Five Guys heads to Michigan

September 22, 2008

LIVONIA, Mich. — Fast casual burger restaurant Five Guys Burgers and Fries is expanding to Michigan, with three locations slated to open within the next few…

Raising Cane's to move staff to Dallas

September 22, 2008

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers is moving the bulk of its administrative functions from Baton Rouge, La., to Dallas, the company…

Smashburger appoints Ryan McMonagle as CFO

September 22, 2008

DENVER — Fast casual burger concept Smashburger has appointed Ryan McMonagle as chief financial officer, the company announced. McMonagle was formerly vice…

Starbucks opens first Portugal store

September 22, 2008

SEATTLE & LISBON, Portugal — Starbucks Coffee International and partner Grupo VIPS will open its first coffeehouse in Portugal on Sept. 30 at Alegro Mall…

Fast casual board gets cooking at CEO Summit

Attendee, sponsor growth spark talk of regional meetings

Chipotle looks for new ad agency

September 21, 2008

AdWeek: Chipotle Mexican Grill is searching for a new ad agency after its split with Denver-based DeVito/Verdi. Chipotle CEO Steve Ells said the company was…

Zebu Forno launches happy hour menu

September 21, 2008

RED BANK, N.J. — Zebu Forno, a European-style bakery/café, has introduced a specially priced Happy Hour menu, the company has announced. The menu is designed…

Yogen Fruz to enter Aloha state

September 21, 2008

MARKHAM, Ontario — Yogen Früz has announced that is has signed a development agreement that will allow TRMOP LLC, a Honolulu-based master franchisee, to…

Elevation Burger lands in new markets

September 18, 2008

ARLINGTON, Va. — Elevation Burger locations are slated to open in three new markets, the company has announced.   Franchisee Danny Bone plans to open…

China Starbucks pull milk

September 18, 2008

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Starbucks stores in China have stopped serving milk from a particular supplier due to the threat of contamination. Several infants…

NRA, Gerson Lehrman Group partner for food safety conference

September 18, 2008

NEW YORK — Gerson Lehrman Group and the National Restaurant Association have announced a new alliance designed to strengthen the access to food safety and…

2008 Fast Casual Summit: Louis Basile & Linda Duke

Fast Casual publisher Paul Barron talks with Louis Basile, founder of Wildflower Bread Co. and president of the Fast Casual Executive Alliance, and Linda Duke…

Tropical Smoothie launches bistro sandwich menu

September 17, 2008

DESTIN, Fla. — Tropical Smoothie Café has created a new line of bistro sandwiches that will be available at all 275 café locations.   The sandwich menu…

California Tortilla to celebrate 13 years

September 17, 2008

ROCKVILLE, Md. — California Tortilla is celebrating its 13th birthday Sept. 24, with an open-to-the-public party in all of its stores.   The first 50 customers…

Elevation Burger blows into Baltimore

September 17, 2008

ARLINGTON, Va. — Elevation Burger has closed a deal with Alex Smith to bring three units to Baltimore, the company has announced.   Smith plans to open his…

Pinkberry names Michael Dixon as CFO

September 16, 2008

LOS ANGELES — Pinkberry has named Michael Dixon as its chief financial officer.   Dixon joins Pinkberry after eight years with The Cheesecake Factory Inc.…

Spicy Pickle signs third San Diego deal

September 16, 2008

DENVER — Spicy Pickle has announced the signing of a lease for a Spicy Pickle location in San Diego.   The new restaurant marks the third lease for the Spicy…

Panera earnings on track

September 16, 2008

Associated Press: Shares of Panera Bread Co. rose $1.45, or 3.1 percent, to end at $49. Panera stock bucked the overall market and rose Monday after the…

TrendSource, Fast Casual to host free customer experience webinar

September 15, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — TrendSource, a provider of restaurant business intelligence services, and Fast Casual magazine, the leading news and information source…

MICROS unveils upcoming hardware products

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

September 15, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — MICROS has announced two upcoming hardware products at its 2008 Users Conference, held Sept. 14-16 in Annapolis, Md.   The new Duraswitch…