Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers
Walk the Orange Carpet: A sneak peek at the 2026 Fast Casual Top 100 Gala
Discover what’s in store for this year’s 2026 Fast Casual Top 100 Gala, including data-driven insights, live interviews and special awards.
May 12, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com
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ClaudeIf a "golden ticket" invitation to the 2026 Fast Casual Top 100 Gala recently hit your inbox, consider this your official notice to start practicing your camera-ready smile.
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| Loop AI was the gala's 2025 premier sponsor and will return in that same role in 2026. Photos by Willie Lawless |
We are officially in the home stretch for our 11th year, and the energy in the office is less like a standard industry meeting and more like a high-stakes family reunion. Because this is a strictly invite-only event — exclusive to our winners and sponsors — the room will be packed with the exact people who make this industry the most resilient segment in hospitality.
With Loop AI serving as our premier sponsor, we are ready to celebrate the "shakers" and "movers" of the Class of 2026. While the final rankings remain top-secret, below are five things you won't want to miss from the gala on May 17 in Chicago:
1. The orange carpet experience
Forget the velvet rope — we're rolling out the Orange Carpet. This year, I'm thrilled to be joined by the one and only Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ Media. We'll be doing live interviews right there on the carpet, so be prepared to talk shop and share your predictions. It's all about capturing the stories behind the brands in real-time, so bring that "Class of 2026" energy the moment you step inside. And if you aren't at the gala, you can follow along on theFastCasual YouTube channel.
2. The special awards roundup
Before we crown the No. 1 brand, we are celebrating the concepts that have mastered specific corners of the business. Keep an eye out for these prestigious honors:
- Excellence in Guest Experience: Presented in partnership with Ovation, this award recognizes the brand that has truly mastered the art of the guest feedback loop.
- Leading Health Forward: In partnership with Restroworks, we're honoring a brand that proves "healthy" and "highly scalable" go hand-in-hand.
- The Next Award: Partnering with NCR Voyix, we're highlighting a brand that isn't just keeping pace but is setting the direction for the segment's future.
3. A data-driven deep dive with Loop AI
We don't just pull these rankings out of a hat. This year, my co-host Alexis Marrero and I will pull back the curtain on how we worked with our premier sponsor, Loop AI, to utilize the Fast Casual Index. We've aggregated data on everything from innovation to culture to ensure this year's list truly represents the best of the best. It's a fascinating look at the "why" behind the "who."
4. The "Best Dressed" tradition
Let's be real; we've all spent a lot of time in branded polos and sneakers lately. The gala is our chance to see the industry's fashion A-game. The Stacey Kane and Zack Oates Best Dressed Award is back, and we're looking for this year's trendsetters. With the Orange Carpet cameras rolling, there's no better time to bring your best look.
5. Fast Casual Woman of the Year
This is the soul of the evening. This year's Fast Casual Woman of the Year presentation, led by Norton Creative's Robin Blanchette and Crumbs founder Kelly Grogan, is incredibly personal. We'll be honoring a leader who has turned profound personal loss into a mission of hope and purpose. It's a powerful reminder that while we're all here to grow brands, we're also here to make a difference in the community. Garden Catering's Tina Carpenteri (pictured right) won last year.
Bonus: Meet the sponsors
Lastly, I'd like to give a shout-out to this year's sponsors, who make all of this happen. They include:
- Sona Technologies
- Berk Enterprises.
- Burkett Restaurant Equipment.
- Creative Consumer Concepts.
- DSA Signage.
- Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
- Entegra.
- Foodbuy.
- Lunchbox.
- Momo.
- Ovation Up, Inc.
- Norton.
- Crumbs.
- Panasonic Foodservice.
- Oepsico, Inc.
- Restroworks Inc.
- TRABON.
- NCR Voyix.
- Kraft Heinz.
- The Middleby Corporation.
- Atmosphere.
- Star Micronics.
- SageNet.
- Steritech.
- Science On Call.
- CloudKitchens.
- Paytronix.
- Toast.
- Qu.
- Tractor Beverage.
About Cherryh Cansler
Included In This Story
Star Micronics
Always Leading, Always Innovating
Star Micronics, a world-leading POS and labeling solutions provider, has designated a portfolio of printing, secure cash management, and customer engagement tools for any retail and hospitality establishment with a POS or mPOS environment.
Momos Guest AI
Driving Better Guest Experiences and Repeat Guests
Momos Guest AI is the leading AI platform built for multi-location brands. We help restaurants, QSRs, retail, and hospitality teams deliver better guest experiences across every location by unifying customer service, operations, and marketing into a single end-to-end platform - turning one-time customers into repeat guests.
DSA Signage
Brighten Your Brand
Leading manufacturer of made-in-the-USA signage solutions, DSA Signage is a one-stop-shop for modular static and digital drive-thru systems as well as indoor menu systems. With 50+ years partnering with brands like Starbucks, we deliver innovative, revenue-driving visuals that evolve with your business.
CloudKitchens
CloudKitchens is the world’s largest provider of ghost kitchens with over 5,000 kitchens actively cooking in 400 facilities across 30 countries. Located in dense urban cores, our facilities are optimized for off-premises sales (delivery, takeout, walkup) with built-out commercial kitchens for franchisees and corporate operators.
Ovation
How Great Restaurants Get Better - Guest Experience Management Platform
Ovation is a guest experience platform for multi-unit restaurants that starts with a 2-question survey to drive revenue, streamline guest recovery, and easily improve operations. Thousands of restaurants, including leading brands like Dave's Hot Chicken, use Ovation to get more feedback, recover guests in real-time, and improve.
Qu
Qu is the unified commerce platform helping quick-service and fast-casual restaurants boost efficiency and grow revenue. Purpose-built from the ground up with smart cloud technology, Qu puts real-time intelligence where it’s needed most—right in the restaurant—through its proprietary Business Edge, Qube™.
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