Foodservice, vending, water associations urge feds to accelerate COVID test kit availability

January 10, 2022

The National Restaurant Association, the National Automatic Merchandising Association and the International Bottled Water Association have called on President…

Ike's Love & Sandwiches adds Orange County location

January 10, 2022

Ike's Love & Sandwiches added to its Orange Country roster last week when a store opened at 1835 Newport Blvd., in Costa Mesa, California.

Noodles & Co signs 55-unit franchise deal

January 10, 2022

Warner Foods, which operates over 150 Jack in the Box, Black Bear Diner and Panera Bread restaurants, will add 55 Noodles & Co locations to its portfolio.

Dickey's launches 2nd cookbook

January 10, 2022

After 80 years and three generations of passing down barbecue recipes, Dickey's Barbecue Pit is giving fans a peek behind the kitchen door with its second…

BurgerFi, Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza add 4 execs to leadership team

January 10, 2022

BurgerFi international has added four senior members to its executive team following the recent acquisition of Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings.

Dave's Hot Chicken going to Kansas City

January 7, 2022

Dave's Hot Chicken, a Los Angeles-based street food concept, has inked a franchise agreement with brothers Dave, Curt, Mike and Gary Staab to open 1…

REEF partners with Americana Group for cloud kitchens in Middle East

January 7, 2022

REEF is partnering with Americana Group to open cloud kitchens that will operate Reef, Americana and third-party brands in the Middle East, according to a…

Island Poke adds 2 London units

January 7, 2022

United Kingdom-based Island Poke opened two stores this week, bringing its Pacific flavors to London's North West Wembley Box Park at 18 Olympic Way in Wembley…

The Habit Burger Grill opening home-state location

January 7, 2022

The Habit Burger Grill, based in California, is opening a store in Ceres at 2900 E. Whitmore Ave.

Dickey's debuts virtual chicken concept

January 7, 2022

Dickey's Restaurant Brands is bringing the Nashville heat with its latest virtual brand — Trailer Birds Hot Chicken. Available for pickup or delivery, Trailer…

Consumers plan to eat healthier in 2022

January 6, 2022

Forty-six percent of consumers want to eat healthier in 2022, making it the most highly-ranked lifestyle change, followed by working out more often and…

Torchy's Tacos adds loyalty club

January 6, 2022

Austin-based Torchy's Tacos has launched the Taco Junkies Rewards Club to provide fans with surprise offers, including free birthday queso and access to…

Rusty Taco signs deals with multi-concept franchisees

January 6, 2022

Rusty Taco, owned by Inspire Brands, has signed several multi-unit franchise agreements to expand its presence in Utah, Nevada, Virginia and Texas.

Survey: Pandemic permanently altered consumer-restaurant relationship

January 6, 2022

The pandemic has permanently altered the consumer-restaurant relationship with operators investing in technology — such as POS digital signage — and real…

Rush Bowls entering 3 markets

January 6, 2022

Rush Bowls, a fast casual concept known for its fresh and healthy meals-in-a-bowl will enter Alabama, Florida and Louisiana in 2022. The stores making their…

Shake Shack signs deal to open 10 stores in Malaysia

January 6, 2022

Shake Shack Inc. is opening 10 locations between 2023 and 2031 in Malaysia through a licensing agreement with SPC Group, a global food company based in South…

Koibito Poke signs 300-unit deal

January 5, 2022

Koibito Poke, a six-unit concept based in Arizona, has signed a franchise sales agreement with True Capital Partners LLC, which has committed to selling a…

Johnny Rockets adds 3 locations in South America

January 5, 2022

Johnny Rockets has opened three locations in Brazil and Chile, which join multiple stores operating in South America in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, along with…

Blaze Pizza to offer dairy-free Ranch dressing

January 5, 2022

Blaze Pizza is teaming up with Primal Kitchen on a limited-time partnership to bring a new dressing to customers.

Top 100 gala to honor Excellence in Food Safety winners

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

January 4, 2022

As part of the 2022 FastCasual Top 100 Movers & Shakers list, FastCasual and Steritech, a provider of food safety assessments, will honor two runners up…