This could be great news for Los Angeles, or double the hurt: Dunkin' Donuts has (re)announced they plan to double their U.S. locations over the next two decades. But whether any of those locations will be in Dunkin' Donuts-denied Los Angeles remains to be seen. more ›

One doughnut eatery whose fried pastries and coffee are craved by a large portion of the western United States - Dunkin' Donuts - has failed to make an appearance in Los Angeles. But soon-ish withdrawn diners may hold a glazed, jelly-filled wonder in their shaking hands. Or a hearty, ooey gooey breakfast sammie. Or a steaming cup of coffee. more ›

With the Sacramento Kings at "the brink of relocating" to the Honda Center in Anaheim, the Maloof family, team owners since 1999, announced Monday after months of negotiations, that plans to move to Orange County have been "at least temporarily abandoned" because of "opposition to the move by the NBA," notes the OC Register. more ›

Take something weird, make it cult. Take something cult, make it classic. Take something classic, make it a Joss-less pile of potentially flaming poo. Warner Bros and a team of eagerlings are "rebooting" and updating the 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' franchise without Joss Whedon and the original cast, making the new incarnation sound as appealing as the Human Centipede eating its own ass. Or maybe it'll be fantastic. Breath holding begins now. More on Whedon's reaction and the reaction to his reaction available at your local internet. more ›

It comes up all the time in conversation in Los Angeles, especially if you're talking with East Coast ex-pats: Why are there still no Dunkin' Donuts in Los Angeles? The international donut and coffee franchise has zero presence in California (the coffee you can buy at the grocery store doesn't count), which baffles many who swear by their sweets and caffeinated beverages. more ›

Maybe we should move beyond the donut indulging cop stereotype. Amid news of Taco Bell founder Glen W. Bell's death, the LA Weekly finds that the first Taco Bell franchise went to an LAPD officer in 1964. That officer was one of the five motorcycle cops who opened franchises in the 60s. Five more soon got into the business and one of them, a former officer and current reserve, owns 21 Taco Bells. Random Taco Bell Fact: Local Chef (also known for appearing on Top Chef), Stefan Richter, once planted seeds found in a Taco Bell hot sauce packet. Now he has a "beautiful Taco Bell tree full of peppers." more ›

Orange County based Johnny Rockets is launching two mobile food trucks, but you won't find them in California until later. The fast food American fare chain restaurant is taking the mobile truck model and doing it franchise style. "Each mini-burger truck will have a 22 foot kitchen and a 14 foot trailer. Each is designed to provide a condensed Johnny Rockets menu consisting of hamburgers, shakes, fries, hot dogs, chicken tenders and maybe even onion rings," explains the Orange County Register. The first truck will hit the streets in Ashburn, VA, home of the Washington Redskins training facility--Johnny Rocket's parent company RedZone Capital also owns the football team. The second truck will found in... the Middle East. more ›

“He insisted on only the best ingredients,” the franchise's operator Gerald Tanaka said of Don Callendar, who passed away on Wednesday. The Marie Callendar's opened in 1948 when Callender helped his mother Marie take her home-based bakery into a wholesale pie business. "The first pie and coffee shop later opened in 1964 in Orange," Fast Food Maven Nancy Luna wrote. Apparently, Callendar was one of the first in the business to build restaurants via franchising. more ›

When the first wave of the frozen yogurt phenom hit in the mid-80s, this LAister was a Torontonian; that was when and where the newest froyo franchise to hit the City of Angels today was born. YogenFruz started in Toronto in 1986, and has just opened their second LA location in Tarzana. To celebrate, all weekend long the new store will have a "Buy One-Get One Free" promotion going on, so grab a friend and head into the Valley to see what makes YogenFruz different from other frozen yogurt. more ›

Lately we've heard a lot of scuttlebutt on the local and national level about outposts of the hot and heavy-making donut purveyor Krispy Kreme locking their doors for good with little or no notice. Last week, at one of those typical meeting of the minds where baked goods are often set out in the attempt to temporarily appease or possibly numb attendees, the bringer of the Krispy Kremes let us know that this time... more ›