Franchise Brands See Global Growth, New Investors and AI-Driven Marketing Campaigns
- Jack in the Box took a large loss in its sale of Del Taco to Yadav Enterprises.
- GYMGUYZ has plans for 80 Middle Eastern sites; Layne’s recently awarded licenses for 68 franchises.
- Angry Chickz receives a capital boost from Saratoga Investment Corp.
- All of the elements in new Teriyaki Madness ads were created via artificial intelligence – performers, settings, props, etc.
Jack in the Box Inc. is dealing Del Taco to Yadav Enterprises Inc. for $115 million in cash, with the sale expected to close in January of next year. Jack in the Box plans to use the net proceeds to retire debt, according to a report on BusinessWire.com.
RestaurantBusinessOnline.com reported that Jack in the Box had paid $575 million for the brand in March 2022; at that time, Jack in the Box stated the Mexican fast-food brand had 600 sites in operation. Only 550 sites remain today, and Del Taco’s same-store sales have declined for six straight quarters, Restaurant Business said.
Yadav Enterprises is a major player in the U.S. restaurant industry. It operates more than 310 franchise restaurants including Jack in the Box and Denny’s franchises. Yadav also wholly owns the 150-location Taco Cabana brand and the 90-location Nick the Greek restaurant chain.
Franchise Growth News: GYMGUYZ and Layne’s Expand
Two franchisors have announced large-scale expansion:
- Master franchisee Bait Al Batterjee Group has signed on to develop a minimum of 80 GYMGUYZ territories in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Morocco. The Middle Eastern expansion of GYMGUYZ, which offers in-home and on-site personal training, will begin next year in Saudi Arabia. In a news release, GYMGUYZ founder and CEO Josh York said the master franchisee is “exactly the kind of partner we want as we expand into one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.”
- During the third quarter of 2025, Layne’s Chicken Fingers fast-food franchise inked agreements for a total of 68 units, according to an Oct. 21 news release. Five separate deals comprise the 31-year-old Texas-based brand’s expansion: one for 44 units in West Texas, another eight-unit deal in West Texas, a three-unit agreement marking the brand’s Oregon debut, and 13 additional units in Wisconsin. “The Texas market is now 95% sold out,” Layne’s CEO Garrett Reed said in the news release.
Franchise Investment News: Angry Chickz Expands Nationally
A new franchise investment by Saratoga Investment Corp. will help Angry Chickz’s national growth, Nation’s Restaurant News reported Monday, Oct. 27. The hot chicken franchise currently has 33 restaurants operating in Arizona, California and Texas, according to NRN.com, and 50-plus sites are scheduled to open within the next year.
NRN.com also revealed that Angry Chickz’s average unit volumes were $2.1 million last year, which is more than the AUVs of Popeyes and KFC. The Angry Chickz brand was founded in Los Angeles in 2018.
AI Franchise Marketing News: Teriyaki Madness Innovates
Teriyaki Madness has laid claim to launching the first 100% artificial intelligence-generated ad campaign. QSR Magazine reported that every on-screen performer, physical setting, prop, special effect and voiceover will be AI-produced with help from the Genre.ai creative agency.
The ads are airing already and will run through Dec. 14. Media include Amazon Prime, Bravo, Comedy Central, Disney/Hulu, ESPN, Food Network, Meta, Netflix, YouTube and YouTube TV, iHeart Radio and more, QSR said.
Franchise News Spotlight: Brands That Give Back
Time to applaud two franchises that give back:
- My Salon Suite, a franchise that provides beauty, health and wellness professionals with venues for their services, raised $129,215 for its annual Suite Relief fundraiser on behalf of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The initiative combined donations from its franchisees, vendors, franchising team, service providers and their clients. Since its inception in 2018, Suite Relief has raised more than $946,000 for St. Jude, the franchisor reported.
- Paris Baguette, a café franchise specializing in baked and brewed treats, announced Thursday that it raised more than $200,000 to benefit No Kid Hungry, an organization that fights childhood hunger in the United States. From Aug. 20 – Sept. 30, the restaurants’ guests could round up their tabs in the cafés and online; corporate and franchisee contributions also boosted the fundraising initiative, which was part of Paris Baguette’s Love Baked In program of giving back.
