Chicken Salad Chick: 'Let them eat cake'

May 29, 2024

Chicken Salad Chick has added White Chocolate Layer Cake cake to the menu, thanks to its recent purchase of an Atlanta-based bakery.

3 ways fast casuals can boost check spend with 'crossover cocktails'

Fast casual is the ideal segment to capitalize on the trend of combining wine, beer or spirits, according to Zach Poelma, SVP of Supplier Strategy & Insights…

Bubbakoo’s Burritos opening in Celebration

May 29, 2024

Bubbakoo's Burritos opened last week in Celebration, Florida at 1705 Future Way, inside the Celebration Pointe shopping mall. Owned and operated by Stephanie…

Panera is in its 'Sipping Era'

May 29, 2024

Panera Bread is celebrating its "More is More" Era by giving MyPanera members free access to its Unlimited Sip Club, a daily subscription program, which costs…

Nekter, Taziki's take home 'tech-related' Top 100 awards

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

L&L Hawaiian and Original ChopShop also received awards for technology deployments.

What franchises should know about expiring estate, gift-tax exemptions

Nina M. Daigle, tax partner in Aprio’s restaurant, franchise and hospitality segment, reveals how franchises may leverage the current exemption amount before…

Cilantro Taco lands 100-unit deal

May 28, 2024

Cilantro Taco Grill, supported by Grammy-award-winning artist, Armando Perez (Pitbull), has secured a 100-unit franchise deal for Florida with Alex Nikitin…

Naf Naf Grill expanding footprint inside Love's Travel Stops

May 28, 2024

Naf Naf Middle Eastern Grill is opening three locations by year's end within Love's Travel Stops in Greenville, Virginia; Barstow, California, and a Tennessee…

Givex launches AI-powered platform for personalized customer engagement

May 24, 2024

Givex Corp., a provider of cloud-based customer engagement and business insights platforms, has launched GivexEngageAI. The AI platform is designed to enhance…

Farmer Boys bolsters leadership team

May 24, 2024

Farmer Boys, which has 100 locations, appointed Noah Chillingworth as CMO and promoted Gisel Villeda to VP of Human Resources.

Insomnia Cookies launches loyalty program

May 23, 2024

Philadelphia-based Insomnia Cookies, known for serving warm cookies all day and late into the night, has created Insomnia Rewards, a loyalty program to enhance…

Winning at the franchising game

by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

How do restaurants succeed at the franchising game? A panel at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit shared some key strategies.

Why your online ordering system is not a catering strategy

by Terry Matthews — Managing Partner, Off Premises Growth Academy

Catering expert Erle Dardick reveals how restaurants can create an off-premises and catering foundation built for growth.

Rusty Taco reopening in Dubuque

May 22, 2024

Dallas-based Rusty Taco, a street-style taco restaurant is reopening in Dubuque, Iowa, under new owner Maxwell Weisberg. The 23-year-old operator's background…

BurgerFi relaunching 'Chicken Wars'

May 22, 2024

BurgerFi rebranded Tuesday as ChickenFi and dived into the so-called "Chicken Wars," which have been ongoing for several years thanks to fast casuals and QSRs…

Axonify launches employee training, engagement app

May 21, 2024

Axonify, a provider of frontline learning and workforce productivity, is introducing the Axonify Frontline Employee Engagement Suite to address the employee…

Brix finalizes Clean Juice acquisition

May 21, 2024

Brix Holdings, a multi-brand franchising portfolio group that owns Friendly's, Red Mango and Orange Leaf, has acquired Clean Juice, a USDA-certified organic…

How integrated tech solutions boost customer experience

by mark calvillo, Mark Calvillo — Senior Vice President of Product, Restaurant365

Mark Calvillo, SVP of product at Restaurant365, explains why a centralized platform closely tied to the POS is a strategic asset, transforming back-office…

Shake Shack rolling out barbecue-based LTOs

May 21, 2024

Shake Shack is kicking off summer with barbecue-focused burger and fries options. Although they're available nationwide on Friday, customers may order the LTOs…

Paris Baguette opening 1st Washington location

May 21, 2024

Paris Baguette, which has 4,000 units with 160 in the U.S., is making its Washington debut next week at 18602 Alderwood Mall Pkwy.