Chicken Salad Chick enters Minnesota with Apple Valley opening

July 15, 2026

Chicken Salad Chick will open a restaurant on July 28 at 14658 Cedar Ave., in Apple Valley in Minnesota, it's 24th state after debuting in Utah last month.

Ranch is no longer a side character on the menu

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

I wrote a few weeks ago about how Slim Chickens' timing on its ranch remix couldn't have been better, landing right as international soccer fans discovered…

Super Chix hatches North Carolina expansion

July 14, 2026

Super Chix has opened its first restaurant in the Raleigh, North Carolina, metro area. Franchisees Asim Javaid, Saqiba Asim, Moazzam Bajwa and Rafia Moazzam…

Scooter’s Coffee breaks ground on $40M Nebraska distribution center

July 14, 2026

Scooter's Coffee has broken ground on a 154,400-square-foot cold-storage distribution center in Papillion, Nebraska. The $40 million facility at 11656 S. 158th…

Chicken Shack driving traffic with new chicken recipe, launching value meal

July 13, 2026

Chicken Shack is pairing its biggest menu update in more than a decade with a limited-time promotion designed to drive traffic and trial.

Mo' Bettahs opens 1st Minnesota restaurant

July 13, 2026

Mo' Bettahs, a fast-casual Hawaiian plate lunch chain, is expanding into Minnesota with its first restaurant in the state. The Burnsville location opens July…

Angry Chickz opens first Ontario, California, restaurant

July 13, 2026

Angry Chickz is expanding its California footprint with its first restaurant in Ontario. The Nashville hot chicken chain will open the restaurant July 17 at…

Jeff's Bagel Run Introduces Refreshers, a New Line of Lightly Caffeinated Fruit Beverages

Jeff's Bagel Run, the fast-growing bagel brand known for its scratch-made hot bagels, freshly whipped spreads and handcrafted beverages, today announced the…

The Melt's airport debut takes flight at SFO

July 10, 2026

The Melt has opened its first airport restaurant at San Francisco International Airport's Harvey Milk Terminal 1.

Qdoba inks deals for over 100 franchised restaurants

July 10, 2026

Qdoba is expanding its franchise footprint with new development agreements that will open over 100 restaurants across the Southeast and West.

Café Rio to open 2nd restaurant in St. George, Utah

July 9, 2026

Café Rio will open its second restaurant this week in St. George, Utah, at 4609 S. Pioneer Road. The restaurant expands the brand's presence in the city where…

Juice it Up opens California location

July 9, 2026

Juice it Up has opened a new location in Roseville, California. Local husband-and-wife franchisees Paul and Sonja Grotke own and operate the store at 97…

HTeaO to host grand opening celebration in Lowell, Arkansas

July 8, 2026

Iced tea franchise HTeaO will host the grand opening of its first Lowell, Arkansas, location on Saturday, July 11, according to a press release.

Report: Cyberattacks hit 78% of restaurants despite security confidence

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

A 10-unit restaurant chain could lose between $20,000 and $50,000 during a two-hour outage on a busy Friday evening, excluding recovery costs such as forensic…

Smashburger simplifies summer LTO lineup to improve operations

July 8, 2026

Smashburger is taking a more focused approach to limited-time offerings this summer, introducing two burgers and two shakes as part of a broader strategy to…

'The Office' actor Leslie David Baker opens HoneyBaked franchise in California

July 7, 2026

Tony Vennie, courtesy of HoneyBaked Actor Leslie David Baker and entrepreneur Tony Vennie have opened a HoneyBaked franchise in Sherman Oaks…

South Block to open Tenleytown location July 11

July 7, 2026

Fast-casual acai bowl and smoothie chain South Block will open a location in Washington, D.C.'s Tenleytown neighborhood on July 11. The restaurant, at 452…

Smalls Sliders launches Soda Shakes, Coca-Cola’s new concentrated syrups

July 6, 2026

Smalls Sliders is rolling out two new beverages for the summer season. The company has announced its new line of Soda Shakes, featuring Fanta and Barq's Root…

Birdcall’s Midwest expansion strategy backed by tech, real estate

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

Fast-casual chicken chain said that proprietary technology, real estate optoins and a multichannel business model will help with its Midwest expansion.

Zaxby's taps Russell Holland to lead development strategy

July 6, 2026

Zaxby's has named Russell Holland chief development officer, formalizing his leadership role. The move comes as the fast-casual chicken chain continues…