Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café to open first North Carolina location

August 5, 2026

Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café will debut in North Carolina with a Cary restaurant, expanding the Houston-based fast casual brand's presence in the Southeast.

Salad and Go unexpectedly closes all locations

August 5, 2026

Two weeks after launching a menu upgrade featuring recipe enhancements to signature salads, refreshed ingredient combinations and upgraded flavor profiles…

Chipotle pulls jalapenos from some restaurants amid salmonella outbreak investigation

August 4, 2026

After a weeks of worrying about lettuce being contaminated, customers may now need to avoid jalapenos.

Portillo's names Kevin Kalicak CFO

August 4, 2026

Portillo's has appointed restaurant finance veteran Kevin Kalicak as its chief financial officer and treasurer, effective Sept. 7.

How Urban Bird Hot Chicken turned a bad lease into a fast-growing brand

Brandon and Chantel Gawthorp built 32 Wingstop franchises across three states over 20 years, then let it all go to bet on themselves. They opened the first…

Second Cup names former Wingstop executive Joe Walker CEO

August 4, 2026

Joe Walker, Courtesy of Second Cup Coffee Company, Inc Toronto-based Second Cup Coffee Co. has named former Wingstop executive Joe Walker as its CEO.

5 menu localization myths that could hurt your restaurant brand

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

August 4, 2026

Michael Magerl, Joel Bulger, John Iannucci and Sarah Rooney are the panelists for "From Trend to Table: Operationalizing Regional Promotions in a Multi-Unit…

Savory Fund invests in Zao Asian Grill, targets national growth

August 4, 2026

Savory Fund co-founder Shauna Smith and CEO Clay Dover are keynoting the Fast Casual Executive Summit, Oct. 4-6, where attendees can learn more about the deal.

JEFF’S BAGEL RUN PLANS 10 LOCATIONS ACROSS EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

Jeff’s Bagel Run, the fast-growing bagel brand known for making its bagels from scratch in every shop throughout the day, has awarded a 10-unit franchise…

Traffic counts show signs of recovery post Cyclospora

August 3, 2026

Restaurant chains that experienced sharp declines in foot traffic following the recent Cyclospora outbreak are beginning to recover, although some brands…

3 leaders every Founder must hire to scale

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

To successfully scale a company and transition from an overwhelmed operator to a confident CEO, founders must stop trying to manage everything themselves and…

Shark Club Sports Bar & Grill opens 2nd US location in North Texas

August 3, 2026

Vancouver, British Columbia-based Shark Club Sports Bar & Grill will open its second U.S. location Aug. 7 at 13850 Chadwick Parkway in Northlake, Texas.

How FiiZ Drinks is turning a viral beverage trend into a scalable brand

Plus, Instant CEO Tal Clark reveals new data on restaurant worker financial stress and why faster access to earned wages could be the next retention advantage

Presented by Instant Financial

Cousins Subs beefs up Kid's Meal with more entree, side options

July 31, 2026

Cousins Subs has rolled out a reimagined Kid's Meal at all of its locations, providing families with more meal choices.

Shipley Donuts grows footprint with 9-shop franchise deals in Q2

July 31, 2026

Shipley Donuts expanded its national presence during the first half of 2026, signing franchise agreements for nine shops, entering three new markets and…

Star Micronics, Operandio partner for digital food safety labeling

July 30, 2026

Star Micronics, a global provider of point-of-sale hardware and printing solutions, integrated with Operandio, an AI-powered operations platform for franchise…

How Latitude Food Group CEO James O’Reilly is scaling &pizza, Tijuana Flats

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

As CEO of Latitude Food Group, industry veteran James O'Reilly is leveraging a centralized backend support model and rigorous operational discipline to…

Restaurant catering doesn't need more tech. It needs better tech

Catering companies have plenty of tech options. The key is selecting the right ones for maximum efficiency.

Café Rio debuts LTO Utah Burrito as turnaround continues

July 30, 2026

Café Rio has introduced the limited-time Utah Burrito as part of its broader turnaround effort. The state-inspired menu item debuted July 24, Utah's Pioneer…

3 things fast casual operators can steal from Starbucks' turnaround quarter

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

The company's latest earnings call shows how targeted store upgrades, daypart-focused operations and smarter loyalty perks helped fuel growth — and why the…