News & Media

Uncommon Brands Taps former &Pizza execs, promotes executive to leadership team

October 12, 2026

Uncommon Brands, a Dallas-based group behind fast-casual concepts Fuego Tortilla Grill and The Rice Box, has appointed two former &pizza executives to its…

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HTeaO co-founder steps down, names Brian Wise as CEO

October 12, 2026

HTeaO opened nine stores across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas in the third quarter and appointed Brian Wise as CEO, succeeding co-founder Justin Howe, who…

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Chicken Salad Chick adds Pennsylvania, West Virginia locations

October 12, 2026

Chicken Salad Chick is expanding its Northeast footprint with development agreements in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

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Starbucks puts the brakes on Chipotle takeover rumors

Count me among those who aren't the least bit shocked to learn that the Starbucks-Chipotle acquisition talk was nothing more than a rumor.

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Why restaurants need a different labor playbook

by John Dorer — CEO, eb3.work

For years, restaurants have treated labor shortages as a hiring problem. When the applicant pool gets thin, the answer is usually to recruit harder or lean on…

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Deliverect, Yext syncing live operational data across digital channels

October 9, 2026

Deliverect, a global restaurant technology platform serving more than 80,000 locations across 70-plus countries, has partnered with enterprise agentic…

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Smaller menus may not be the growth hack restaurants thought they were

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

As restaurants continue to balance operational simplicity with the need to give guests reasons to visit, the menu-size debate is unlikely to disappear. The…

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Snooze Eatery names Amy Hom COO

October 9, 2026

Denver-based Snooze Eatery has hired Amy Hom as chief operating officer, effective Sept. 28, as the breakfast-and-brunch chain invests in operations and plans…

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Newk’s Eatery 2nd second Wichita location

October 9, 2026

Newk's Eatery has opened its second Wichita, Kansas, restaurant, expanding its local presence just 10 months after its first location debuted.

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Dave’s Hot Chicken hits 500 restaurants, adds 100 units in 6 months

October 9, 2026

Dave's Hot Chicken opened its 500th restaurant Thursday in Phoenix, marking a milestone for the fast-casual chain that has added about 100 locations since…

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&pizza goes all in on toppings with new MAXX pizzas

October 8, 2026

&pizza is introducing two limited-time pizzas designed to deliver more sauce, cheese and toppings in every bite. Beginning Oct. 16, the Meat MAXX and…

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Jersey Mike’s franchisee opening Dunn Bros Coffee in Illinois, Iowa

October 8, 2026

Dunn Brothers Coffee is entering Illinois and adding to its Iowa presence through a development agreement with a new multi-unit franchisee.

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Starbucks says sugar-free lawsuit allegations have no merit

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

Starbucks said the lawsuit filed against it this week over the labeling of its sugar-free protein beverages have no merit.

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Ono Hawaiian BBQ opens second Texas location in McKinney

October 8, 2026

Ono Hawaiian BBQ opened its second Texas location Oct. 2 at 4610 W. University Drive in McKinney, just months after the Hawaiian fast-casual brand made its…

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Sweetgreen hires former Starbucks leader as chief people officer

October 8, 2026

Sweetgreen has named Lauren Crowley as chief people officer as the fast-casual chain looks to strengthen its people organization for its next stage of growth.

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Tiki Taco adds 7th Kansas City location

October 7, 2026

Tiki Taco is expanding its Kansas City footprint next week with a location in the city's Crossroads Arts District, marking the fast casual brand's seventh open…

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