Chef Bobby Flay's Burgers signs 65-unit deal for Canada

August 26, 2025

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is bringing his fast casual concept, Bobby's Burgers, to Canada, thanks to a multi-year, 65-unit development deal with The Falcon…

FastCasual's 2024 Perfect Pitch winner inks major expansion deal

August 26, 2025

Co-founders Cassie Ghaffar and Sandy Nguyen, will serve as advisers at this year's Perfect Pitch, a round robin featuring eight founders vying to see which…

Why Tacomasa's founder built a debt-free company

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Editor's note: This is the first in a series featuring founders of restaurant concepts answering five questions about building their companies.

Mooyah VP of operations talks quality of food, consistency and those milkshakes

Beth Stockmoe, VP of operations for Mooyah, discusses the brand's food and operations in our latest Restaurant Operator Podcast.

Scheduling Chaos Costs More Than Overtime: Here’s Why

Discover how outdated, spreadsheet-based scheduling silently undermines restaurant profits—with turnover, customer loss, and burned-out managers costing far…

GoTo Foods takes to skies with multi-brand drone delivery in partnership with DoorDash, Wing

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

GoTo Foods is partnering with DoorDash and Wing on a multi-brand drone delivery pilot in three Texas markets to explore how the technology can improve…

Speaker Spotlight: Claudia Lezcano, Fuku CEO

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Claudia Lezcano, CEO of Fuku, shares a look at her career, her achievements and industry trends ahead of her appearance at Fast Casual Executive Summit 2025.

Speaker Spotlight: Sawsan Abublan, CEO and co-founder, Shawarma Press

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

As CEO of Shawarma Press, Sawsan Abublan discusses her journey from pharmacist to fast casual leader, sharing insights on the power of hands-on experience and…

Celebrating the 2025 Fast Casual Hall of Fame inductees

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Registration is open!

How a pizzeria kid built a fast casual salad empire

From Maine to Milan: The global journey of Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls

How do you take a Maine lobster roll and build a brand that stretches from the East Coast to the heart of Milan, Italy? That’s the kind of breakthrough story…

Craveworthy CEO denies wrongdoing in franchise lawsuit

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

August 19, 2025

A franchise development company has filed a lawsuit against Craveworthy Brands and Dirty Dough, alleging breach of contract.

SynergySuite Secures $12 Million to Lead the AI-First Future of Restaurant Operations

SynergySuite raises $12M led by Oyster Capital to accelerate its AI-powered restaurant operations platform. The funding supports global expansion for their…

Sambazon to open 10 shops in Cincinnati

August 18, 2025

Sambazon has partnered with veteran franchise operator Parin Chokshi to open 10 açaí bowl shops in the Cincinnati area over the next five years.

How la Madeleine cracked the growth code

La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe CEO John Dillon joins Fast Casual Nation to discuss the 43-year-old brand's strategic renaissance

Noodles CEO leaves 3-step turnaround plan with successor

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

As part of the broader turnaround, the company is closing up to 32 underperforming restaurants by year's end and 12 to 17 in 2026.

Taco boom: Velvet Taco VP breaks down the elevated taco experience

GoTo Foods partners with DoorDash for drone delivery service

August 13, 2025

GoTo Foods has partnered with DoorDash to provide drone delivery. The fast-mile delivery service, enabled by Wing, is currently live in three Texas markets…

How Saroki's Crispy Chicken & Pizza pairs great food, service with mega pavilions

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Saroki's Crispy Chicken & Pizza proves that gas station food can be great. Lead by brothers Todd and Curtis Saroki, the brand has 19 locations in mega gas…

From Nigeria to DC: A founder's quest to take African food mainstream

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Nigerian-native Ada Osakwe, an angel investor and former banker, is bringing her African fast casual concept, Nuli, to Washington, D.C.