The Melt's airport debut takes flight at SFO

July 10, 2026

The Melt has opened its first airport restaurant at San Francisco International Airport's Harvey Milk Terminal 1.

Qdoba inks deals for over 100 franchised restaurants

July 10, 2026

Qdoba is expanding its franchise footprint with new development agreements that will open over 100 restaurants across the Southeast and West.

Clean Eatz credits solid Q1 to '5-revenue stream business model'

July 9, 2026

Company officials credited the gains to Clean Eatz's five-revenue-stream business model, which includes meal plans, grab-and-go meals, café dining, catering…

Restaurant Catering Workshop keynote to reveal the 'hidden' drivers of catering growth

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

The keynote opens a full day of education focused on helping restaurant operators build stronger catering businesses. Throughout the workshop, attendees will…

Slutty Vegan signs franchise deal to open in Ohio

July 9, 2026

Atlanta-based Slutty Vegan is expanding into Ohio after signing a franchise agreement to open its first locations in Columbus and Cleveland. Soul Republic…

Café Rio to open 2nd restaurant in St. George, Utah

July 9, 2026

Café Rio will open its second restaurant this week in St. George, Utah, at 4609 S. Pioneer Road. The restaurant expands the brand's presence in the city where…

Juice it Up opens California location

July 9, 2026

Juice it Up has opened a new location in Roseville, California. Local husband-and-wife franchisees Paul and Sonja Grotke own and operate the store at 97…

Pinkbox owner acquires Hot Dog on a Stick

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Stephen Siegel, the founder of Amazing Brands, said the acquisition of the 80-year-old brand will launch a new phase of national and international expansion…

Why Chipotle is funding these 6 emerging brands

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

July 8, 2026

The chain's Cultivate Next will fund Benchmark Labs, IMIO, Clean Crop Technologies, Athian, SIMPLi and PopID.

HTeaO to host grand opening celebration in Lowell, Arkansas

July 8, 2026

Iced tea franchise HTeaO will host the grand opening of its first Lowell, Arkansas, location on Saturday, July 11, according to a press release.

Moe's Southwest Grill, Schlotzsky's execs discuss AI usage, new prototypes, growth plans

GoTo Foods CBOs Mike Smith (Moe's Southwest Grill) and Donna Varner (Schlotzsky's) join Fast Casual Nation host Cherryh Cansler to discuss how a shared brand…

Your Pie targets Wilmington for North Carolina franchise expansion

July 8, 2026

Your Pie, an Atlanta-based fast-casual pizza franchise, will expand its footprint in North Carolina, targeting Wilmington and the Cape Fear region for its next…

Nominations now open for Top 30 Movers & Shakers: Catering

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Nominations will close July 28, 2026.

The World Pizza champion who 'Let go to grow'

13-time world pizza champion Tony Gemignani spent 17 years honing his craft before betting on himself. In this episode of Founderology - Built to Breakthrough…

Report: Cyberattacks hit 78% of restaurants despite security confidence

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

A 10-unit restaurant chain could lose between $20,000 and $50,000 during a two-hour outage on a busy Friday evening, excluding recovery costs such as forensic…

Smashburger simplifies summer LTO lineup to improve operations

July 8, 2026

Smashburger is taking a more focused approach to limited-time offerings this summer, introducing two burgers and two shakes as part of a broader strategy to…

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers ending 2026 with over 60 openings

July 7, 2026

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is on track to open about 60 restaurants in 2026, pushing the fast-casual chain close to the 600-location milestone.

Pokeworks seeking Texas real estate for expansion

July 7, 2026

Pokeworks is ramping up its Texas expansion, having sold out franchise availability across nearly every major market in the state.

Swig signs 13-unit Chicago development agreement

July 7, 2026

Swig, a dirty soda brand, has signed a 13-unit franchise agreement to expand into Chicago's southwest suburbs.

Why more women are turning to restaurant franchising

by Carla McLean — Marketing Executive, IFA World Franchise Show

For women looking to build a business with long-term scalability, franchising presents an opportunity to combine independence with the support of an…