Darden Restaurants Awards More Than $1.7 Million in Local Grants to Nearly 900 Nonprofit Organizations in North America
ORLANDO, Fla., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Darden Foundation, the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants Inc., announces it is awarding more than $1.7 million to nearly 900 nonprofit organizations in communities across the U.S.

SUBWAY® Restaurant Chain Continues to "Live Green" With Salad Bowls Made From 95 Percent Recycled Materials
MILFORD, Conn., April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The SUBWAY® restaurant chain, which has made a commitment to make its restaurants and operations more environmentally responsible, is proud to announce that its salad bowls – and lids – are now made from 95 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials; predominately from plastic soda and water bottles. (Photo: ) By using the 95% PCR, the SUBWAY® brand is keeping 2.62 million pounds of plastic from hitting the landfills, which represents about 500,000 gallons, or 10,000 barrels, of petroleum needed to make the plastic bowls and lids. "We have made a commitment to look at everything with an eye towards taking the steps necessary to ...

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Restaurants Celebrate National Hamburger Month Throughout May
ORLANDO, Fla., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- While National Hamburger Month may not be a Federally recognized holiday, it certainly is one that is gaining notoriety amongst burger lovers. It's suggested that each American consumes, on average, 3 hamburgers every week.  With songs, movies, books and more dedicated to the amazing sandwich, it's no wonder the American food staple seems to grow in popularity year after year.  In honor of National Hamburger Month, Jimmy Buffett's restaurants nationwide will be celebrating all things burger throughout the month of May. Margaritaville will offer their guests an array of beefy May specials from weekly specialty burgers created by Margaritaville Chefs across the country to Facebook "Meat-Ups" in ...

Frenchy fries former ballclub
ATLANTA - Jeff Francoeur hit a go-ahead solo home run in the ninth inning off Braves closer Billy Wagner and the New York Mets snapped a two-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Atlanta on Tuesday night.

Economic Health of the Franchise Industry is Stronger Compared to a Year Ago
New Franchise Business Index Shows Sixth Consecutive Monthly Gain WASHINGTON, March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new economic index that provides a current reading of the economic health of the franchise sector-The Franchise Business Index (FBI)-increased 0.3 percent in February to 107.7 (Jan 2000=100) - the sixth consecutive monthly gain, the International Franchise Association announced today.

Consumers Nationwide Helped Alexia Foods and Celebrity Chef Tyler Florence "Reinvent a Classic:" The French Fry
EAGLE, Idaho, April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, Alexia Foods, a line of premium, all-natural side dishes, and Celebrity Chef Tyler Florence invited consumers nationwide to have their culinary opinions heard by voting for the next great french fry flavor in the brand's "Reinvent a Classic" campaign.

Thomas Reprographics Provides MOOYAH Burgers Fries & Shakes with Quality and Consistency in Franchise Materials
DALLAS, April 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomas Reprographics is supporting the expansion of MOOYAH Burgers Fries & Shakes by ensuring consistency and fast delivery of franchise signage and marketing materials for the rapidly growing restaurant.

United Franchise Group Launches New Franchise Company
NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla., April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SuperGreen Solutions, a premium one-stop shop for all your energy efficient needs, announced today its plans to expand nationwide by offering franchise opportunities to qualified candidates.

Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries® Improves Operations and Supports Rapid Franchisee Expansion with MICROS POS and mymicros.net Business Intelligence
COLUMBIA, Md., May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MICROS Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCRS), a leading provider of information technology solutions for the hospitality and retail industries, is pleased to announce that Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries® has selected MICROS as its restaurant technology partner.  Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries® is currently in a rapid growth stage, with contracts for 450+ locations worldwide where MICROS will provide the MICROS Restaurant Enterprise Series (RES) point-of-sale system and the mymicros.net cloud-based reporting and business intelligence platform.  Since 1981, the Maryland-based favorite, Boardwalk Fries®, sister company of Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries®, has served the local community with traditi ...

SUBWAY® Restaurant Chain Recognized As Number One Franchise Opportunity
MILFORD, Conn., May 2, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, the SUBWAY® restaurant chain has been awarded the Number One ranking in the Franchise Direct Top 100 Global Franchises Rankings, which recognized the brand for possessing "a clear business plan, a commitment to training and support, an ability to innovate and sensitivity to environmental issues." (Photo: ) The criteria to rank franchises includes: system size based on numbers of units; sales revenue; stability and growth; and market expansion.

John Barber Joins Global Franchise Group As New Chief Development Officer
ATLANTA, March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Franchise Group, the strategic brand management company, is pleased to introduce its new Chief Development Officer, John Barber. Barber is responsible for overseeing all domestic and international development for the Global Franchise Group family of brands including Great American Cookies®, Marble Slab Creamery®, MaggieMoo's Ice Cream & Treatery®, Pretzelmaker®/Pretzel Time®, and The Athlete's Foot®.

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries Wins 2012 BurgerBusiness Burger Brackets
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C., April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries—the well-known and loved '50s-style restaurant chain formerly known as Andy's, famous throughout North Carolina for its hand-pattied cheeseburgers and fresh-made frozen custard—has won the 2012 BurgerBusiness Burger Brackets. BurgerBusiness.com's third annual March Madness challenge pitted 64 burger brands—representing a mix of big burger chains, small burger chains and indie burger joints—against one another to compete for the title.

SIGNARAMA Supports Veterans With New Initiative Program
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SIGNARAMA, the world's largest full-service sign business, announced today the launch of "SIGNARAMA Salutes Our Veterans," a new initiative that supports returning military members seeking to start a SIGNARAMA franchise.

Mobix is the First to Go Mobile Delivering 11 Basic Car Care Services to Any Location
LAS VEGAS, March 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Mobix Car Services Franchise Inc. today launched the first onsite mobile car care service and mobile detailing company in the United States and Canada. The mobile car care company offers 11 basic car care services, routine maintenance and mobile detailing at any home or office at a time that is convenient for the customer.

RadioShack Recognized for Franchise Quality
FORT WORTH, Texas, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- RadioShack Corp. (NYSE: RSH), a leading national retailer of innovative technology products, services and accessories, recently has been named the top electronics franchise concept and No.