Ohio ice cream shop launching pad for new overtime regulations

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

VP Joe Biden said the ruling, which extends overtime protections to 4.2 million more Americans, who are not currently eligible under federal law, will help to…

Can Pei Wei get on a roll with sushi?

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Pei Wei is rolling out new sushi rolls next week in San Antonio and will test how well they do with consumers for six weeks.

How to hire top-notch summer employees

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Two experts weigh in on how to hire the best summer employees.

Freshii CEO: 'Cupcakes are dead. Froyo is finished. Juice is next.'

Freshii CEO Matt Corrin sends an open letter to juice franchises offering them a chance to become Freshii franchisees.

Consumers rank Panera, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, DQ as favorite brands

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

Results are in from a study created via a mobile insights platform that captures customer impressions of some of the nation's premier QSR brands.

Why your loyalty program is failing and how to fix it (Part 2)

Over the course of the next two blogs, Gillian Jones, loyalty expert, will look at 10 lessons for improving loyalty.

3 ways to enhance franchise performance with distributed analytics

Restaurant chains should learn how to better leverage their data to improve efficiencies and increase the revenue impact from each franchise.

Restaurants seeking to capture Mother's Day traffic

To honor their moms, consumers will spend $4.1 billion on special outings, such as lunch, brunch and dinner, and savvy restaurants are hoping to attract them…

Site selection secrets for restaurant tenants

The commercial space chosen by a restaurant tenant can be a deciding factor in the success or failure of the business.

Gone fishing: Why LSRs are angling for seafood

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Consumers are more familiar with seafood, which means LSRs can now be creative when it comes to adding fish to the menu.

Knowing the pros and cons of DIY data warehouse, BI solutions

by Dave Bennett — President & CEO, Mirus Restaurant Solutions

Stakeholders within restaurant companies of all sizes have begun acknowledging the value of having access to timely, accurate and actionable information. The…

For the love of loyalty: How mobile drives customer engagement

Enabling the mobile channel — perhaps through loyalty, ordering, payment or other capabilities — is the next big step for fast casual leaders looking to remain…

Payment breaches to continue despite US EMV liability shift

With the adoption of EMV technology in full swing, two questions remain top of mind: will the transition to chip and PIN make credit cards and transactions…

Why Chipotle should be kicking food-safety issues 'new-school'

New-school technology could help restaurants teach and enforce food safety standards more effectively than old-school practices.

Report: How does your restaurant compare to your competition?

Expect to see a continued focus on controlling costs through strategic inventory and labor management, as well as leveraging technology in new and innovative…

Panera CEO: Q1 growth proves digital strategy is working

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Sales are up 6.2 percent at Panera Bread's nearly 500 company-owned stores thanks to the rollout of the chain's digital operations, ordering and payment system.

Negotiating the operating costs as rent for restaurant tenants

There are aspects of the operating costs that can be changed to the tenant's favor, although most commercial real estate professionals may explain that…

Why restaurants should ignore government’s delay on menu labeling

The real opportunity is to be a leader and put your nutritional information — all 11 of those pesky items, including consumer hot buttons like calories, fat…

Why your loyalty program is failing and how to fix it (Part 1)

In comparison to other industries, hospitality is limping behind in the loyalty stakes, so how exactly have operators gotten themselves into this state of…

Ask the experts: Is your brand ready for catering?

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Franchisors and their franchisees must understand what they're getting into before deciding if catering should be a part of the business model.