Franchise Updates: Dunkin’, Ford’s Garage and Swig

* Foodtastic (Montreal) has signed a master franchising agreement with Inspire Brands (Atlanta) to open hundreds of its Dunkin’ locations across Canada. The pact gives Foodtastic (operator of 1200 restaurants for 27 brands across the country) exclusive rights to develop the doughnut brand nationally through both corporate and franchise-operated locations, the companies said in a news release.

The first such locales, in Toronto and/or Montreal, are slated to open by early 2027 at the latest. That will mark Dunkin’s return to Canada, after exiting the market in 2018 due to strong competition from the homegrown Tim Hortons chain, frayed franchisee relationships and low profitability, a variety of publications report.

* Ford’s Garage (Tampa), the 1920s-era service station-themed burger and craft beer restaurant chain, has signed a three-unit development agreement with Carson’s Garage LLC to open the brand’s first locations in Delaware. The pact includes new restaurants in Kent and Sussex counties, with the first location expected to open in Millsboro in early 2027.

Carson’s Garage owners include Preston Automotive Group, whose holdings include a Ford dealership, and 23 Restaurant Group/Operating Partners, which owns and operates several other Ford’s Garage locations. Since its launch in 2012, that concept has grown to 34 locations in eight states.

* Swig (St. George, Utah) has inked a multi-unit franchise pact with the father-and-son team of veteran restauranteurs Alex and Alan Knox to bring 10 units of the “dirty soda” concept to Colorado Springs. The deal marks the beverage-centered drive-thru concept’s entry into Colorado, with the first location slated to debut by the end of this year. The 16-year-old brand has 150-plus locations in 16 states.