It's business (almost) as usual at I Heart Mac & Cheese

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Although sales are down 60-75% at I Heart Mac & Cheese, CEO Steve Giordanell is moving ahead with growth plans.

Mexican Restaurants taps Pete Pascuzzi as CEO

April 23, 2020

Pete Pascuzzi, a 35-year restaurant industry veteran, is now CEO of Mexican Restaurants Inc., which operates five concepts, including the fast casual…

Checkers/Rally's CEO predicts post-pandemic fast food resurgence + Lavu CEO on QSRs' digital path forward

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

Checkers/Rally's CEO Frances Allen explains why all that uber-healthy plant-based food that was so hot pre-pandemic in the U.S., could get a lot more…

Chipotle beats COVID-19 odds as Q1 digital sales soar

April 21, 2020

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. beat the odds during the first quarter, as the burrito chain withstood the COVID-19 outbreak by closing dining areas and surging…

Benefits of Kitchen Displays Systems

The kitchen represents the heart of a restaurant. Of course, the front counter and dining areas play pivotal roles in the operation as well, feeding into the…

ATX Hospital Meals teams with nonprofit to expand programs, funding for COVID-19 response

April 21, 2020

Austin-based ATX Hospital Meals, which feeds health-care workers via donations that directly support local restaurants, is partnering with Austin-based…

NRA study: COVID-19 impact worse than initial projections

April 21, 2020

A National Restaurant Association study revealed that the impact from the coronavirus pandemic will be worse than initially projected with restaurants having…

Tacos 4 Life co-founder on the permanent effects of COVID-19

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Austin Samuelson reveals how the pandemic has forever changed his operations strategy.

Shake Shack cuts jobs as Q1 same-store sales drop

April 17, 2020

Shake Shack Inc. released preliminary first-quarter results showing a 12.8% drop in same-store sales in the quarter, from the year-ago period, as the COVID-1…

'Great American Pizza Party' rewards participants, supports pizzerias

April 16, 2020

Tomorrow, pizzerias nationwide will join The Great American Pizza Party, an event created to support pizza restaurants during the COVID-19 crisis. The event…

Infographic: Global customers trust restaurants despite pandemic

After polling about 1,800 potential restaurant customers in five countries hit hard by the pandemic and at various stages of economic return, Revenue…

Rakuten launches free takeout platform

April 14, 2020

In a quest to help struggling restaurants in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rakuten Americas is offering a free platform for providing takeout options to…

Mod Pizza taps Starbucks finance leader as CFO

April 13, 2020

Mod Super-Fast Pizza Holdings LLC has named Josh Guenser as CFO.

Just Salad launches Just Grocery delivery service, meal service

April 9, 2020

Customers can order groceries with their salads at Just Salad in New York City. It's selling fruit, vegetables, bathroom tissue, sparkling water and paper…

Starbucks enhances mental health care for employees, eligible family members

April 7, 2020

Starbucks is partnering with Lyra Health to provide employees and their eligible family members 20 mental health sessions with a therapist or coach each year.

Third 'Takeout Tuesday' moves to top others with major prizes

April 6, 2020

The Great American Takeout returns Tuesday for its third week, this time with a chance to win a year of free takeout, according to a news release.  As an…

Restaurant transactions drop 42% in wake of COVID-19 dine-in closures

April 6, 2020

Restaurant customer transactions in the U.S. fell sharply in the last week of March, dropping 42% compared to the same week in 2019, and full-service…

Franchisors on the sale hunt despite COVID-19 crisis

April 3, 2020

About two-thirds of franchisors are actively advancing franchise sales efforts despite the COVID-19 pandemic hitting across the globe.

7 ways the CARES Act could hurt restaurants

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

The National Restaurant Association this week sent letters to leaders at the U.S. Treasury and Small Business Administration asking for clarification — and in…

Restaurateurs, start your engines! It's Takeout Tuesday

March 31, 2020

The Great American Takeout is amping up the activity in its second consecutive week, by both asking Americans to order delivery or pickup "at least one…