Creative Consumer Concepts (C3), a restaurant industry brand marketing agency, has developed a line of promotional toys for a December DVD release in Blockbuster locations in Mexico. Read entire article at: http://www.playthings.com/article/CA6393630.html

Burger King plans to open at least 400 stores worldwide in 2007. One fourth of these locations will open in the US and Canada. (Crain’s Chicago Business: 09/2006)

Chipotle currently has a “30 Seconds of Fame” video contest for college students at select universities. The student producers are competing towards a US$ 10,000 price and airtime of their ad on Chipotle’s website. The student’s school would also receive a US$ 10,000 price. (YouTube and Google release)

California Pizza Kitchen has launched its first unit in Tokyo, Japan. (Foodservice Equipment & Supplies 10/2006)

Domino’s Pizza Delivers 8,000th store. The chain of pizza has opened an average of 240 stores annually in the past five years. Domino’s currently has 5,000 stores in the US and 3,000 internationally. (Domino’s website)

Yum! Brands plans an aggressive expansion of up to 14,000 Taco Bell locations in mainland China. This follows the company’s earlier announcement that they would open 2,000 Pizza Huts and various other chains in China. (BusinessWeek 10/2006)

Pollo Campero opened its first location in Spain, where it hopes to open 50 units by 2010. The Central American chain was successful and launching their brand in the US several years ago and hopes to be equally successful in Indonesia and China. (Foodservice Equipment Reports Magazine 10/2006)

McDonald’s plans to convert 1,500 corporate stores in 15-20 countries into franchises, over the next 36 months. The company will sell 307 restaurants in Brazil to investors and independent owners. (Crain’s Chicago Business 9/2006)

Pizza Inn entered into an agreement with Productos y Servicios de Restaurantes to open 16 stores in Guatemala over the next five years. The Guatemalan company plants to open units in Guatemala City and throughout the country. (NRN Daily NewsFax (10/2006)