CUPS selling digital gift cards

December 19, 2013

Fans of CUPS Frozen Yogurt – That's Hot, a beach-themed self-serve fro-yo concept, can now purchase digital gift cards, according to a company press release.

CaliBurger's Middle East units opening first half of 2014

December 19, 2013

CaliBurger announced this week that it will open five restaurants in the Middle East in the first half of 2014. These openings represent the beginning of a…

Wingstop launches 'Flavor Fight' social media campaign

December 19, 2013

Wingstop and Dr. Pepper have launched the first-ever #FlavorFight contest on social media, inviting fans to vote for their favorite Wingstop flavors and the…

Bowl of Heaven adds dragon fruit, prickly pear

December 19, 2013

Bowl of Heaven is bringing on two super fruits, pitaya, also known as dragon fruit, from Nicaragua and prickly pear — both made from cacti — for the…

Going digital: How 1 Arkansas chain controls hiring, training, scheduling

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

MarketPlace Grill uses Red Book Connect solutions to track training, hiring and scheduling.

Infographic: Fast Casual Social Media Top 10

A look at how the largest fast casual chains in the U.S. stack up on social media.

NPD reports restaurant visits flat, consumer spending up

December 18, 2013

NPD's Crest foodservice tracking shows restaurant traffic remained flat for the bulk of the year compared to last year, and forecasts the year will end the…

Pre-winter means a perfect storm for LTOs

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

From sandwiches to lattes, FastCasual.com takes a look at some of the season's newest menu items.

Pizza Hut, Domino's dominate 2013 Google searches

December 18, 2013

Google has announced its 13th annual Zeitgeist results, showing what users searched for the most during the year. Once again, Pizza Hut was the top searched…

Marketing budgets focused on increased customer engagement in 2014

December 18, 2013

New research from StrongView shows that marketers plan to increase their budgets on activities that increase customer engagement in 2014. However, according to…

Chipotle launches fast casual pizza concept

December 18, 2013

While many new top-your-own concepts expand throughout the country touting themselves as the "Chipotle of pizza," there is now an actual "Chipotle of pizza."

Camille's launches Breakfast Parfait Wrap

December 18, 2013

Camille's Sidewalk Café, a Tulsa, Okla.-based, fast casual concept, has rolled out a Breakfast Parfait Wrap.

Burger 21 opens in Fort Myers

December 18, 2013

Burger 21 has announced the grand opening of its first restaurant in the Fort Myers, Fla., market, located in the Gulf Coast Town Center at 9902 Gulf Coast…

Freebirds celebrates Christmas by helping disadvantaged children

December 18, 2013

Freebirds World Burrito, the fast casual burrito concept owned by Tavistock Restaurants, celebrated Christmas a few weeks early with nearly 60 disadvantaged…

1 in every 10 adult received Starbucks gift card last holiday season

December 18, 2013

With many schools and businesses preparing to break for the winter holidays this week, Starbucks anticipates record purchases and activations of Starbucks…

The holidays - A time to reflect, give thanks and celebrate

Will 2014 be business as usual, or do you plan to explore how things can be better?

2013 holiday LTOs

November and December are always popular months for restaurants to launch limited-time offers. Check out a few from this season.

NRA collaborates with Primary Color to offer branding insights

December 17, 2013

The National Restaurant Association will collaborate with the visual solutions company Primary Color to provide enhanced branding insights for restaurant and…

OpenTable acquires Quickcue for guest management

December 17, 2013

OpenTable Inc. announced that it has acquired Quickcue LLC, a provider of guest management systems for restaurants, for approximately $11.5 million in cash…

Bruster's incorporates indoor seating with Georgia prototype store

December 17, 2013

Bruster's Real Ice Cream is building its first prototype store in Savannah, Ga. The new location, owned by Patrick DeLaRosa and partner Brandy Montez, will…