Why playing the 'right' background music increases sales

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Restaurants that play a carefully selected mix of music reflecting their cultures can increase sales by more than 9 percent, according to a 2016 study.

Food truck growth goes full throttle: Part 1

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

This four-part series explores the successes and challenges of the food truck industry, Food truck revenues have increased from $650 million in 2013 and should…

From food trucks to food halls: Slapfish founder launches 2 concepts

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Chef Andrew Gruel, who opened his first concept — Slapfish — as a food truck, has just launched two concepts inside an Orange County food hall.

DQ, Mazzio's and Rave roll out the tech to roll in the employees

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

At the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit in Dallas this week, three big restaurant companies discussed how tech is changing the way they hire and…

Franchise focus: Gyroville delivers Greek traditions in fast casual setting

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

CEO Lambros Kokkinelis, delivering his family's Greek recipes in a fast casual setting, is on a mission to expand throughout the nation.

Keynoter: Want to motivate employees? Try ‘trust and track’ instead of ‘command and control’

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Creating an employee training system that delivers outstanding customer service requires making employees feel engaged and providing regular feedback…

Which Wich founder tells Summit attendees: 'If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, BS them until you both believe it'

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Jeff Sinelli learned early in life a few lessons that helped him pursue his dreams and not be afraid to get out of his comfort zone. He also learned the…

Which Wich CEO, Summit attendees make 10,000 PB&Js for Dallas homeless

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

Attendees at this year's Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit rolled up their sleeves and made more than 10,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches…

How self-serve kiosks can rescue corporate dining — part 2: how the solution came to be

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

While self-serve kiosks allow corporate dining locations to eliminate the cashier and improve the speed of service for customers, there had been no…

Trumpcare yanked before vote, Affordable Care Act remains ... for now

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

Trumpcare was pulled from consideration in a vote by Congress, despite an ultimatum from the President to vote on the measure. For now, the Affordable Care Act…

Starbucks to create 240K jobs

The chain is on target to create more than 240,000 jobs globally —  68,000 in the U.S. — by opening 12,000 stores globally and 3,400 new stores in the U.S. by…

How self-serve kiosks can rescue corporate dining — part 1

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The self-serve kiosk rewrites the economics of corporate dining.

Automation: The possibilities of robo-restaurateuring - Part 3 of 3

by Sagi Rochman — CEO, Better Chains

Complete Automation in a foodservice operation is relatively rare at the moment, but that is changing almost by the day.

Kat Cole: 'Female leaders must mentor other women'

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Kat Cole started in the industry as a hostess when she was 17. She now leads Focus Brands, overseeing 4,500 ice cream shops, bakeries, restaurants, and cafes…

Buffalo Wild Wings CEO: 'Having diverse leadership brings out the best in any industry'

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Sally Smith believes women make great leaders because they "figure out a way to do it all."

Spring training: Are you disengaging your employees?

Clearly, increasing employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention is critical to your success, but the question remains: What can you do to truly achieve…

Amsterdam Falafelshop CEO: 'Always see the human side'

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Arianne Bennett and her husband created Amsterdam Falafelshop 10 years ago and have developed it into a successful franchise.

The plant-based burger that 'bleeds' like rare beef

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

It bleeds on the plate like a rare-cooked beef burger, tastes like a patty of ground beef but is produced with a mere sliver of the resources used to produce…

The LTO list grows: More chains drop lines for Lenten followers

To catch customers who observe Lent, as well as those who just like a good fish sandwich, here are some of the fishy offerings currently coming up on menus,

Cousins redesign highlights why Boomers are still important

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

Millennials are the age group of the moment, but the boomers who once held that title should not be forgotten just yet, particularly when it comes to…