Toast donating $35M to restaurant recovery

December 17, 2020

Toast POS, a restaurant management platform, is donating $35 million worth of free services and funding as part of a winter restaurant relief plan to support…

Fatburger continues Singapore, California expansion

December 17, 2020

FAT Brands Inc., parent company of Fatburger, Buffalo's Express and seven other restaurant concepts, has opened its fifth co-branded Fatburger and Buffalo's…

NYC soup shop adds cloud-based tech

December 17, 2020

Hale & Hearty Soups, a New York City-based fast casual chain, has tapped Appetize Technologies Inc. to upgrade its point-of-sale operations at all 2…

Noodles & Co testing ravioli, tortelloni

December 17, 2020

Noodles & Co is testing ravioli and tortelloni dishes at 21 locations in Colorado, Illinois and Ohio. "Our new ravioli and tortelloni dishes offer a…

Sweetgreen revving up sales via drive-in concept

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Calling it an "updated, healthy version of the traditional drive-thru," Sweetgreen said the drive-in will feature tech-enabled ordering as well as an…

Modern Market gets 'Honest' about pizza

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Operating out of a Modern Market in Broomfield, Colorado, the delivery-only concept comes from the chefs behind Modern Market, a 26-unit healthy fast casual…

Why fresh-food vending is gaining fast casual market share

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Technology and changing consumer needs are creating an opportunity for fresh-food vending machines, which may prove to be a fierce competitor for fast casuals.

Luckin Coffee paying $180M to settle fraud allegations

December 16, 2020

China-based Luckin Coffee, which was once a major Starbucks competitor and a pioneer in self-service coffee, must pay a $180 million penalty after the U.S.

Freddy's opens 400th location

December 16, 2020

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has opened its milestone 400th location. Located at the Bluhawk Shopping Center in Overland Park, Kansas, the…

GFG opening 5 locations in 6 months

December 16, 2020

Greek From Greece is opening five locations in the next six months, according to a company press release. With 44 corporate stores open or in development in…

Restaurants, third-party delivery companies agree on public policy principles

Restaurant leaders and third-party delivery providers have released their first public policy guidelines around principles for restaurant delivery provision in…

BurgerFi's IPO is a done deal

December 16, 2020

Opes Acquisition Corp.'s stockholders voted this week to approve the $100 million purchase of BurgerFi International, which was first announced in June.

Inspire names Dunkin', Baskin-Robbins presidents

December 16, 2020

Inspire Brands Inc. has completed its previously announced $11.3 billion acquisition of Dunkin' Brands Group, making it the nation's second-biggest restaurant…

Old Chicago's parent company opening 175 virtual locations

December 16, 2020

Nashville, Tennessee-based SPB Hospitality has launched its first virtual concept, Twisted Tenders, across 175 locations in 33 states, and a news release said…

Meet the inaugural class of WILD-certified brands

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

FastCasual is honoring fast casual brands dedicated to ensuring that women have a seat at the leadership table.

Shake Shack on the digital track

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

December 16, 2020

Shake Shack is testing delivery in Miami through its app via an exclusive partnership with Uber Eats. The pilot program is the first time Shake Shack has…

Boston Market replacing POS system

December 15, 2020

Boston Market is deploying a POS system to replace its one in all 350 locations nationwide thanks to a partnership with ParTech Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary…

How Church’s Chicken Uses Data To Drive its Digital Marketing

In his recent episode of Restaurants Reinvented, Alan explains why one-to-one marketing is his ultimate goal, how data quality trumps quantity, and why…

Dave's Hot Chicken inks 26-unit deal for Texas

December 15, 2020

Dave's Hot Chicken, a Los Angeles-based street food turned fast casual brand, has inked a franchise agreement to open 26 locations throughout Houston and…

Mobivity, Par Tech partner to drive digital transformation

December 15, 2020

Mobivity Holdings Corp., a provider of personalized customer engagement solutions, is partnering with Par Tech Inc., a point-of-sale software provider.