Revealed: The 2026 Top 30 Movers & Shakers: Catering

In 2026, catering has become one of the fastest-growing engines of brand loyalty and scale in the restaurant industry, and a new class of leaders is rewriting the playbook for what off-premise dining can be.

How Sankranti built its own fast-casual Indian food playbook

Srinivasa “Nimms” Nimmagadda and his team spent years developing a fast-casual Indian food concept playbook through Sankranti Indian Kitchen. Now the company is ready to grow.

Nominations are open: Is your fast casual brand one to watch in 2027?

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Nominations close Oct. 5, 2026.

Restaurant traffic moderates in late August, fast-casual chains still outperform

Sweetgreen posted the strongest fast-casual performance among major chains, with visits 5.9% above its typical weekly average. Chopt visits fell 9.6% below average, Panera Bread was down 3.3%.

Accuracy is the New Loyalty

Order accuracy directly impacts restaurant profitability, customer trust and repeat business. In this webinar, Star Micronics explores where costly errors happen and how smarter labeling can improve item identification, modifiers, handoff, catering, food safety and traceability while working alongside POS and KDS platforms.

How Penn Station is winning over Gen Z without discounting

Penn Station President Lance Vaught and Curion's Thomas Gilbert join Fast Casual Nation to break down how the 40-year-old sandwich brand is winning over Gen Z customers and employees through local authenticity, digital training, AI-driven personalization and a rejection of old-school discount marketing.

Mountain Mike's Pizza

For over 45 years, Mountain Mike’s Pizza, a leading family-style pizza chain known for its legendary crispy, curly pepperonis and Mountain-sized pizzas, has been quietly building one of the largest regional pizza franchises in the West. Today we're developing coast-to-coast with 300+ restaurants, and we're primed for explosive growth nationwide

Top 30 Movers & Shakers in Catering 2026

This annual initiative shines a spotlight on the visionary leaders, innovators, and brands redefining off-premise dining. From pioneering game-changing operational strategies and overhauling kitchen logistics to introducing bold menu lines and smart fulfillment technology, this year’s honorees represent the very best in industry excellence.

2026 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers

Welcome to the 2026 edition of the Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers. Each year, this report serves as a pulse check for the industry, celebrating the brands and leaders who aren’t just keeping pace with the market—they are redefining it.