Former meteorologist opening 10 Brooklyn Water Bagels

April 16, 2025

Brooklyn Water Bagel has opened two locations in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Although one is a corporate store, the second is franchised by Dean Tendrich, a…

Jamba launches 'Singles to Go' drinks

April 16, 2025

Jamba, which has nearly 900 locations, has partnered with The Jel Sert Company, a manufacturer of powdered drink sticks, to create Jamba Singles to Go, a line…

Qu acquires Fourtop, launches 1st Smart Kitchen platform

April 16, 2025

Unified restaurant commerce platform Qu has acquired Fourtop, an AI-powered restaurant insights platform founded by Darien Bates.

Panera launches 'croissant toast'

April 16, 2025

Panera has developed an innovation on bread, "Croissant Toast." Made from croissant dough, the all-butter croissant dough is layered, and sliced into flaky…

6 ways for fast casuals to offset tariff pain

by Sharmah Seakar — Senior Procurement Lead at Efficio, Efficio

Brands must recalibrate procurement, rethink value menus and re-engineer the back of house.

Scooter’s VIP reveals 3 strategies for brewing growth

Tim Arpin, chief growth officer, discusses the importance of prioritizing menu innovation, streamlining operations, and creating meaningful community…

Harnessing the Combined Power of Mobile Apps and Kiosks for QSRs

While self-service programs offer countless advantages for quick service restaurants (QSR), it’s no secret they can be a costly investment up front. As a…

Blaze Pizza rolls out optimized app, loyalty program

April 15, 2025

Fast casual pizza chain Blaze Pizza has launched an enhanced app and loyalty program in partnership with Thanx, according to a press release.

Turning your restaurant customers into brand ambassadors

by Jim Knight — Founder & CEO, Knight Speaker

When customers feel genuinely valued, they don't just return — they bring others with them.

From a Closet to a Scaling Franchise System: Meet Evonne and Don Varady of Clean Eatz

In this episode of Founderology, host Kathleen Wood sits down with two powerhouse founders—Don and Evonne Varady, the creators of Clean Eatz. Their story…

Scooter's revamps loyalty platform

April 15, 2025

Scooter's Coffee has redesigned its rewards program to offer more flexible redemption options, faster ways to earn rewards and enhanced status levels and…

Qu Redefines Restaurant Operations with Industry-First Smart Kitchen

Breakthrough platform fuses IoT sensors, energy and equipment management, and predictive insights to maximize efficiencies and reduce costs

How Via 313 Pizzeria Doubled Down on Guest Recovery and Operational Excellence With Ovation

Via 313 Pizzeria, a fast-growing Detroit-style pizza brand with 20+ locations, needed deeper insights into guest sentiment and a faster way to recover unhappy…

Presented by Ovation Up, Inc.

Text Marketing That Works: Data-Backed Best Practices for Restaurants

We analyzed all marketing texts sent through Ovation’s platform in 2024 - 1.58 million - and identified key trends and patterns that separate high-performing…

Presented by Ovation Up, Inc.

Lunchbox offering free order aggregation

April 14, 2025

Lunchbox is providing its clients with free Order Aggregation, which automatically routes third-party platforms like EzCater, DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub…

Fast Casual Top 100 Gala celebrating 10th birthday with 5 gifts for attendees

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Honors include the "Signal to Noise Award," "Emerging Fast Casual of the Year, ""Most-Loved Delivery Brand and "Fast Casual Woman of the Year." Attendees will…

Ellianos Coffee entering Mississippi

April 14, 2025

Ellianos Coffee, a 65-unit southeast-based drive-thru specialty coffee brand, is opening in Mississippi, marking entry into its sixth state.

Dave’s Hot Chicken prescribing 'Davezempic'

April 14, 2025

The newest menu item at Dave's Hot Chicken is small on size but huge on flavor. By Tuesday, the company will debut Mini Sliders across its 300 locations. Each…

Tacotarian rolling out franchise program

April 14, 2025

Tacotarian, a plant-based Mexican eatery known for serving vegan tacos, is launching a franchise program.

Eggs Up Grill, Hot Palette Holdings, Jeff's Bagel Run execs talk leadership skills

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Leaders from Eggs Up Grill, Jeff's Bagel Run and Hot Palette Holdings discussed leadership skills at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit in Myrtle…