Chicken Salad Chick opens in West Virginia, expands to 26 states

September 8, 2026

Atlanta-based Chicken Salad Chick will open its first West Virginia restaurant Sept. 16 in Barboursville, expanding its footprint to 26 states.

Tenderloins lead the way in the handheld chicken boom

Handheld chicken concepts are having a moment, or rather a movement.

Presented by Mountaire Farms

Brothers, friends launch Griller Bros in Bangladesh, ready to grow

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Founded by three brothers and a core group of culinary professionals with two decades of international food industry experience, Griller Bros was born out of a…

Firehouse Subs opens 200th Canadian location, doubles footprint

September 4, 2026

Firehouse Subs opened its 200th Canadian restaurant Sept. 3, at 918 85th St. W., in Calgary, Alberta, doubling its Canadian presence over the past two years.

DoorDash: Workplace meals help bring employees back to the office

September 4, 2026

Office meals are shifting from an employee perk to a strategic benefit. Companies are increasingly using food to boost office attendance, according to a report…

Evergreens dangles reduced royalty rates to land 1st franchisees

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Excluding airport units, the top half of Evergreen's company-owned restaurants averaged more than $1.45 million in annual sales last year

Zaxbys partners with Nerds to bring back strawberry milkshake

September 3, 2026

Zaxbys has joined forces with candy brand Nerds to bring back its Nerds Strawberry Milkshake, according to a company press release. The beverage is available…

Flying Biscuit Cafe franchisee to open 4th Raleigh location

September 3, 2026

Flying Biscuit Cafe franchisee Tahir Rafiq will open his fourth location in Raleigh, North Carolina, during the first quarter of 2027. The 6609 Falls of Neuse…

4 reasons (and a raccoon) why you can't miss the Fast Casual Executive Summit

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Keynoters, Perfect Pitch contestants and a trash panda walk into Arlington; here's your Fast Casual Executive Summit October 4–6 game plan.

Fast Casual Executive Summit preview: Learn how a unified guest view spurs big rewards

by Judy Mottl — Editor: RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com, Connect Media

Fast casual brands can break down the walls between tech systems to craft a unified customer view that can drive an immediate return-on-investment. Learn how…

How Steele Smiley sold a fitness empire to bet on healthy fast food

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

Steele Smiley spent 15 years building a fitness empire with more than 900 U.S. franchisees and locations in more than 35 countries, sold it, and founded CRISP…

Brooklyn Water Bagel opens 1st campus location at Nova Southeastern University

September 2, 2026

Brooklyn Water Bagel, known for its New York-style bagels, coffee and 14-step water filtration process, has opened its first campus location at Nova…

HB Protein Smoothies hires Tyler Doolittle to lead real estate, openings

September 2, 2026

HB Protein Smoothies, a Fransmart-backed franchise, has hired Tyler Doolittle as director of real estate and openings. Doolittle will work with franchise…

WOWorks announces 23 restaurant openings in 2026, with 15 more planned

September 2, 2026

WOWorks, parent company of Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, The Simple Greek, Barberitos and Zoup! Eatery, has opened 23 new restaurants…

Chipotle opens 1st Asia location in Seoul

September 2, 2026

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. has opened its first restaurant in Asia, a location in Seoul, South Korea, through a joint partnership with Sangmidang Holdings…

Bonchon acquisition by Minor Food, Serruya Private Equity closes

September 2, 2026

Bonchon's ownership has officially changed hands, with Minor Food and Serruya Private Equity completing their acquisition of the Korean fried chicken chain…

Evergreens Launches Franchise Program, Bringing Fresh, Craveable Salads, Wraps and Bowls to New Markets Across the West

Seattle-born fast-casual brand opens franchise development across 12 Western states and introduces limited-time Founders Incentive for its first franchise…

How restaurant real estate is being rewritten — and what operators need to know

On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Daniel Ceniceros, Founder & CEO of Connect Media, to unpack how…

Little Caesars, Jersey Mike's franchisee adding Mike's Red Tacos to Michigan portfolio

September 1, 2026

Mike's Red Tacos, a San Diego-born birria concept named a Yelp Top 100 U.S. restaurant in 2023, has signed a 15-unit franchise agreement to expand into…

Fast-casual brand collabs: Making partnership pay off

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

Kelly Gray (Hot Head Burritos) Stacey Kane (chief marketing officer) Lori Primavera (Smoothie King) and Traci Graziani (Kraft Heinz) will present their…