Summer menu trends revealed: Fruity, refreshing, plant-based

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

For many, summer triggers thoughts of swimming suits, picnics and vacations, but for fast casual restaurants, it signals refreshing limited-time offers.

Freshii gets in the dinner game

June 23, 2020

Freshii is getting into the dinner daypart with the launch of its "Plates" menu — the brand's answer to "What's for dinner?"

Online catering marketplace debuts COVID-smart service

June 19, 2020

ezCater is launching a service, called Relish, that offers employers a safe approach to providing office-based workers with boxed lunches from local…

Blaze Pizza's 1-day LTO 'Clawing' its way into customers' hearts

June 17, 2020

Blaze Pizza has developed a White Claw Pizza and is offering it one-day-only — Thursday —  at 40 of its stores. The pie pizza crust is made with the hard…

Dickey's Barbecue Pit teams with grocery chain to expand bean brand

June 12, 2020

Dickey's Barbecue Pit is partnering with Harps, an Arkansas-based gorveyr chain, to expand its barbecue beans brand.

Starbucks closing 400 stores

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Over the next 18 months, Starbucks will increase convenience-led formats in company-operated locations with drive-thru and curbside pickup options, as well as…

Steritech 'Hometown Heroes' program helped 8,100 on front lines

June 10, 2020

Food safety company, Steritech, recently paid its respects to what it calls its Hometown Heroes — front line health, long-term care and emergency workers — in…

Chef Dani Garcia opening fast casual concept

June 9, 2020

Spanish chef, Dani García, is opening a fast casual concept — Minük by Dani García —  in partnership with C3, a food and beverage platform launched earlier…

Top restaurant trends place premium on home, health, purpose, price

June 5, 2020

This year, the market researchers at Euromonitor expect per capita global consumer expenditure to decline by approximately 5% and the global economy to enter…

Keeping tabs on Top 100 winners' traits plus Oracle expert's pandemic-era performance tips

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

On today's podcast, FastCasual Editor Cherryh Cansler gives her take on top traits of this year's Top 100 Movers & Shakers winners, while an Oracle restaurant…

Coolgreens revamps vending strategy, targets residential, office market

June 5, 2020

Coolgreens, an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based fast casual restaurant chain, is catering to high-rise residential and office buildings in Dallas, according to a…

Flexibility Act en route to president: Restaurant industry breathes sigh of relief

June 4, 2020

Better loan terms, loosened FTE rehire requirements and a longer coverage period are just some of the benefits of the PPP Flexibility Act passed by the Senate…

With dine-in permitted at more US restaurants, transactions improve

June 1, 2020

Out of the more than 1 million restaurants that were in business as of this year in the U.S,, the NPD Group estimated Monday that nearly 320,000 were now…

Dickey's rolls out catering options for large groups

May 29, 2020

As COVID-19 restrictions are slowly easing, Dickey's Barbecue Pit is launching an expanded variety of boxed meals, packaged individually, boasting new item…

20 Fast Casual Brands to Watch in 2020

In the second edition of this report, FastCasual reveals 20 of the year’s most newsworthy fast casual concepts and discusses why they not only have the…

Tackling COVID-19 training on QSRs' front lines, plus menu must-haves for a 'to-go' world

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

For QSR operators today, there are two huge questions: "How can I quickly train my staff on all these new COVID-19-related mandates?" and "How should I modify…

Starbucks releases summer LTOs

May 21, 2020

Starbucks, which has reopened over 85% of its company-operated stores across the U.S., is introducing a summer-inspired food and drink menu in the U.S. and…

Chipotle launches TikTok hack menu

May 19, 2020

Chipotle Mexican Grill has created a Complete Customization Chipotle app feature to users to make any ingredient light, standard or extra. Guests at home or…

Fresh Stack Burger Co launches in Chicago

May 15, 2020

The Fresh Stack Burger Co concept, a collaboration from Sean Thomas and Chef Fabio Viviani, is up and running in its first location, in suburban Chicago, and…

Schlotzsky's chef reveals the art behind making 'the perfect sandwich'

Schlotzsky's Culinary Lead Jennifer Keill believes the perfect sandwich must take into account these four elements.