2020 was Waba Grill's 'best year yet'

January 20, 2021

WaBa Grill reported Tuesday that 2020 was its best-performing year, beating 2019, which previously held the title. The California-based brand ended the year by…

Starbucks working to boost COVID-19 vaccine access

January 19, 2021

Starbucks has joined the Washington State Vaccine Command and Coordination Center, a statewide public-private partnership to boost vaccine distribution efforts…

PPP program opens to all lenders

January 19, 2021

After re-opening the Paycheck Protection Program to small lenders on Friday, the U.S. Small Business Administration is now opening the program to all lenders.

Plant Power Fast Food names sustainability expert as CFO

January 19, 2021

Plant Power Restaurant Group has named Edmund Har, an expert in sustainability, as its top financial executive, according to a news release.

Fast casual CEO reveals 5 expectations of franchisees

Yiannis Kosmides, CEO and founder of several restaurant brands, weighs in on what it takes to operate a successful franchise.

2 industry leaders looking to invest in the 'next restaurant leader'

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Dave Pace, board member of Red Robin and former CEO of Jamba Inc., and Andy Pforzheimer, a co-founder of the Barcelona and Bartaco brands, have come together…

Agile QSR Operation in Uncertain Times

Learn how you can leverage AI to increase your business agility through automated demand forecasting, optimized scheduling, healthy worker protocols and…

Original ChopShop thrives amid pandemic

January 14, 2021

Despite the challenging operating environment in 2020, Original ChopShop — an emerging fast casual brand serving protein bowls, salads, sandwiches and fresh…

How Tropical Smoothie pulled off record-breaking year during COVID-19

While the pandemic destroyed thousands of restaurants last year, Atlanta-based Tropical Smoothie Cafe had one of its best years to date. It posted its ninth…

Fiesta slowing sales losses

January 12, 2021

Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc., which owns Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana and has been trying to recover from sales losses even before the pandemic, showed…

Shake Shake crawling back from pandemic

January 12, 2021

Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti said Monday that the company continued its recovery journey in Q4, which triggered a 2.2% share increase Tuesday for the New…

Corner Bakery donates $100K to Habitat for Humanity

January 12, 2021

While 2020 was a challenging year, Corner Bakery kept the spirit of giving alive throughout its communities by raising funds for its national charity partner…

Starbucks commits $100M to advance racial equality

January 12, 2021

Starbucks is investing $100 million to create the Starbucks Community Resilience Fund, which will support small business growth and community development…

GoTab unveils contactless ordering starter kit

January 12, 2021

Restaurant commerce platform GoTab recently unveiled a contactless ordering starter kit for hospitality operators that contains everything needed to run a…

3 things every restaurant brand must master in today's climate

Building SEO and customer trust while understanding the changes coming to third-party delivery are keys to success in this business climate, according to Scott…

Zoup launches happy hour

January 11, 2021

January is National Soup Month, and to celebrate, Detroit-based Zoup Eatery is celebrating by launching a soup Happy Hour and delivering 100 Zoup Rescue Care…

US government taking applications for second round of PPP loans

January 11, 2021

Although as of Monday the U.S. government started taking applications from restaurant and other businesses owners for the latest round Paycheck Protection…

Navigating PPP: 3 steps to secure new Federal relief

by Gerri Detweiler

In the last year, the fight for business survival has been particularly difficult. This was especially true for very small businesses, and most restaurants and…

Pita Mediterranean rolling out mobile app in 2021

January 8, 2021

For Georgia-based Pita Mediterranean Street Food, 2021 will be a year of growth, according to founder and CEO Nour Rabai, who said the company would open…

Smoothie King sees solid growth despite pandemic

January 8, 2021

In a year that was a struggle for most restaurant brands, Smoothie King managed to grow, opening 263 stores globally, including 71 in the United States…