Dallas-based Corner Bakery Cafe plans to open at least 47 restaurants in three new markets, including 18 in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, according to a news release. It's part of the eatery's plan to double its footprint in the U.S. over the next four years.

The Business Journal reports the consulting firm wants to add hundreds of new employees to its Minneapolis office. That would make the metro area one of the firm's fastest-growing markets in North America.

The country band is opening its own chain of themed restaurants around the United States and Canada. Rascal Flatts' first location will be in Phoenix. More restaurants are planned for next year, including one in the Twins Cities metro.

The Business Journal reports the Jacksonville, Florida-based eatery has signed an agreement to add 54 locations in the metro within the next seven years. Minnesota's first Firehouse Subs restaurant opened in Maplewood last August.

The California-based retail chain will reopen two of its original six Twin Cities locations -- Bloomington and Roseville -- on Sept. 13, according to a news release. Cost Plus World Market, known for its foods and wines from around the world, announced it was returning to to the metro last month.

The Twin Cities are among metro-area leaders when it comes to planning for the growth of electric vehicles, Midwest Energy News reports. Cities are grappling with questions about where to put charging stations, how to handle zoning and permits, and how to create a consistent experience for users.

AFC Enterprises, Popeyes' Atlanta-based parent company, is planning to buy 14 KFC restaurants from a bankrupt franchisee, a major push for the fried chicken chain that has only one lone location on Lake Street in south Minneapolis. The deal is part of a $13.8 million purchase of 28 restaurants in Minnesota and California. The new locations in a handful of metro cities will be quickly converted once the bid is approved by a judge.