From 1M followers to 1.7M: How The Taco Spot used social media to fuel national franchise expansion

Raul Martinez, director of Marketing & Business Development, reveals how the brand turned organic content into a 400-unit pipeline.

Chicken chains rule the roost with summer LTOs

July 2, 2026

Big Dave's Cheesesteaks, Houston TX Hot Chicken, Huey Magoo's and Wingstop are leaning into menu trends, including value meals and sweet and hot flavors.

Chicken Salad Chick creates 'National Chicken Salad Day'

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

July 2, 2026

Chicken Salad Chick has deemed July 16, "National Chicken Salad Day," and will mark it with free scoops and giveaways.

How Joe & the Juice is scaling without losing brand identity

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

Joe & the Juice combines aggressive U.S. expansion plans with maintaining the identity that factored into its growth.

Why Slim Chickens Ranch Remix is arriving at the perfect time

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Most of us are familiar with Gen Z's obsession with sauces, but the latest dipping craze is catching fire globally, thanks in part to international visitors…

MOD Pizza launches 'Sweet Heat Summer' campaign with Italy trip sweepstakes

June 29, 2026

MOD Pizza has launched its "Sweet Heat Summer" campaign, a summerlong initiative running through Aug. 23 that features the return of a popular menu item, a…

Freddy's joins premium beverage trend with new drink lineup

June 25, 2026

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has launched Freddy's Bevies, a beverage lineup featuring custard cream sodas, flavored teas and lemonades. The…

Jimmy John's partners with rapper Fetty Wap on LTO

June 24, 2026

Fetty Wap, Courtesy of Jimmy John's Champaign, Illinois-headquartered Jimmy John's has partnered with rapper Fetty Wap to launch the limited-time…

From kitchens to tech hubs: Inside fast casual’s digital revolution

In the latest episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, Cherryh Cansler, publisher of FastCasual.com, sits down with Luke Wilwerding, Vice President of North…

Presented by Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.

Insomnia Cookies celebrating release of 'Supergirl' with LTOs

June 18, 2026

Insomnia Cookies is bringing some serious girl power to its menu this summer.

Starbucks debuts Blue Coconut beverages tied to Water.org donation campaign

June 17, 2026

Seattle-based Starbucks has introduced two summer beverages: the Blue Coconut Refresher and Iced Blue Coconut Matcha. Connected with the cold drinks are a…

Ziggi's tunes into summer with AEG concert promo

June 16, 2026

Colorado-based Ziggi's Coffee is tuning into the summer season through a partnership with live entertainment company AEG Presents, launching the "Ziggi's…

GOOOOOOOALLLLLLL: Fast casual restaurants capitalizing on World Cup fever

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

Along with national pride and fan excitement, this year's FIFA World Cup provides restaurants with an opportunity to increase their customer base. Experts tell…

Tropical Smoothie Café unveils limited-time Moana-inspired beverage

June 12, 2026

Tropical Smoothie Café has introduced the How Far You'll Go Mango Smoothie, a limited-time beverage available at participating locations nationwide through…

Gamification helps improve Smoothie King's loyalty program

June 12, 2026

Smoothie King is seeing early gains from adding game-like features to its Healthy Rewards loyalty program.

The return of the Unicorn Frappuccino: Can Starbucks avoid the headaches this time around?

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

When Starbucks created the drink nearly nine years ago, it generated significant consumer interest, leading to thousands of social media posts but also…

Cava hiring over 2,500 employees

June 10, 2026

Washington, D.C.-based Cava is expanding its workforce and career development initiatives through its Flavor Your Future platform.

Inside the tech stack: How Mattenga’s Pizzeria mastered SEO, 8-second reordering

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

In this podcast episode, Mattenga’s Pizzeria co-owner Enga Stanfield explains how partnering with owner.com and leveraging technology helped her independent…

Presented by Owner.com

Shake Shack brings back viral Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake

June 9, 2026

Shake Shack, headquartered in New York City, is bringing back its Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake to all U.S. locations for a limited time. Inspired by the…

How to keep your restaurant’s next viral hit from becoming a traffic jam

by Michael Beck — CEO, Inc Tank GTM

A few days before the Restaurant Marketing Workshop, June 2-3 in Boston, my friend David "Rev" Ciancio and I made a series of decisions that, in hindsight…