Fast Casual 2012 Top 100 Movers & Shakers

Sponsored by Henny Penny
Tags: Asian, Burger/Steak/BBQ, Business Strategy and Profitability, Ethnic, Food & Beverage, Fresh Mex, Going Green, Italian/Pizza, Sandwich, Soup/Salad
Sponsored by: Henny Penny
Type: Special Report
Overview|Intro | Download

Welcome to the 2012 edition of the FastCasual.com Top 100 Movers & Shakers, sponsored by Henny Penny!

Just as fast casuals change recipes from time to time, so do publishers. This year—our 7th of publishing the Fast Casual Top 100—we decided, as did many of our brands last year, to add
some new flavors t0 our mix.

In the past, the Top 100 focused exclusively on concepts. In so doing, it omitted a range of important factors that contributed to the continued growth of this innovative and rich segment. For this edition, then, our rankings include not only the top brands, but also the people, trends and technologies that contributed most to fast casual.

Our first step was to request nominations from our readers. We received hundreds. Our
panelists pored over the results and set about ranking them.

I am optimistic that the new method provides a better reflection of the segment as a
whole. Just as in business, it takes a full view to understand where the segment has been
and where it’s headed. We hope you believe that our top 100 provides such a view and will
continue to do so as we move into another year filled with success.

Allow me to offer a special thanks to this year’s panelists: Linda Duke, founder of Duke
Marketing; Darren Tristano, executive vicevice president of Technomic; and Kathleen Wood,
founder of Kathleen Wood Partners LLC.
                                                                      

— Valerie Killifer