Lighten up: 7 fast casuals prepping for the new year

by Cherryh Butler — editor, fcc

Several brands are adding healthier menu alternatives just in time to help customers make their New Year's resolutions.

Fast Casual openings and additions to kick off 2017

December 28, 2016

Fast casual brands are taking a deep breath and heading into 2017 with gusto and great hope, with new sites opening and new offerings appearing on menus. Here…

Diversified spins off Bagger Dave's

December 28, 2016

Diversified Restaurant Holdings — the largest franchisee for Buffalo Wild Wings and creator and operator of Bagger Dave's Burger Tavern — announced this week…

Hawaiian barbecue chain opens North Hollywood site

December 27, 2016

Ono Hawaiian BBQ opened a North Hollywood, California location last Thursday in NoHo Commons Retail Center on Lankershim Boulevard, according to a press…

Juice It Up! expands California presence

December 27, 2016

Juice It Up! has opened its latest unit in Riverside, California. Sadana Corp., which also owns the recently opened location in Northridge, California, is the…

Vitality Bowls continues growth in new year

December 27, 2016

In the last year, Vitality Bowls has signed 27 new agreements in markets across the country, opened 11 new restaurant locations in three states, added a sixth…

Pita Pit Canada rolls out 'disruptive packaging technology'

December 27, 2016

In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, Pita Pit Canada has traded the traditional waxed paper used to wrap its sandwiches for thinbarrier eco, a…

Penn Station CEO: We need 3 things to grow

Craig Dunaway of Penn Station East Coast Subs talks about franchise growth challenges, customer engagement and labor processes at the 2016 Fast Casual…

3 surprising food-safety practices that could harm your brand

An effective food safety program is essential, but not all tactics implemented in the interest of good food safety are An effective food safety program is…

Kids eat free over winter break at Dickey's

December 22, 2016

Dickey's Barbecue Pit is hoping its offer of letting kids eat free over winter break will help keep them and their parents busy, according to a company press…

Tijuana Flats gets 'turnt up'

December 22, 2016

The Tijuana Flats opening today in Orlando, Florida, is the first of the brand's units with an updated format, according to a company press release. The menu…

Are you accounting for those holiday gift cards correctly?

by Dustin Minton — National Restaurant Practice Co-Leader, BDO USA, LLP

For many restaurants, the holiday season bustles with promotions, parties and gift card sales. But amid the season's cheer, restaurants must account for these…

Grabbagreen opens first Colorado location

December 21, 2016

Tim Johnson of Green Cherry Hills, LLC made Grabbagreen's Colorado dream a reality, according to a press release. An Orange Theory Fitness franchisee and…

Global Q3 restaurant traffic holds it own

December 21, 2016

The restaurant industry worldwide was stable for Q3 2016 and, in fact, performed better than the previous quarter despite numerous events around the globe that…

Panera makes major move on chicken welfare

December 21, 2016

Panera Bread gave a gift to the globe's livestock chickens this week when it became one of the largest foodservice chains to commit to improving the welfare of…

5 ways to connect with your customers in 2017

Seventy percent of mobile phone users said they actually want to have loyalty cards on their devices, and recent studies found that overall activity on mobile…

You can’t win an EEOC lawsuit, but you can prevent it

Of the 89,385 charges the EEOC reviewed in 2015, Retaliation, Race, Disability, and Sex discrimination were the most prevalent, and 28,000 charges, or 3…

Genghis Grill opens 1st international location

December 21, 2016

Build-your-own stir-fry brand, Genghis Grill opened its first international location in Abu Dhabi's Al Wahda Mall in the United Arab Emirates, according to a…

Freshii files IPO

December 21, 2016

Freshii has filed a preliminary prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in all 10 Canadian provinces and three territories for a proposed initial…

AT&T salesman to open 10th Virginia Dickey's location

December 20, 2016

First-time franchisee and Virginia native, Mario Aguilar, announced a deal with Dickey's Barbecue Pit to open the concept's tenth Virginia location in 2017…