Rumbi Island Grill store hosts 'Animal Lovers' luau

November 15, 2006

BOULDER, Colo. — Rumbi Island Grill, a tropical fast-casual restaurant, will be hosting the second "Animal Lovers' Luau" fundraiser to benefit the Longmont…

Mr. Greek posts nutritional data on the Web

November 7, 2006

TORONTO — Mr. Greek Restaurants will post a nutritional guide on its Web site.   Mr. Greek retained the services of well-known nutritionist Rosie Maclean…

Indian Bread Co. owner earns prestigious entrepreneur award

October 24, 2006

India Post News Service: When Nandini Mukherjee opened a fast-casual Indian café in Manhattan, called Indian Bread Co. serving a variety of sandwiches and…

Rumbi Island Grill opens fifth Colorado store

October 9, 2006

BOULDER, Colo. — Rumbi Island Grill, a tropical fast-casual concept, is opening its fifth restaurant in Colorado.   Rumbi Island Grill's menu offers gourmet…

Canadian fast casual launches Web contest

October 9, 2006

CALGARY, Canada — Joey's Only, a Canada-based seafood fast casual, is launching its first national online consumer contest. The macro Web site, where…

Daphine's Greek Café creates English learning courses for employees

October 5, 2006

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Daphne's Greek Cafe, a Greek fast-casual concept, has announced the company-wide launch of Sed de Sabre ("Thirst for Knowledge") program…

Mintel Report pegs fast casual as hot dining segment

August 7, 2006

CHICAGO — A recent Mintel report estimates that total sales at leading fast-casual chains in the United States doubled in the last five years.   "An increased…

Canadian fast casual moving into the U.S.

August 2, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Canadian-born Mr. Greek chain is ramping up its franchise sales and crossing the border.   "Greek cuisine is right behind Italian…

2006 restaurant show wraps up

The 2006 National Restaurant Hotel & Motel Show offered big-time speakers and trendsetting technologies. Even if you attended, you probably didn't see…

Fast-casual concepts attract the Washington lunch crowd

April 9, 2006

Washington Post: The Washington D.C. lunch crowd is patronizing fast-casual concepts more frequently than other concepts. They're eating at Cosi, Potbelly…

New report tracks menu trends

April 6, 2006

CHICAGO —The latest Trend Tracker report, a companion to the online, searchable Menu Monitor service offered by Technomic Information Services, offers a new…

Raving Brands contributes $2MM to charity

April 2, 2006

Raving Brands partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children as the organization's largest single contributor with a $2 million…

Rumbi Island Grill opens in Arizona

April 2, 2006

AZcentral.com: A fast-casual restaurant that offers South Pacific, Caribbean and island food is preparing to debut its first Southeast Valley location in…

Restaurant industry continues growth

March 30, 2006

WASHINGTON D.C. — The outlook for the restaurant industry remained solid in February, as the National Restaurant Association's comprehensive index of…

Panda Express considers new service models

March 30, 2006

No one has to tell Panda Express that Asian food is growing in popularity. With more than 800 locations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Japan…

Chipotle opens 500th store

March 12, 2006

DENVER—The March 10 opening of a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Fairview Park, Ohio, marked the 500th restaurant for the Denver-based burrito chain. "When I…

El Pollo Loco places new Spanish commercials

March 6, 2006

IRVINE, Calif.— El Pollo Loco Inc. unveiled the first of four new Spanish television commercials from its Hispanic advertising agency of record, Los…

NRA: 30 months of consecutive growth

February 28, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The outlook for the restaurant industry continued to improve in January, as the National Restaurant Association's comprehensive index of…

Panda Express receives top operator award; teams up with NBA team

February 26, 2006

ROSEMEAD, Calif. — Panda Express was honored as the "Best Food and Beverage Brand Operator" by Airport Revenue News, an airport trade magazine. According to a…

Fast Casual's Top 100 Movers and Shakers

January 25, 2006

It wasn't long ago that you had to look up the definition of "fast casual" to understand the meaning of this unique restaurant concept that is a hybrid of the…