Blaze Pizza franchisee opens Dave's Hot Chicken location

December 15, 2021

Los Angeles-based Dave's Hot Chicken opened a store last week in Port Hueneme in Ventura County, California, marking the first of 20 locations operated by…

Island Fin Poké swims into St. Petersburg

December 15, 2021

Island Fin Poké will open in St. Petersburg, Florida. The new store will be located at 210 37th Ave. N., according to a press release.

Lyft teams with Olo on restaurant delivery

December 15, 2021

Ride share company Lyft is teaming up with Olo, and its on-demand commerce platform Dispatch, to deliver digital orders for Olo's restaurant network brands.

Ziggy's Coffee opens new headquarters

December 14, 2021

Ziggi's Coffee, a specialty coffee shop and drive-thru franchise serving handcrafted drinks, locally-made breakfast, and lunch and snack options, has opened a…

Boston Starbucks workers aim to unionize

December 14, 2021

Workers at two Boston-based Starbucks stores filed to unionize Monday just one week after fellow employees in Buffalo unionized the first store in the chain.

Restaurant employees satisfied but not with wages

December 14, 2021

Restaurant employees, overall, are satisfied with their jobs but not with their wages. That is a prime finding of a study from 7shifts, a team management…

Torchy's Tacos opens 1st Virginia location

December 14, 2021

Torchy's Tacos will open tomorrow in Charlottesville, Virginia. The store will be located at 1951 Swanson Drive and marks Torchy's first Virginia location and…

Philadelphia to require COVID vaccine for indoor dining

December 14, 2021

Philadelphia is the latest city to require proof of vaccination inside dining establishments. Diners will have to show their vaccination card and a government…

Kum & Go transforming into fast casual brand?

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Kum & Go has created a line of freshly prepared sandwiches, grain bowls, pizzas and blended beverages worthy of any fast casual brand, according to Jac…

The Habit Burger Grill adding to SoCal presence

December 14, 2021

The Habit Burger Grill, a California-based fast casual owned by YUM Brands, is opening this week at 20445 Sherman Way in L.A.'s Canoga Park.

Luckin Coffee improves Q3 2021 sales, earnings

December 13, 2021

Luckin Coffee, a pioneer in coffee vending and a competitor to Starbucks in China which recently entered into a restructuring support agreement with…

PappaRoti opens 4th Michigan location

December 13, 2021

PappaRoti has opened its fourth location in Michigan. The coffee shop franchise has opened stores around the United States, including in Illinois and Nebraska…

Teriyaki Madness signs 15-unit deal for San Antonio

December 13, 2021

Teriyaki Madness, a Seattle-style teriyaki shop based in Colorado, is opening in San Antonio following a three-unit deal with Daniel Gifford and Gilberto…

Torchy's Tacos offering on-demand pay to employees

December 13, 2021

Austin-based Torchy's Tacos is providing hourly employees with access to their earned wages as they need. Through a partnership with DailyPay, a provider of…

FAT Brands inks Libya deal to open 10 co-branded locations

December 10, 2021

FAT Brands Inc., the parent company of Fatburger, Johnny Rockets and 13 other restaurant concepts, has signed a deal to open 10 co-branded locations in Libya.

Chicken Salad Chick opens 36th Georgia unit

December 10, 2021

Chicken Salad Chick is opening next week in Tifton, Georgia, marking the state's 36th location. Featuring a drive-thru and patio seating and located at 2202 US…

At least 1 Starbucks to unionize

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

December 10, 2021

Despite a letter sent this week to Starbucks employees from CEO Kevin Johnson reminding them that they were the "heartbeat of this company," workers at the…

Fatburger, Buffalo's Express make Arkansas debut

December 9, 2021

FAT Brands Inc., the parent company of Fatburger, Buffalo's Express, and 13 other restaurant concepts, has opened a co-branded Fatburger and Buffalo's Express…

5 restaurant tech trends here to stay in 2022

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Take a look at five technologies that will still be necessary in 2022.

Fazoli’s, FAT Brands CEOs keynoting RFIS 2022

December 9, 2021

Fazoli's and FAT Brands made headlines last month when their CEOs Carl Howard and Andy Widerhorn, respectively, announced that FAT Brands was acquiring the…