California Tortilla expanding in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas

January 30, 2018

California Tortilla is expanding its footprint outside the mid-Atlantic region and will soon debut locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Kansas. This…

Lina's opens in 3 countries

January 26, 2018

Lina's Paris has opened stores in South Korea, Qatar and Marseille, France, according to a press release. The French limited-service French café has opened a…

Slim Chickens leaving mark on UK

The chicken chain joins several western-based brands taking on the UK, which is such a hotbed of action that the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit is…

Rush Bowls inks Texas deal

January 25, 2018

Rush Bowls — a fast casual restaurant chain known for its meals-in-a-bowl crafted from the finest fruit, topped with granola and honey, and blended with…

Embassy Suites by Hilton cooks up fast casual concept

January 24, 2018

Embassy Suites by Hilton is undergoing a refresh of its food and beverage program, which includes a fast casual concept, E'Terie Bar & Grill, as well as…

Afters Ice Cream expanding Cali footprint

January 24, 2018

Afters Ice Cream is opening in Woodland Hills, California, in Westfield Topanga’s The Village Shopping Center. The grand opening festivities start at …

Squisito going back to its roots

January 24, 2018

Martin Hernandez, franchisee with Squisito Franchise Enterprises, is opening his first Squisito Pizza & Pasta this year in Queenstown, Maryland.

Wayback Burgers, Juice It Up, Gigi's Cupcakes report solid growth in 2017

Wayback Burgers, Juice it Up and Gigi's Cupcakes may not seem to have much in common, but the three fast casual brands reported solid numbers in 2017, with…

Zoup's on in Centerville, Ohio

January 23, 2018

Zoup is now open for business in Centerville, Ohio, inside Cornerstone, a Dayton-area mixed-use development. The restaurant marks the brand's 26th Ohio…

Flame Broiler opens in San Juan Capistrano, California

January 23, 2018

  Flame Broiler opened its latest unit this week in San Juan Capistrano, California. It celebrated Monday with a grand opening and is featuring special offers…

Melt Shop plants 1st international flag in Kuwait

January 23, 2018

Melt Shop has opened its first international franchise location in Kuwait City, Kuwait. Located at Al Hamra Mall and Luxury Center, Melt Shop's newest…

Fatburger opening in Scotland

January 19, 2018

Fatburger and  Buffalo's Express are opening three co-branded units across Scotland in the next five years, the first of which is planned for Dundee, according…

Turkish-American sisters now franchising Flatbread Grill

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Turkish-American Sisters — Arzu, Fusun, and Gonca Esendemir — are now franchising their fast casual concept —  Flatbread Grill.

Fazoli's ends 2017 with growth spurt

January 18, 2018

The end of  2017 was all about growth at Fazoli's. It signed six agreements to develop a total of 15 restaurants nationwide and also opened five restaurants …

Tropical Smoothie Cafe opens 101 units in 2017

January 18, 2018

Tropical Smoothie Cafe beat its 2017 goal of opening 100 units by one. The chain, which hit 101 openings to end the year with 630 locations, also signed 18…

The Pizza Press presses toward 300 units by 2020

January 18, 2018

With 84 franchise units in its pocket, The Pizza Press is continuing its growth this year with plans for 50 openings, while awarding 25-30 more through…

R Taco adds 2 franchise partners

January 17, 2018

R Taco, a fast casual street taco chain backed by Buffalo Wild Wings, announced today the addition of two franchise groups. The agreements will result in…

Modern Market opening on Notre Dame campus

January 16, 2018

Modern Market opened its first university campus location this week in the Duncan Student Center at the University of Notre Dame. The newest restaurant makes…

Maui Wowi inks deals to open 8 units

January 16, 2018

Maui Wowi has announced four partnerships to open eight units in high-traffic venues in Alabama, California, Florida and Texas, according to a company press…

Blaze Pizza opening NY, California and Illinois locations

January 15, 2018

Thursday is a big day for Blaze Fast Fire'd Pizza when the chain opens the doors to three units across the country. Locations include a 2,500-square-foot unit…