Nitro-focused ice cream chain ready to franchise

January 5, 2017

Cauldron Ice Cream, based in Santa Ana, California, is expanding through franchising with help from Fransmart. Cauldron, which uses liquid nitrogen to make ice…

El Pollo Loco campaign makes LA connection

January 5, 2017

L.A. ... for Gladys Knight and the Pips, it just proved "too much for the man." While Wang Chung could only manage to "live and die" there. But to fire-grilled…

Blaze shakes off artificial, unhealthy ingredients

January 5, 2017

Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza has launched an initiative to rid the chain's food of artificial ingredients with a promotion that offers free pizza to guests, who…

6 ways technology can conquer 2017's top challenges

One tech experts looks at a few 2017 restaurant technology trends through the lens of the complex issues that today's restaurant brands will face over the next…

Freshii's devilish promo rewards customers for ditching QSR gift cards

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

The latest promotion from Freshii — which officially classifies itself as a "health casual" brand — is taking direct aim at its fast food competitors by…

FastCasual accepting nominations for Top 100 Movers & Shakers

January 4, 2017

FastCasual is taking nominations for its annual list of Top 100 Movers & Shakers, which honors the brands and executives leading the fast casual restaurant…

Chipotle launches online tool to help customers 'make calories count'

January 4, 2017

Chipotle Mexican Grill has a New Year’s resolution: Help customers to not only count calories but make calories count. The chain has launched a dietary options…

Dickey's CIO: Technology isn't just a tactic

Laura Rae Dickey sat down at the annual 2016 Fast Casual Executive Summit in Data Point, California, to give an inside look at Dickey's technology strategy…

The Habit Burger adds 3 menu items

January 3, 2017

The Habit Restaurants is making room on the menu for three items — Golden Fried Chicken Sandwich, Portabella Charburger and Super Food Salad. 

Dickey's shakes up leadership team

January 3, 2017

Dickey's Barbecue Pit has tapped its CIO Laura Rea Dickey as CEO, but former CEO Ronald Dickey Jr. isn't going far.

Study: QSR and Fast Casual only restaurant segments to see traffic growth in '17

January 3, 2017

If there's a bright spot in the restaurant industry outlook for the year ahead, at least one data analysis and research company believes it will be in the…

10 to Watch: Mikey Wetzel

Mikey Wetzel made a name for himself in Salisbury after opening Go Burrito with his wife Lily in 2013.

Pushing boundaries: Top 10 menu trends of 2017 revealed

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Combining cuisines from all over the world will be 2017's No. 1 trend. Other trends include spicier flavor profiles, more vegan and veggie options and DIY…

Rapid Fired lands in northern Kentucky

December 30, 2016

The Greater Cincinnati suburb of Florence, Kentucky, is the latest city to see a Rapid Fired Pizza open — this one squarely in the middle of the city's…

The lucky 13: Twitter features to maximize restaurant marketing

by Seshu Madabushi — Founder & CEO, mKonnekt

Twitter has effectively been our micro-blogging friend for a decade, which has changed the face of marketing because this great promotional tool allows brands…

El Pollo Loco creates 'under 500-calorie menu' for New Year's dieters

December 29, 2016

El Pollo Loco is pitching in to help all those soon-to-be New Year's dieters achieve their weight loss goals by launching a new under-500-calorie menu.

New Dickey's franchisee to open in Virginia

December 29, 2016

Dickey's Barbecue Pit said it will open in Loudoun County, Virginia, this coming fall, under ownership of first-time franchisee, Chris Mills, according to a…

'If in doubt, leave it out': The lessons in Cinnabon's Carrie Fisher tweet

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Cinnabon's poorly received social media post about Carrie Fisher, upon her death this week, has restaurant leaders talking about how best to prevent such…

5 findings inside diners' minds make great guides for 2017

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

NPD Group recently outlined its top five predictions about the American diner's state of mind as it relates to the dinner plate. Taken collectively, these five…

3 New Year's resolutions to improve profitability, optimize sourcing, reduce risk

by Vishy Visweswaran — Chief Technology Officer, SCA Technologies

All restaurant brands need to make sure they have a strong supply chain and a well-developed risk management strategy. You may not be able to predict the…