Veggie Grill taps QSR Automations to improve speed, accuracy

May 24, 2013

Veggie Grill has implemented a new solution from QSR Automations in hopes of serving its customers faster and with greater accuracy. The California-based chain…

Tropical Smoothie Café debuts chicken-free strips

May 24, 2013

In a move to further cement its status as a forward-thinking, health-conscious restaurant brand, Atlanta-based Tropical Smoothie Café has partnered with Beyond…

Chicago gym welcomes fast casual café

May 24, 2013

From opening a bar serving cheese fries and wings to its Quad Cities pizza joint and bakery, one wouldn't think the owners of Chicago-based The Fifty/5…

How to grow online sales: What the GrubHub/Seamless merger means

by Noah Glass — CEO, Olo

As the National Restaurant Show lumbered into its third day, GrubHub and Seamless, two leading online ordering providers for independent restaurants, awakened…

NRA's 2013 Kitchen Innovation winners

NRA's Kitchen Innovations Awards recognize cutting-edge equipment that improves the back-of-house and benefits foodservice operators. Energy efficiency…

Sharing the 'why' and 'how' behind the Top 100

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

I was honored to announce the winners of the Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers this week at our awards gala in Chicago, where most of the winning brands…

Uncle Maddio's introduces combo meals to tout smaller portions

May 23, 2013

To cater to pizza lovers who want something on the light side, Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint has introduced "Maddio Meals," combo meals that include smaller…

Noodles & Company going public?

May 23, 2013

Noodles & Company is planning to go public. The Colorado-based chain announced today that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the…

Restaurants to add 448,000 summer jobs

May 23, 2013

Restaurants are expected to add 448,000 jobs this summer season, a 4.5-percent increase over the March 2013 employment level, according to National Restaurant…

SPIN! Neapolitan Pizza debuts in SoCal with first franchise location

May 23, 2013

SPIN! Neapolitan Pizza's first franchise location is now open in Southern California in the City of Orange near Honda Center and Angels Stadium in Anaheim…

Franchise business index shows consumer spending higher than expected

May 23, 2013

The Franchise Business Index (FBI), an index of the economic health of the franchising industry, increased by 0.2 percent in April, boosted by improvements in…

SpotOn partners with Fazoli's to pilot loyalty, marketing platform

May 23, 2013

SpotOn, a loyalty and marketing platform designed initially for small business, today announced the release of the second full version of its marketing…

Garbanzo opening 1st Orange County unit

May 23, 2013

Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, a Colorado-based fast casual restaurant concept featuring fresh and healthy Mediterranean cuisine, will open its first Orange…

Meatheads supporting Chicagoland summer reading

May 23, 2013

Chicago-based Meatheads is about to kick off its third year of summer reading with the annual launch of the 2013 Voracious Reading Program, according to a…

Qdoba celebrating dads and grads

May 23, 2013

Qdoba Mexican Grill is helping customers celebrate Father's Day and graduation season this year by giving guests one free entrée when they purchase a…

Smashburger franchisor launches fast casual pizza joint

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

May 23, 2013

Fast casual pizza concepts are all the rage these days, and Smashburger's founder is getting in on the action, opening Live Basil Pizza this week in the Denver…

Growth continuing at Newk's

May 23, 2013

Newk's Eatery, a fresh casual restaurant concept offering a variety of made-to-order choices, recently signed agreements for six new locations in the latest…

Donper America unveils soft-serve machine with small footprint

May 23, 2013

Donper America has introduced its newest soft-serve machine, the BT7280, to the market. Designed for use in non-traditional frozen yogurt concepts, the BT728…

Togo's opening another unit in Oregon

May 23, 2013

Togo's Eateries is opening its latest Medford, Ore., restaurant at 1310 Center Drive in the Harry & David Country Village. The new restaurant is owned by…

Freakin' is ready to franchise

May 23, 2013

Flint, Mich.-based Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers is celebrating its first anniversary this week by announcing franchise opportunities to potential investors…