Features

Balance Grille founders building Aquaponics farm in downtown Toledo

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Balance Pan-Asian Grille Founders Prakash Karamchandani and HoChan Jang are building an 8,600-square-foot aquaponics farm in the middle of downtown Toledo…

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International Women's Day: Q&A with 25 female execs from Subway, Tender Greens, many more

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

In celebration of International Women's Day, FastCasual interviewed 25 of the industry's leading ladies.

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Spring beverage trends going back to the basics

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Embracing spring's trendiest flavors via beverages is one easy way for restaurants to boost check spend. Those trends are a return to historical, more familiar…

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Starbucks gives inside look to newest Reserve store in Seattle

Starbucks has opened the doors of its Starbucks Reserve in Seattle, where customers can sample small-lot Starbucks Reserve coffees and Princi food.

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HuHot franchisee proves life goes on after Olympics end

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Jay Warick, a bronze medalist in Taekwondo at the 1988 Olympics, has used his passion for training and hard work to build a successful career in the restaurant…

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Why Smiling Moose is betting on full-service concept

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Smiling Moose Rocky Mountain Deli — based in Colorado with 16 units in seven states — unveiled a prototype last month in Denver for a casual dining version of…

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How targeting only lapsed visitors helped HuHot increase sales

HuHot relied on Paytronix scoring tool to entice only its infrequent visitors with freebies.

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Garbanzo trucks it to St. Louis

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The Denver, Colorado-based chain recently opened its 25th brick-and-mortar unit in St. Louis and has also been driving sales there with its first food truck.

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Valentine's Day LTOs include $500 Pizza from Firenza, KFC's chicken scratch-and-sniff cards, sweet treats from Starbucks

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Hoping to attract Valentine's Day customers, limited-service brands around the world are offering a variety of sweet deals.

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Will the Senate push back menu-labeling law again?

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

The U.S. House passage this week of the so-called "Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act" (H.R. 772) is either an attempt to water down previous menu-labeling…

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Leon's founder to reveal how Bruce Lee inspires his leadership strategy

John Vincent, CEO and founder of Leon, will keynote this year's Fast Casual Executive Summit, Oct. 9-11 in Seattle.

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Franchise Focus: 2 cousins sink teeth into fast casual pizza business

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

The restaurant business runs in the blood of Artichoke Basille Pizza Owners Francis Garcia and Sal Basille. The cousins grew up in New York working in their…

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Slim Chickens leaving mark on UK

The chicken chain joins several western-based brands taking on the UK, which is such a hotbed of action that the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit is…

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Wayback Burgers, Juice It Up, Gigi's Cupcakes report solid growth in 2017

Wayback Burgers, Juice it Up and Gigi's Cupcakes may not seem to have much in common, but the three fast casual brands reported solid numbers in 2017, with…

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Turkish-American sisters now franchising Flatbread Grill

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Turkish-American Sisters — Arzu, Fusun, and Gonca Esendemir — are now franchising their fast casual concept — Flatbread Grill.

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Digital-only pizza brand makes debut in New York

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Newly opened Long Island City Pizza Factory boasts that it is the world's first "full-digital pizzeria," an accomplishment its owners hope will send it right…

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