Antares Group merging with Aprio

October 13, 2023

Antares Group, which provides accounting and financial services to over 1,600 McDonald's restaurants and other quick service and fast casual brands in over 4…

Japan's Pepper Lunch opening units in Phoenix

October 13, 2023

Pepper Lunch, a Japanese-born fast casual with over 500 locations in 15 countries, has signed its first development agreement for North America since…

IHOP franchisee opening 20 Fuzzy's in Nevada

October 13, 2023

Texas-based Fuzzy's Taco Shop is entering Nevada, thanks to a 20-restaurant agreement with Mr. Stax, which owns and operates IHOP restaurants in eight states.

Curry Up Now planting flag in UK

October 11, 2023

Curry Up Now has inked a 60-unit deal with multi-unit franchisee Harjinder Atwal to enter the U.K. The brand, which originated in San Francisco, specializes in…

Jars by Fabio going to Kansas City

October 11, 2023

Jars by Fabio Viviani, the single-serve dessert concept founded by chef Fabio Viviani, has signed a seven-unit franchise agreement in the Kansas City market…

Webinar unveils secret sauce for franchise success: Standardization

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

October 11, 2023

Sam Gerace, CEO of Lineup.ai, and Michael Schatten, VP of operations at fast-casual brand Carrot Express, talk about standardizing operations to increase…

Zaxby's trolls Philadelphia with Dolph Lundgren ad

October 11, 2023

Athens, Georgia-based Zaxby's is putting its own spin on the classic Philly cheesesteak and has tapped Dolph Lundgren to star in an ad campaign geared toward…

Chick N Max debuts Sioux Falls location

October 11, 2023

Chick N Max has opened its first Sioux Falls, South Dakota location at 2201 S. Lorraine Place.

How diversity became Shake Shack's key ingredient

by Bradley Cooper — Editor, Connect Media

Shake Shack set big goals for diversity. At the Fast Casual Executive Summit, Idris Stover, director of diversity, equity inclusion and engagement, discussed…

How to make, sell creative pizzas in modern industry

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, Pizza Marketplace editor Mandy Wolf Detwiler catches up with Andrew Scudera Jr., owner of The Original…

Fuzzy's opening in Wisconsin

October 9, 2023

Fuzzy's Taco Shop opened its first Wisconsin restaurant on Monday in Weston. Owned and operated by Starboard Group Restaurants, the 3,100-square-foot…

Scooter's Coffee exec: 'The whole point of innovation is growth'

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

Nathan Lester, senior director, drive-thru innovations for Scooter’s Coffee, spoke about pairing innovation and growth during the keynote address kicking off…

El Pollo Loco hires former Qdoba exec as CMO

October 6, 2023

El Pollo Loco Inc. has hired Jill Adams as CMO. The former SVP of Marketing at Qdoba previously worked at Jack in the Box but mostly recently served as VP of…

Shipley Do-Nuts rolling into Charlotte

October 6, 2023

Shipley Do-Nuts has signed a development deal with Charlotte-area franchisees John and Lillian Brijeski to open its first North Carolina locations in late…

Fast casual industry up 11.5% by 2027

October 6, 2023

The U.S. fast casual market is increasing by $55.4 billion from 2022 to 2027, growing at a CAGR of 11.56%, according to report by Technavio, which said that…

Newk's brand refresh adding 'a little extra'

October 5, 2023

Newk's Eatery has rebranded with the tagline "Extra with Every Bite" to amplify the little extras that guests love about the restaurant, said CMO Denise Pedini.

Smashburger, Woworks, Craveworthy leaders revealing menu optimization tips

October 5, 2023

Optimizing menus across channels is one of the most important tools restaurants have when it comes to increasing customer satisfaction. Happy customers equal…

Tropical Smoothie Cafe surpasses 1,330 cafes

October 5, 2023

Atlanta-based Tropical Smoothie Cafe continues to see positive growth through Q3 of 2023, reporting positive same-store sales, opening 141 cafes and signing…

Port of Subs entering Colorado with 20-unit deal

October 5, 2023

Port of Subs, a 50-year sandwich brand founded in Nevada, has signed a deal to bring 20 units to the Denver area. Having recently been acquired by a…

Slim Chickens adds 2 UK locations

October 5, 2023

In partnership with multi-unit operating group Boparan Restaurant Group, Arkansas-based Slim Chickens is opening a location in Bury St. Edmonds as well as…