How San Pedro Fish Market built a $30M legacy

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Speaking at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit Tuesday in San Diego, Michael Ungaro shared the gritty, tenacious history of his family's brand — a journey that began in 1956 as a 200-square-foot seafood shop and evolved into a destination serving 2 million customers a year.

Cicis Pizza takes No. 1 spot on Pizza Marketplace's 2026 Top 100 Movers & Shakers list

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Cicis Pizza took home the top honors as Pizza Marketplace's annual event in Las Vegas; Moto Pizza won a tech award from XRobotics and Pizza Nova's Domenic Primucci was the top executive of the year.

How to knock down blocks, power up your pivot points

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

To break through the "Founder’s pivot point," leaders must transition from micromanagement to scalability by documenting standards, delegating outcomes, fostering team belief and developing the structural support necessary to receive and sustain growth.

Fatburger debuts in France

FAT Brands Inc. has opened its first Fatburger franchise in Paris, launching a planned 30-unit expansion across France. The restaurant is on Avenue du Général…

How Juice It Up leads the modern beverage boom

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

In this podcast episode, Juice It Up CEO Susan Taylor discusses how the brand has maintained its leadership in the booming beverage franchise market by evolving to meet the sophisticated, nutrition-focused demands of Gen Z and millennial consumers.

Jeff's Bagel Run

Jeff’s Bagel Run is a scratch bakery with a simple and delicious menu of bagels, spreads and a full coffee program. The shops are open daily from 6:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., allowing operators to schedule on a single-shift model. The simple menu enables the brand to keep excellent and consistent products while maximizing revenue.

Digital in the Drive-Thru: Designing Outdoor Experiences for QSR Brands

Digital menu boards at the drive-thru are no longer a luxury. In today’s competitive QSR landscape, they’ve become a requirement.

2025 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers

This year, the exceptional caliber of leadership across the industry led to a slight adjustment in our numbers—we were compelled to recognize 100 brands and 25 executives instead of our usual 75- 25 split. We also added an extra executive, a testament to the fierce competition and outstanding contributions within the fast-casual arena.