From wobbly table fixes to herbal refrigerators, innovation was on display at NRA (Part 1)

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

More than 45,000 buyers in the restaurant industry hit Chicago this week to check out the thousands of products and services on display at the National…

5 reasons your restaurant loyalty program stinks

by Andrew Gazdecki — Owner, 1988

Bruster's to open 5 Phoenix-area locations

May 24, 2017

Five Bruster's locations will soon bring cool relief to the people of Phoenix, Arizona. The chain has signed a new franchise deal for the area, as part of its…

Because "cowboys" eat salads, too

May 24, 2017

Dallas-based Cowboy Chicken is celebrating  National Salad Month by putting a favorite former LTO on the menu permanently, a news release said. 

CONNECT Summit to tackle mobile technology's impact on restaurants, retail

Jayson Tipp, Nikki Baird among the keynote speakers for the fourth annual executive event.

Jack in the Box Selects Hughes for Its Nationwide Next-Generation Network

Quick service restaurant Jack in the Box and its Qdoba Mexican Grill subsidiary have selected Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) the world's leading provider…

Salata breaks ground on 1st Atlanta unit

May 23, 2017

Salata broke ground this week on its first Atlanta restaurant, located at 265 19th St. NW, in Atlantic Station, according to a press release.

Blaze Pizza takes top place in Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers

Jim Bitticks, VP, operations and training for Blaze Pizza, takes the stage to accept first place in this year's Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers.

Restaurants realizing importance of mobile payments and loyalty

by Will Hernandez — Editor, NetWorld Media Group

Loyalty and order-ahead-and-pay are becoming the standard in the industry.

PizzaRev partners with accelerator to fuel growth

May 23, 2017

PizzaRev has a new majority investor — Cleveland Avenue —  a Chicago-based accelerator firm.

Labor issues: Why your brilliant marketing efforts are failing

by Dave Bennett — President & CEO, Mirus Restaurant Solutions

Before you pass labor issues off to the next guy, you may want to see how labor affects the marketing department's efforts.

Food Online Ordering Systems integrates with Epson's printer for online ordering solution, including self-order kiosk

May 23, 2017

Food Online Ordering Systems, a provider of custom, in-house online ordering solutions for restaurants, has certified Epson America, Inc.'s latest product…

Negotiating debt covenants or personal guarantees? Read these tips first

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

Editor's note; Vince Stasiulewicz co-authored this blog.

Leaders of Fazoli's, Saladworks, Fresh Brothers Pizza, Grimaldi's, Focus Brands: 'Change is coming'

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

The sands are shifting almost daily and almost on every front: That's the verdict from five restaurant industry leaders who shared their views Monday on the…

Paytronix report examines how to draw less frequent guests into loyalty program

May 22, 2017

Paytronix Systems Inc. has released a report that examines key metrics on guest loyalty programs. The report found that the majority of new members that join a…

Blaze Pizza takes top honors at Fast Casual Top 100 gala

May 22, 2017

The annual Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers recognizes brands leading the pack when it comes to growth and innovation.

2017 Fast Casual Top 100

This year’s list of Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers recognizes 76 brands and 24 industry executives.

PR guru shares tips to saving your brand from a crisis

Ellen Hartman, CEO of Hartman Public Relations, taught the attendees of this year's Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit in Dallas about the…

Bulletproof Coffee CEO bringing butter coffee to the masses?

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

In part two of our series on butter coffee, Dave Asprey, CEO of Bulletproof Coffee, discusses how he's brewed butter coffee into a lifestyle.

San Francisco's Curry Up Now, Tava Kitchen merge

May 19, 2017

San Francisco's Curry Up Now has acquired Tava Kitchen, also based in San Francisco, according to a company press release.