by Teresa Buyikian
Source: www.mediapost.com, April 2024
Purple desserts, chicken salad and pizza head this week’s roundup.
Locations
Chicken Salad Chick, the fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced this week it is opening a fourth Louisville-area restaurant in St. Matthews, KY. The new location features a large private dining room and patio, and is owned and operated by Karen and Jon Riddle, who began with the company four years ago with their first location in Jeffersonville, IN. The chain also announced it is opening its first company-owned location with a drive-thru in Aiken, SC.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers has opened its newest location in Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, MI, adding to its existing four restaurants in the market. This is Freddy’s second airport location, having debuted the first airport unit in Oklahoma City in 2022. The chain also plans to open a location in the Salt Lake City International Airport by year-end.
Stoner’s Pizza Joint, a quick-service pizza franchise, announced this week that it will be opening three new franchised stores in the Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and St. Augustine Florida markets. The new stores are anticipated to be open in May 2024. All of the new locations will offer dine-in, take-out and full delivery. The brand has set an expansion goal of 100 units by the end of 2025, according to the announcement.
Menus
Jollibee is bringing back a customer favorite dessert and introducing two new chicken sandwiches to its menu for a limited time. The unmistakable vibrant purple hue and sweet, mild flavor of Ube, popular in Southeast Asia, is back in the handheld Ube Pie. The chain’s new Bacon and Cheese Chicken Sandwich contains a breaded chicken breast fillet, umami mayo and brioche bun, with bacon and melted cheese. Jollibee also launched the Aloha Chicken Sandwich, which adds Aloha dressing and a grilled pineapple ring along with bacon and lettuce to the chicken sandwich.
Mountain Mike’s Pizza announced this week it will sponsor Angels Baseball for a third consecutive season. The chain will bring back its popular Shutout Challenge throughout the 2024 regular season. Every time the Angels shut out an opponent, Mountain Rewards app members will win a free mini one-topping pizza the following day at any of Mountain Mike’s locations throughout Orange County and the Inland Empire in Southern California.
Texas de Brazil, the Brazilian steakhouse chain, has added two new dishes to its seasonal limited-time-only menu. The Alcatra Top Sirloin is prepared over an open flame and seasoned with salt. For seafood lovers, the restaurant has added the Moqueca de Peixe, a Brazilian stew of whitefish in a coconut milk-based sauce with herbs and spices. Both the Alcatra Top Sirloin and Moqueca de Peixe are available during dinner hours until June 30.