Blaze Pizza increases fundraiser donations

August 11, 2022

Blaze Pizza will increase ongoing donations to school-related organizations by 5% for dine-in and online fundraisers during the month of September, according…

Bonchon opens to-go, delivery-only location

August 10, 2022

Bonchon, a Korean double-fried chicken chain, is opening its 27th California store in Brentwood at 5611 Lone Tree Way. Owned by local entrepreneurs Thomas Tran…

NYC Italian restaurateurs opening fast casual spinoff

August 10, 2022

Serafina has been serving Italian cuisine in New York for decades and is now debuting a fast casual brand, Serafina Express, to meet the needs of busy New…

Starbucks teams with Volvo on EV charging stations

August 9, 2022

Starbucks Corp., in partnership with Volvo Cars, has announced the first Starbucks store offering electric vehicle chargers powered by ChargePoint Holdings…

How 3 fast casuals are handling increased food costs

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Although the menus at Atomic Wings, Famous Toastery and Beef O'Bradys have little in common, their leaders are facing the same conundrum: How to raise prices…

Par acquires Menu Technologies

August 9, 2022

ParTech Inc., a global restaurant technology company and provider of unified commerce for enterprise restaurants, is acquiring Zug, Switzerland-based Menu…

Nominations open for FastCasual's 20 'Brands to Watch'

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

FastCasual's annual "20 Brands To Watch" focuses on 20 brands that are setting trends. Nominations close Aug. 22.

Blaze Pizza CEO: Pizzaverse tech still growing, staffing can be addressed

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

During the Pizza Leadership Virtual Summit, Blaze Pizza CEO Mandy Shaw addressed the rise in technology and current staffing challenges.

JDE Peet’s boosts HY 2022 results as pandemic lockdowns lift

August 3, 2022

JDE Peet's, the Netherlands-based company owned by JAB Holdings that also owns Peet's Coffee, Douwe Egberts, Jacobs and other brands, boosted its sales and…

Inflation, higher menu prices dampen restaurant visit activity

August 3, 2022

Consumers cut back on restaurant visits in the second quarter with physical and online restaurant traffic declining by 2% compared to the same quarter in 2021.

Starbucks buzzed about Q3 earnings, despite loss in China

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

August 3, 2022

Inflation, increased labor costs, unionization efforts and a hit to the Chinese arm of the business did not keep Starbucks from beating Wall Street…

Mici Italian to open 8th corporate store this summer

August 2, 2022

Mici Italian, a family-owned, seven-unit fast casual chain, will open its first location in Southglenn, Colorado, this summer. The unit will be a corporate…

Ovation launches 2-question survey to 'pinpoint operational issues'

August 1, 2022

Ovation, a restaurant guest feedback platform, has created a reporting tool — Insights — to help operators understand and use the massive amount of customer…

Kona Grill opens ghost kitchen

August 1, 2022

The One Group Hospitality Inc., which owns Kona Grill and Bao Yum, is opening a delivery and carry-out only location in Austin through its partnership with…

Digital sales soaring at Wingstop

July 28, 2022

Texas-based Wingstop, which has nearly 2,000 locations, said digital sales were up 60% in Q2, which also revealed a net income increase of 17.6% to $13.…

Exploring AI? Learn from Chipotle, Jason's Deli, Yum Brands

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Execs from Chipotle, Jason's Deli and Ampex Brands will share their journeys into the world of AI at this year's Fast Casual Executive Summit, being held Oct.

Middleby acquires automated washing solution manufacturer

July 28, 2022

The Middleby Corp. has acquired Colussi Ermes, a Pordenone, Italy-based manufacturer of automated washing solutions for the food processing industry, for an…

Chipotle raising menu prices - again

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

July 27, 2022

A 4% increase in menu prices helped give Chipotle Mexican Grill a solid second quarter, according to CFO John R. Hartung, who said the chain was planning a…

Webinar shows collecting sales tax doesn't have to be painful

July 27, 2022

Collecting taxes can be a challenge for restaurant operators, but technology can help make it easier. That was the message from a free webinar titled "How two…

Near Restaurant Report Unveils How Consumer Behavior Has Shifted Post-Pandemic/ How Restaurants Can Evolve

The New World of Consumer Behavior: Restaurants 2022 report highlights significant shifts in consumer behavior from the onset of the pandemic to today…