Valentine's Day inspires sweet LTOs

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Valentine's Day is a favorite holiday when it comes to launching limited-time menu offers and discounts. Check out how some fast casuals are showing their…

It's your call: Who will win FastCasual's 2019 Excellence in Food Safety award?

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

FastCasual has partnered with Steritech to honor one fast casual brand for Excellence in Food Safety, but it's up to FastCasual's readers to come up with the…

3 restaurant tech trends that can help get the 'whole house' in order

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Whether it's in the front-of-house. the back-of-house or outside the house, restaurants should rely on technology this year to create agility, increase digital…

Sweetberry CEO predicts 300% growth in sales

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Predicting a 300 percent sales increase for a 1-year-old brand is a pretty gutsy statement for any new business, but Sweetberry Bowls CEO Desi Saran is…

5 fast casuals scoring big on Super Bowl Sunday

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Wings and pizza are the undisputed rulers of Super Bowl food, but that doesn't mean other concepts can't play.

Kansas City's Spin Pizza gearing up for the ride of its life

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Spin Pizza Founding Partner Ed Brownell discusses how the brand's recent rebranding will help it grow.

4 ways restaurants can add 'flexibility, versatility' to customer experience

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Most restaurants know they need to be more flexible and offer customers versatility, but what does that mean exactly?

Fazoli's giving more than 1K meals to furloughed federal workers

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

January 24, 2019

With no end in sight to the government shutdown, Fazoli's has extended its offer to help feed federal workers not receiving pay, CEO Carl Howard said in an…

'So, what are ya' drinkin'?' One of this year's most complicated questions

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

The answer to that age-old question, "So, what are you drinkin'?" has gotten a lot more complicated. But pizza brands that don't brush up on their answers to…

Execs predict increased usage of near-me, voice searches to make dining decisions

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

From the explosion of near-me searches to consumers demanding more options, this year's tech trends are all about meeting the customer where and when they…

Industry insiders predict top tech restaurant trends of 2019

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

FastCasual interviewed executives from a variety of tech vendors to reveal some of 2019's most promising tech trends. ​​​​​​Part 1 of this series features…

Top 20: FastCasual reveals 2018's most-read stories

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

The year's most popular stories covered a variety of topics ranging from ghost kitchens and franchising to trend predictions and how to win the third-party…

Question: Is the service model of the future quick or experiential? Answer: Yes

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Customers want fast food but an experience to go with it.

FastCasual names '20 Brands to Watch' in 2019

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Not to be confused with our annual Fast Casual Top 100 Movers and Shakers, this list focused on smaller and newer concepts that we think could have the…

'Tis the season for increased restaurants sales — if you can control food, labor costs

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Although it may sound a bit Scrooge-like, 'tis the season for increased restaurants sales, but mismanaging increased food and labor costs can leave companies…

How 3 former Zoes execs teamed up to fuel growth of Bellagreen, Original ChopShop

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Hargett Hunter Capital Partners CEO Jason Morgan tapped two of his former colleagues at Zoes Kitchen to help him develop and expand two emerging fast casual…

Brazilian steakhouse launches as fast casual concept in Orange County

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

December 11, 2018

The fast casual service model does not come to mind when thinking about Brazilian steakhouses, but Silva's Fresh Eatery + Churrascaria is hoping to change…

How Mooyah, Which Wich use freebies to drive traffic, attract customers, grow sales

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Offering limited-time freebies will nearly always increase traffic in the short term, but restaurant brands failing to transform those extra bodies into higher…

FAT Brands aquires Yalla

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

December 4, 2018

FAT Brands has acquired Yalla Mediterranean, a seven-unit fast casual chain specializing in Mediterranean cuisine. With this acquisition, Yalla — based in Los…

Former Pizza Inn, Pie Five CEO leaves retirement behind to expand Tampa-based burger brand

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

After spending a year in retirement, Randy Gier, former CEO of Pizza Inn and Pie Five, has decided to get back in the restaurant business by helping…