Speaker Spotlight: Seth Larsen, CDO, Cheba Hut Toasted Subs

by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

Seth Larsen, CDO of Cheba Hut Toasted Subs talks about how stays ahead of the competition while having a blast in today's speaker spotlight.

How top franchise brands turn culture into direct profitability

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Industry leaders will gather at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit to share actionable strategies for transforming workplace culture and technology into a powerful engine for talent retention and long-term profitability.

Bridging the restaurant coaching gap: LEAD announces leadership events in KC, Dallas

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

As the publisher of FastCasual.com and a proud Kansas Citian, I've always said that some of the best leadership in the restaurant industry is bred right here…

The power players: Inside the playbooks of Fast Casual’s 2026 rising stars

Discover the rising stars of fast casual dining as hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler interview three breakout brands from FastCasual.com's 2026 list of 25 emerging brands to watch.

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

Labor Forecasting 2.0: Predicting Future Demand and Staffing for Efficient Growth with AI

Labor is your most significant controllable cost—but leveraging labor as a growth driver is more complex than ever. Enter labor forecasting 2.0: an AI-driven approach that helps multi-location units match staffing to real-world demand, while optimizing schedules for labor compliance, operations efficiency, and sales.

25 Fast Casual Brands to Watch in 2026

FastCasual’s sixth annual report, “25 Brands to Watch,” identifies the trailblazers poised to become the next household names. These concepts are not just keeping pace with the industry; they are actively redefining it. Congratulations to the class of 2026!

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.