How Tarka Indian Kitchen scaled fast casual Indian cuisine

In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Tinku Saini, CEO and co-founder of Tarka Indian Kitchen, to explore…

The birria playbook: How Mike’s Red Tacos is using the Dave’s Hot Chicken strategy to scale

In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, host Cherryh Cansler sits down with Lance Salsman, SVP of Operations & Training at Mike's Red Tacos, recorded live at…

Streamlining success: Randy Sharpe on pruning franchises, menus at Wahlburgers

In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Randy Sharpe, CEO of Wahlburgers, to discuss one of the more…

The $600K gamble: Why Jae Kim nearly walked away from the Sharks

Jae Kim, founder of Chi'Lantro, joins Fast Casual Nation to share how he built a Korean-Tex Mex fusion brand from a single Austin food truck in 2010 into a…

Data-driven survival: Unpacking the economic forces reshaping fast casuals

In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Dr. Chad Moutray, Chief Economist at the National Restaurant…

Presented by direct2you

How Velvet Taco avoids 'Starbucks-style' drift

Chris Schultz, CEO of Velvet Taco, joins Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler on Fast Casual Nation to break down the operational blueprint behind one of the…

Presented by Momos

The legacy glow-up: How Paul Damico is tech-enabling Perkins, Huddle House

Scaling sweet success: How Rita’s Italian Ice navigates franchise growth

When Lawrence Brown, Chief Development Officer at Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, joined Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler on Fast Casual Nation, he brought…

The power players: Inside the playbooks of Fast Casual’s 2026 rising stars

Discover the rising stars of fast casual dining as hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler interview three breakout brands from FastCasual.com's 2026 list of 2…

Presented by Jeff's Bagel Run

The Beverage revolution: Why drinks are the new dining destination

Fast Casual Nation explores how Taco Bell, craft innovators and the sober-curious movement are reshaping restaurant revenue.

No tips, higher wages, low prices: How CAVA's Brett Schulman is rewriting the restaurant playbook

Join hosts Paul Barron and Cheryl Cansler as they kick off 2026 with CAVA Co-Founder and CEO Brett Schulman for an in-depth conversation about navigating…

Fast Casual Nation reveals top 2026 restaurant trends

Join Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler as they sit down with industry expert Suzy Badaracco from Culinary Tides to forecast the biggest restaurant trends for…

The 24% boost: How Shipley Do-Nuts is winning the AI race

Join Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler on Fast Casual Nation as they dive deep into AI's transformation of the restaurant industry with Kerry Leo, VP of…

Hopdoddy leading the charge in the modern burger evolution

Smashburger's comeback: A conversation with Tom Ryan and Jim Sullivan

Half the cost, 5x the visits: How FiiZ sold 200 units in 1 year

How fast casuals can thrive despite 50-year low consumer sentiment

Chipotle marketing VP reveals strategy to win back Gen Z

Join Fast Casual Nation hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler as they sit down with Stephanie Perdue, VP of brand marketing at Chipotle Mexican Grill, to…

Shake Shack's 1,500-store quest: CDO discusses scaling culture, tech, suburban drive-thrus

How 1 founder is building a better-burger brand from scratch