meals with quick and easy convenience at an affordable price.

As Salad and Go continues growing its national presence with a strong focus on Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nevada, the brand's expansive growth has it on a positive trajectory to provide fresh and affordable food to communities in more than 125 locations by the end of 2023. Houston is the next step in the brand's expansion across Texas with plans to open additional stores in the market throughout the new year.

Salad and Go's chef-curated menu provides guests with food for any time of the day by offering a variety of delicious and healthy items including salads, wraps, breakfast burritos and soup as well as beverages including hand-crafted lemonades, teas and cold brew coffees.

Salad and Go ensures each meal contains fresh, quality ingredients while keeping prices low by vertically integrating operations and distribution, and sourcing ingredients directly from high-quality local farmers and suppliers whenever possible. The brand's mission to make fresh, nutritious food convenient and affordable for ALL extends beyond its stores and is demonstrated in the work the brand does to donate 4,000 meals every week to those in need, as well as in partnerships with nonprofits to support and fundraise for various worthy causes.

Focus Brands says dual branding is the future of QSR, and the parent company of Auntie Anne’s®, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s, is leading the charge. Today, the Focus Brands portfolio boasts 175-plus open dual branded units with at least 65 more in various stages of development across the country. 

Drive-Thru Convenience

The Focus Brands portfolio brands have signed agreements to open more than 50 dual and tri-brand locations in the coming year, many of which include drive-thrus for added convenience as interest in dual branded franchise opportunities continues to surge.

Flexible Store Formats

Focus Brands is among the brands introducing new store formats, including Krystal, Jack-in-the-Box and Panera Bread, which opened its Panera To Go, solely offering Rapid Pick-Up and Delivery shelves where guests and delivery drivers can easily pick up orders.  

Focus Brands has long pioneered the concept of dual branding, predominately in malls and non-traditional locations with Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon. Now, the company’s portfolio brands have found new opportunities with streetside dual branded units, which is paving the way for immense franchise growth. 

“Dual branding is the future of our brands, especially on the specialty side of the business,” said Brian Krause, Chief Development Officer at Focus Brands. “There will always be a place in malls, but there is an immense amount of growth opportunity in streetside venues, and, by dual branding, there is more opportunity for enhanced revenue.”

The company invested heavily in consumer research to identify how to create combinations of its iconic brands to resonate with consumers and meet them where they want to be met.

Focus Brands has identified four dual-brand concepts:

• Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon
• Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon/Carvel
• Auntie Anne’s/Jamba
• Cinnabon/Carvel – Cinnabon Swirl. 

While key consumer benefits vary by dual-brand combination, one consistent benefit has been convenience. Having these brands together in one location makes them far more accessible than they are individually. This convenience also creates opportunity for franchisees, as co-branding leads to an expansive menu that drives enhanced unit-level volume. 

 

 Ecotrak and Therma, an IoT-powered equipment monitoring and analytics platform, formed a strategic partnership agreement that integrates Therma's Cooling Intelligence Platform with Ecotrak Facility Management Software.

Therma IoT sensors send temperature and humidity data directly into refrigeration and HVAC assets in Ecotrak, triggering real-time emergency alerts and intelligent workflows. Asset runtime hours and downtime events are also tracked and recorded, delivering sensor-driven insights on the lifecycle of the asset.

The collaboration enables Ecotrak and Therma customers to reduce food waste, carbon emissions, plus save time, energy, and maintenance costs.

Meyer Jabara Hotels emerged from the pandemic stronger than ever. The management and ownership group is coming off a record-setting year. To keep the company on this trajectory for financial stability and growth, MJH appointed 30+ year hotel finance veteran Jay Sarkar as Chief Financial Officer.

“In today’s economy, average daily rates and revenues are up; that’s the good news,” said MJH President Justin Jabara. “The bad news is the cost of goods, capital projects, interest, and labor are up too. To keep Meyer Jabara Hotels financially strong and growing, we brought in an expert in hotel finance. Jay is a results-driven, hands-on CFO who is known to develop corporate strategies and translate them into actionable financial plans that maximize profitability and performance. He is a forward-thinking leader with tactile foresight and demonstratable success capitalizing on growth opportunities, improving bottom-line performance, and optimizing organizational efficiencies. We are delighted to bring Jay on board and consider him a trusted advisor and partner to our stakeholders and executive team.”

In addition to managing the accounting processes for Meyer Jabara’s 31 individual hotels, Sarkar is tasked with planning the financial future of the management company. He will be working alongside the Chief Investment Officer, VP of Investments & Asset Management and the VP of Development to get more hotels into the portfolio.  

“While we wait for the economy to stabilize, we will focus on finetuning the finance department and making it a well-oiled, plug-and-play machine,” Sarkar said. “In addition, we will be creating a new reporting process built on accuracy and timeliness to make sure all financial data is consistent across all Meyer Jabara Hotels. Key to financial success will be adding more revenue from the management-company side of the business.”

Longevity in Hospitality

Hospitality is Sarkar’s passion. Prior to joining Meyer Jabara Hotels, Sarkar served as CFO for StepStone Hospitality in Providence, R.I., and prior to that held a CFO post at Alena Hospitality in Orlando. He also held regional controller and numerous finance positions with Pyramid Hotel Group in Oak Brook, Ill.; Adams Mark Hotels in Indianapolis and Northbrook, Ill.; and numerous Starwood Hotels & Resorts in New York. Sarkar is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix and Bachelor in Accounting degree from Mercy College in White Plains, NY.

“It is truly an honor to join a hospitality company whose success comes from 45 years in the hotel business,” Sarkar said. “You don’t see longevity like this in too many industries. The Meyer Jabara name – derived from the partnership of Bill Meyer and Richard Jabara – holds a lot of weight in our industry. I am proud to work for this multi-generational family venture now under the direction of Justin Jabara. The Journey Culture and tutelage behind the Meyer Jabara name is its real strength.”

QSR Krystal recently launched a new franchise website to further attract partners and continue their aggressive growth plans.

The site was developed by Hot Dish, a full-service, Franfocused and BrandFocused ad agency. The new site was built to support a lead conversion strategy and a speed to market approach.

"Krystal has a goal of reaching 500 units in the next few years and our franchise partners play a vital role in this endeavor. We're continually developing ways to better support our partners and to ensure our shared growth and success," said Casey Terrell, Chief Marketing Officer for Krystal Restaurants LLC. "With its more than 90-year history, Krystal has stood the test of time and is a proven concept that offers partners a winning business model. In addition to our legacy that is backed by our unique and highly craveable menu, we offer partners flexible store designs that fit their markets and extensive support from onboarding to opening and beyond to help them achieve their goals."

Industry Vet Moves to Krystal

The new franchise website comes on the heels of recent franchise deals that Krystal has inked with popular celebrities in music, media, and sports, as well as a notable multi-unit deal with seasoned restaurant professional Argus Wiley and his Red Door Foods. The Wiley deal includes the purchase of 21 existing Krystal restaurants and a development deal for 15 new locations. Krystal also recently expanded internationally with the opening of their first Puerto Rico location.

Krystal also recently opened a new U.S. prototype designed with off-prem in mind and has been posting breaking record sales.