Why Tacomasa's founder built a debt-free company

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Editor's note: This is the first in a series featuring founders of restaurant concepts answering five questions about building their companies.

From Maine to Milan: The global journey of Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls

How do you take a Maine lobster roll and build a brand that stretches from the East Coast to the heart of Milan, Italy? That’s the kind of breakthrough story…

From Nigeria to DC: A founder's quest to take African food mainstream

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Nigerian-native Ada Osakwe, an angel investor and former banker, is bringing her African fast casual concept, Nuli, to Washington, D.C.

Thriving through uncertainty: The power of resilience

by Jim Knight — Founder & CEO, Knight Speaker

Let's be honest — uncertainty is here to stay. From industry shake-ups to disruptive tech, shifting markets, and yes, even global crises, unpredictability is…

How Slutty Vegan Founder turned $20M in debt into a $100M comeback

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

In this episode of "Founderology – Built to Breakthrough," Pinky Cole Hayes shares her “PhD. lessons” and mindset that fueled her comeback.

Keeping the Maine thing the main thing: How 2 'Cousins' built a global brand

In this episode of Founderology: Built to Breakthrough, Sabin Lomac—co-founder of Cousins Maine Lobster—shares how one wild night idea with his cousin Jim…

How Fry the Coop founder traded everything for freedom (and fried chicken)

On this episode of Founderology: Built to Breakthrough, we sit down with Joe Fontana who went from being stuck in a cubicle to running one of the most…

Cousins Maine Lobster surpasses $1B systemwide sales

June 30, 2025

Cousins Maine Lobster, a national food truck and fast-casual dining concept, has surpassed $1 billion in systemwide sales since its founding in 2012. The…

There is nothing 'soft' about soft skills

by Felicia White — President, CHART

The skills frontline managers require are categorized as "hard" and "soft" skills. The "hard skills" (which I noted in my initial blog post) are those focused…

From Teen Entrepreneur to Hospitality Powerhouse - Daniella Senior’s Mission to Scale the Colada Shop

This week on Founderology, I sat down with powerhouse entrepreneur Daniella Senior — the Founder and CEO of Colada Shop, Bresca, Serenata and Zumo. You’ll hear…

L&L Hawaiian co-founder publishes franchising guidebook

June 13, 2025

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue co-Founder Eddie Flores Jr. is offering insights and practical advice for aspiring and current franchise owners in his book…

From Founder to franchisee: How Chronic Tacos built a Brand still breaking through

In this episode of Founderology, I sit down with Randy Wyner, Founder and franchisor of Chronic Tacos, and Caleb Walker, multi-unit franchisee and…

Are you the tallest tree in your 'business forest?'

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

Have you ever heard the phrase, "You can't see the forest for the trees"? This metaphor is particularly relevant for Founders, as it highlights how we can…

Crazy Pita: From $30 to scaling a legacy

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

This week on Founderology – Built to Breaktrough, I sat down with Mehdi Zarhloul, the powerhouse Founder of Crazy Pita, Chicken Genius and Salad Madness. His…

Founderology Forum introducing blog series: 'Developing front-line managers' leadership skills'

by Felicia White — President, CHART

Dr. Felicia White's blog series will reveal results from her research study exploring the connections between front-line restaurant managers receiving training…

How Red Chickz founder went from dishwasher to national brand builder

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

What if your next breakthrough idea came from a dishwasher-turned-Founder or a tech innovator who transformed chaos into a scalable business? Hear from Shawn…

Presented by EB-3

Kathleen Wood, Networld Media Group launching revamped Founderology Growth Summit

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Registration is open for this Founders-only event.

How to build a leadership team for scalability

Can you distinguish between managers and leaders?

Building your restaurant's championship team to win

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

The same principles that create winning teams on the field can transform your business into a powerhouse. Let's talk the Xs and Os of building a championship…

Turning your restaurant customers into brand ambassadors

by Jim Knight — Founder & CEO, Knight Speaker

When customers feel genuinely valued, they don't just return — they bring others with them.