YUM Brands acquiring The Habit Burger

January 6, 2020

Yum Brands, the parent company of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC, announced that it will acquire The Habit Burger Grill for $375 million, or $14 a share in cash…

Caviar & Bananas closes Nashville and Greenville, South Carolina locations

January 6, 2020

Caviar & Bananas, an upscale fast casual eatery and market, has closed its Nashville site and one of its three South Carolina locations, according to The…

Dickey's offers franchise discount to first-time owners

January 3, 2020

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants is encouraging new beginnings for restaurant-curious entrepreneurs looking to expand their business opportunities in the new…

Chicken Salad expanding Houston footprint

January 3, 2020

Chicken Salad Chick is expanding in the Houston area with its newest restaurant in Kingwood. The chain closed out 2019 with 40 openings, including three in the…

Largest Pieology franchisee takes on 21 corporate locations

January 2, 2020

Pieology Pizzeria has refranchised 21 corporate-owned restaurants to one of its largest franchisees, Akash Management, Llc. CEO Amir Siddiqi, who already is a…

Applebee's testing fast casual concept

Applebee's is on top of the casual dining sector, and its success may be due to the fact that it has leaned into the fast casual mindset.

Chipotle gets a little greener

January 2, 2020

Chipotle Mexican Grill is rolling out a "Supergreens" salad mix with romaine, baby kale and baby spinach, which will replace the existing romaine-only salad…

Blendid installs its second robotic smoothie kiosk

December 31, 2019

Robotic self-serve smoothie kiosk-maker, Blendid, has  installed its second location, this one at Sonoma State University's Charlie Brown Café earlier this…

Jan. 14 webinar gives even smallest brands mega-marketing powers

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

December 31, 2019

Want to put your brand on the lists of hot dining spots without substantial outlays of cash? Plan to attend this upcoming webinar.

Click this: Top 10 fast casual stories of 2019

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

It's almost bottle-popping time, but first let's take a look back at FastCasual's most popular articles of 2019.

Zoup! delivering soup to those in need

December 30, 2019

January is National Soup Month, and to celebrate, Zoup! Eatery is delivering 100 Zoup! Rescue Care Packages across the United States and Ontario, Canada…

Main Squeeze Juice headed to Fort Worth

December 30, 2019

Main Squeeze Juice Co., a newcomer to the more than $5 billion juice market, is continuing its expansion throughout Texas with an opening at 4560 Heritage…

Huey Magoo's plans 10 openings in 2020

December 30, 2019

Huey Magoo's has opened a location in Ocoee, Florida, featuring the chain's first drive-thru. The 2,000-square-foot restaurant, which includes indoor and…

RFIS 2020 Sponsor Preview: HotRocks

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

The Hot Rocks Oven is a new way to cook pizza, combining a conveyor for speed and stones for high quality, said CFO Vincent Tourigny.

NYC deli teams up with Vita Coco to deliver hangover kits

December 30, 2019

New York City-based Lenwich is teaming up with Postmates and Vita Coco, a coconut water beverage brand to not only celebrate National Hangover Day Wednesday…

Can fast casual get any faster?

by Nancy A Shenker — CEO, theONswitch, LLC

Nancy Shenker of MomentFeed offers five ways to speed up service without sacrificing food quality.

Blaze Pizza opens 10th North Carolina location

December 30, 2019

Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza is making its Jacksonville, North Carolina, debut Thursday at 3040 Western Blvd., and will celebrate Friday by giving customers who…

Kura Sushi opening in Texas

December 27, 2019

Kura Sushi USA, which offers a dining experience built on authentic Japanese cuisine and a technology-enabled revolving sushi service model, has opened…

Why you should give your hourly workers these 3 things

Snagajob's 2019 State of the Hourly Worker Report identified three takeaways franchise and restaurant leaders can use to retain and manage today's hourly…

Kansas City fine-dining experts open fast casual concept

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Chef Michael Corvino and his wife and business partner, Christina, are experts when it comes to fine dining. The owners of Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room…