Louisville police fatally shoot restaurant owner amid protests

June 2, 2020

Police shot and killed David McAtee, the owner of YaYa's BBQ in Louisville, early Monday, according to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. State and local police…

Torchy's Tacos reopens nearly all dining rooms

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

CEO of Torchy's Tacos GJ Hart said he is seeing promising numbers in stores where the company has reopened dining rooms in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and…

Fat Brands reports wider Q1 loss amid COVID-19

June 1, 2020

Fat Brands Inc., the owner of eight fast casual restaurant brands, including Fatburger and Elevation Burger, reported a wider loss in the first quarter as the…

House approves bill to loosen PPP loan requirements

May 29, 2020

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill designed to loosen requirements on hundreds of billions of dollars in small-business loans to help companies…

FastCasual reveals '20 Brands to Watch'

The list, which is in its second year, focuses on 20 brands that are less than six years old but have the potential to become future industry leaders.

'Converting to Curbside and Delivery' webinar is lesson in pandemic-era adaptability

When the pandemic flipped the operational model for a Texas taco brand to totally off-premise, Crush Taco and POS provider, Revention, responded, exemplifying…

Pandemic speeds up operational changes at Sweetgreen

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Like so many other restaurants around the world, Sweetgreen shifted into crisis mode COVID-19 hit but is now preparing for its version of the "new normal."

Peet's Coffee reopens 13 stores

May 28, 2020

Peet's Coffee has fully reopened 13 more locations as of today in California, Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia. Aside from those stores, other locations are…

Le Pain Quotidien selling for $3M

May 28, 2020

Le Pain Quotidien in the U.S. has filed for bankruptcy in Delaware, but Aurify Brands LLC is hoping to buy it for $3 million, pending court approval, according…

Fazoli's wins 2020 Excellence in Food Safety Award

Chipotle and Five Guys took home honorable mention for their efforts.

Zaxby's shares COVID-19 recovery plan

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

After reading the PPP criteria and realizing that Zaxby's qualified, CMO Joel Bulger said the chain applied and then ended up giving back every cent.

Tork pledges $100K to help restaurants provide meals to pandemic workers

May 26, 2020

Tork, a global professional hygiene brand of Essity, is donating 100,000 to restaurants and hospitals in Philadelphia, the headquarters for Essity's global…

Reopening of dine-in service helping restaurants make small progress

May 26, 2020

Customer transactions at major U.S. restaurant chains declined by -21% in the week ending May 17 compared to the same period last year, a slight gain from last…

MenuDrive platform helping restaurants launch online ordering in 1 hour

May 26, 2020

MenuDrive, a white-labeled online ordering platform, has launched MenuDrive Self Sign-up for restaurants, which allows them to launch online ordering and…

[ON-DEMAND WEBINAR]: Converting to Curbside and Delivery: How to Make the Shift and Thrive

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants across the country have been impacted by unprecedented circumstances and the closure of on-premise dining.

Presented by FastCasual.com

MVP Group introduces touchless hand sanitizer dispenser

May 26, 2020

MVP Group, a Miami based foodservice equipment supplier that has a medical supply division that provides personal protective equipment, has introduced a…

Starbucks CEO doubling down on off-premise business

May 22, 2020

Although Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said Thursday in a letter to employees that he was happy with the chain's progress over the past two weeks, he warned that…

Just Salad taps Kenneth Cole for creating, designing employee facemasks

May 22, 2020

Just Sald is teaming up with fashion icon Kenneth Cole to design and create thousands of protective face masks for the restaurant brand's employees across…

DoorDash unveils location-tracking feature for to-go orders

May 20, 2020

DoorDash, one of the nation's largest mobile delivery platforms, has launched a feature to make restaurant to-go orders more efficient for merchants and…

Saladworks expanding via mobile ecosystems with Reef tech help

May 20, 2020

The create-you-own salad concept Saladworks is partnering with Reef Technology to create mobile ecosystems and now has its footprint in 17 Reef hubs throughout…