Buona ends year with 20% sales growth

December 24, 2024

The Buona Companies, the family owned business behind Buona Chicago's Original Italian beef and The Original Rainbow Cone, drove 20% growth in systemwide sales…

Smalls Sliders expanding in Texas

December 23, 2024

Smalls Sliders is adding six locations, known as "Smorange Cans," in the Southeast Houston region of Texas thanks to an agreement with entrepreneur Matthew…

HTeaO expands reach with nine openings in Q4

December 23, 2024

HTeaO, an iced tea franchise, opened nine stores during Q4 in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, bringing its total to 42 locations launched in 2024.

Voice AI leads AI race, bringing opportunities, challenges

by Daniel Brown — Editor, Networld Media Group

At this year’s Self-Service Innovation Summit, hosted by Networld Media Group in Tampa from December 9-11, I had a chance to sit in on the "Thought leader…

Speaker Spotlight: Robby Berg, Genghis Grill

Robby Berg, regional director of operations for Genghis Grill, shares a look at his career, his achievements and industry trends ahead of his appearance at…

FastCasual opens Top 100 nominations, changes judging process

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

The newly created Fast Casual Index will help determine the Top 100 rankings. Nominations are open now, close Feb. 3

Pinkbox Doughnuts opening 24-hour drive-thru location

December 19, 2024

Las Vegas-based Pinkbox Doughnuts is opening Dec. 28, in Las Vegas at the Boca Park Fashion Village at 800 S. Rampart Blvd. The nearly 3,000-square-foot store…

Potbelly opening in Cleveland

December 19, 2024

Potbelly Corp. is adding a location next week in Cleveland at the Lakewood City Center shopping district, marking its 15th location in Ohio.

7 trends transforming restaurant catering sales in 2025

by Nabeel Alamgir — CEO and Co-founder, Lunchbox.io

Catering remains a high-growth segment for enterprise restaurant brands, with 2024 showcasing significant sales, technology and customer engagement…

Playa Bowls streamlining operations with Qu

December 19, 2024

New Jersey-based Playa Bowls hopes to modernize its point-of-sale, improve kitchen systems and provide real-time reporting by partnering with Qu, a cloud-based…

Jersey Mike's opens 3,000th location

December 19, 2024

Jersey Mike's Subs held a 12-store opening celebration Wednesday, which brought its unit count to 3,000. The chain has opened 322 stores in 2024.

Diebold Nixdorf powers self-service kiosks at Italian smashburger chain Smashie

December 18, 2024

Italian smashburger chain Smashie has partnered with Diebold Nixdorf to implement self-service kiosks at its restaurant in Udine, Italy, according to a press…

6 ways to maximize December catering orders to drive January revenue

by Kelly Grogan — Co-Founder, CRUMBS

With the right strategies, you can leverage your catering business in December to keep the revenue flowing well into the new year.

Kansas welcoming 1st Ziggi's Coffee

December 18, 2024

Colorado-based Ziggi's Coffee is making its Kansas debut when it opens on Dec. 31 at 906 N. Rose Hill Road in Wichita. "We are thrilled to celebrate the…

Square, Sysco partner to save restaurants time, money

December 18, 2024

Square announced this week that since it's officially a Sysco Restaurant Solutions partner, Sysco will promote, co-market and sell Square's technology suite to…

How Friendly's Got 24X More Feedback with Less Work - Ovation Case Study

Friendly’s, the 120+ location family diner, switched from traditional long surveys and skyrocketed the amount of feedback they were getting while managing it…

Presented by Ovation Up, Inc.

How catering becomes lucrative for restaurants

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

A panel at the Fast Casual Executive Summit discussed the ins and outs of catering and tech.

Cilantro Taco Grill unveils digital app with loyalty program

December 17, 2024

Cilantro Taco Grill has released an online ordering app to elevate customer convenience, streamline franchisee operations and enhance its loyalty program.

Sweet Paris, Shipley Do-nuts rock Nashville with openings

December 17, 2024

Shipley Do-Nuts and Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café are opening flagship locations nex year at Nashville Yards, thanks to a partnership with franchisee…

Grubhub sold at a 90% loss: What does it mean for the future?

by Robin Gagnon — Co-Founder and CEO of We Sell Restaurants, We Sell Restaurants

The Grubhub sale isn't just an isolated incident; it's an indicator that the current model is not sustainable.