News & Media From Elliot Maras

Food truck founder adds a little 'Seoul' to the taco scene

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

A passion for food, combined with a desire to improve his lot in life and a little luck propelled David Choi, the son of Korean immigrants, to launch Seoul…

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From food truck to 5 restaurants: one entrepreneur's story

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

While a commissary gave David Choi the venue for his first restaurant, his food truck experience gave him the skills needed to prepare and serve food to…

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Wow Bao becomes 1st chain to leverage Eatsa technology

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

As the first licensee of Eatsa's self-service technology, Wow Bao's newest unit allows guests to pick up their orders from cubbies that alert them to the…

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Eatsa CEO: 'Our long-term goal is to change the fast casual industry'

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Eatsa, both a restaurant and technology provider, faced a difficult choice in deciding the best way to revolutionize the fast casual dining experience. The…

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Ponko Chicken re-opens after 9-year hiatus with tech-savvy POS system

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Ponko Chicken stays busy taking orders with its dual-facing touchscreen POS station as it prepares to establish a franchise operation.

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Blaze Pizza, McAlister's, Beefsteak chefs chat about menu innovation

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

There is no single path to successful menu development, but a successful menu is always a collaborative effort.

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Third-party food delivery models evolve as demand accelerates

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Third-party food delivery rapidly expands, gaining importance among restaurant operators who are contemplating the best approach to offer the service.

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To franchise or not: &Pizza, Blaze CEOs debate which business model is best

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Jim Mizes and Michael Lastoria debate franchising vs sticking with a company-owned business model.

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Investing for growth? Veterans flag top priorities

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

A panel during the Fast Casual Executive Summit at the Nashville Omni explored the questions management should ask before investing in growth initiatives.

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Dickey's, Quiznos, Firenza execs: Cloud technology gives a lift, but needs advocates

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Cloud technology enables companies to respond faster to market changes and empowers employees to perform better, but change doesn't come without pain.

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Restaurateurs: 'Don’t hesitate to offer mobile payments'

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

While mobile orders represent a minority of orders, panelists said the ratio is shifting in their favor. A panel of restaurateurs tackling the issue at the…

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Menu experts predict global menu trends — does your brand measure up?

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Menu experts chat about current and future trends at this year's Fast Casual Executive Summit.

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Pie Five uses food truck to build brand visibility in Kansas City, Part 2

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The fast casual pizza concept is still new to a lot of people, and the food truck has improved customer awareness.

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Kansas City Pie Five franchisee driving sales with food truck

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The truck has helped improve the brand's visibility as well as delivered a new revenue stream.

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Kiosks drive add-on orders for French fast casual

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The self-order kiosks enable customized orders, delivering higher tickets for this startup offering French street food.

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Independent restaurateur juggles highs, lows of adding self-order kiosks (Part 2)

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The co-founder of Flatbread Grill and an exec from Nextep give advice on how to avoid headaches when deploying kiosks.

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Independent fast casual wades into self-serve kiosks, Part 1

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The kiosks have been an efficient way for customers to access the menu and nutrition information, in addition to other benefits for Flatbread Grill. There have…

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Caliburger’s CEO offers vision for automated restaurants

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Automated restaurants, driven by artificial intelligence and robots, is closer than many think, according to the CEO of a company involved with automation…

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Wayback Burgers to test food trailers in the Big Apple

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The fast casual chain teams with a trailer specialist to launch its first mobile food initiative, starting in New York City.

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Kiosks killing restaurant jobs? Don’t let the doomsayers distract you

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

In time, the consumer media will get tired of pursuing a story that isn’t a story. The real challenge facing the restaurant industry is finding enough workers…

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