How Penn Station is winning over Gen Z without discounting

Penn Station President Lance Vaught and Curion's Thomas Gilbert join Fast Casual Nation to break down how the 40-year-old sandwich brand is winning over Gen Z…

Presented by Curion Insights

Everbowl expands Arizona presence with South Peoria opening

September 10, 2026

Carlsbad, California-based Everbowl opened a location Sept. 3 at 8402 W. Thunderbird Road in South Peoria, Arizona.

Houston TX Hot Chicken shares UK opening timelines

September 9, 2026

Houston TX Hot Chicken has announced opening timeframes for two U.K. restaurants, a little more than two months after signing a master franchise agreement to…

Chicken Salad Chick opens in West Virginia, expands to 26 states

September 8, 2026

Atlanta-based Chicken Salad Chick will open its first West Virginia restaurant Sept. 16 in Barboursville, expanding its footprint to 26 states.

Firehouse Subs opens 200th Canadian location, doubles footprint

September 4, 2026

Firehouse Subs opened its 200th Canadian restaurant Sept. 3, at 918 85th St. W., in Calgary, Alberta, doubling its Canadian presence over the past two years.

Evergreens dangles reduced royalty rates to land 1st franchisees

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Excluding airport units, the top half of Evergreen's company-owned restaurants averaged more than $1.45 million in annual sales last year

Flying Biscuit Cafe franchisee to open 4th Raleigh location

September 3, 2026

Flying Biscuit Cafe franchisee Tahir Rafiq will open his fourth location in Raleigh, North Carolina, during the first quarter of 2027. The 6609 Falls of Neuse…

How Steele Smiley sold a fitness empire to bet on healthy fast food

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

Steele Smiley spent 15 years building a fitness empire with more than 900 U.S. franchisees and locations in more than 35 countries, sold it, and founded CRISP…

HB Protein Smoothies hires Tyler Doolittle to lead real estate, openings

September 2, 2026

HB Protein Smoothies, a Fransmart-backed franchise, has hired Tyler Doolittle as director of real estate and openings. Doolittle will work with franchise…

WOWorks announces 23 restaurant openings in 2026, with 15 more planned

September 2, 2026

WOWorks, parent company of Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, The Simple Greek, Barberitos and Zoup! Eatery, has opened 23 new restaurants…

How restaurant real estate is being rewritten — and what operators need to know

On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Daniel Ceniceros, Founder & CEO of Connect Media, to unpack how…

Moe’s Southwest Grill adds to Twin Cities presence with traditional restaurant

September 1, 2026

Moe's Southwest Grill will open a new Minnesota restaurant Sept. 4 at 6671 Valley Creek Road in Woodbury. The location will be the brand's second in the Twin…

Mooyah Burgers signs 6-unit deal to grow Utah presence

August 28, 2026

Plano, Texas-based Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes has signed a six-unit development deal with established franchisees Art and Nick Depole to expand its…

Mokas Coffee & Eatery signs 9-unit development deal for Kansas City expansion

August 28, 2026

Mokas Coffee & Eatery has signed a nine-unit development deal with Cornerstone Hospitality to expand across the Kansas City market.

How fast-casual franchise Your Pie is optimizing kitchens for modern diners

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

Fast-casual pizza franchise Your Pie is strategically expanding across the Southeast under CEO Ken Caldwell by blending its authentic, handcrafted Italian…

Dave's Hot Chicken CMO reveals when and when NOT to use AI

Dave's Hot Chicken CMO Brandon Rhoten joins Fast Casual Nation to break down how the fast-growing chicken chain uses AI on the back end for customer data and…

Presented by Mountaire Farms

Dillas Quesadillas to open 1st nontraditional location

August 26, 2026

Dillas Quesadillas will launch its first nontraditional location inside Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City, Louisiana.

Birdcall opens 1st franchise restaurant in Mississippi

August 25, 2026

Colorado-based chicken brand Birdcall has opened its first franchise-operated restaurant in Starkville, Mississippi, as the company prepares for additional…

Proper Good opening London location, partnering with Professor Green

August 24, 2026

Proper Good is opening a restaurant at 3 Soho Street in London this September, marking its first location in England and its second overall, following the…

Huey Magoo’s signs agreements for 60 restaurants

August 21, 2026

Orlando-based Huey Magoo's has awarded development rights to eight franchise groups for 60 restaurants across the United States.