NRA applauds House decision to narrow definition of joint employer liability

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

November 8, 2017

The U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday passed the Save Local Business Act, a decision that the National Restaurant Association described as a win for…

Fiesta CEO: Hurricanes to blame for Q3 declines

Taco Cabana and Pollo Tropical hoping to bounce back by following its parent company's four-point revitalization plan.

Investing for growth? Veterans flag top priorities

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

A panel during the Fast Casual Executive Summit at the Nashville Omni explored the questions management should ask before investing in growth initiatives.

Farmer Boys taps former Panda, Lemonade exec as CFO

November 2, 2017

Farmer Boys Food, the parent company of the fast casual burger concept, Farmer Boys, has hired restaurant industry veteran Huntley Castner to serve as CFO…

HotSchedules launches cloud-based restaurant operating platform

October 25, 2017

HotSchedules, a provider of workforce and back office solutions for the foodservice, retail and hospitality industries, has launched Clarifi, a cloud-based…

Pei Wei names former Sonic, CiCi's exec as CFO

October 25, 2017

Pei Wei has named Jim Lebs as CFO.

Chipotle CEO: 'We still have much work to do'

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Despite missing analysts' marks, CEO Steve Ells said he's as optimistic as he was when starting Chipotle nearly 24 years ago.

8 things to know before leasing commercial space

In leasing, restaurant tenants don't get what they deserve, they get what they negotiate.

Garbanzo breaks ground in St. Louis

October 19, 2017

Two St. Louis natives have officially broken ground on their hometown's first Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, according to a company press release.

HuHot trying to attract customers with price breaks on sake, beer, wine

October 17, 2017

HuHot Mongolian Grill has begun testing aggressive beer and wine pricing in its 13 company-owned locations. The "1-2-3-4" promotion, aimed at increasing value…

Denver burger concept going public

October 16, 2017

Nixon Restaurant Group Inc., which owns and operates Illegal Burger and El Señor Sol, has completed a reverse acquisition with West Coast Ventures Group…

Danny Meyer's '60 Minutes' a plug for phasing out tipping?

October 10, 2017

The Restaurant Opportunities Center United applauded Sunday night's "60 Minutes" segment on multi-brand restaurateur and Shake Shack founder, Danny Meyer…

Tropical Smoothie Cafe adds 5 industry vets to leadership team

October 9, 2017

Tropical Smoothie Cafe has added five industry veterans to its corporate leadership team. According to a company press release, they include:

Tijuana Flats opens in Brooksville, Florida

October 9, 2017

Tijuana Flats has opened a restaurant in Brooksville, Florida, marking the seventh store opening this year.   Located at 12320 Cortez Blvd., a half a mile…

Why the fast casual bubble isn't really bursting

by Juan Martinez — Principal, Profitality Labor Guru

Without a doubt, there are way too many fast casual concepts, but those that make the right changes in order to drive unit economics will continue to thrive.

Pieology asking customers to help create menu

October 3, 2017

Pieology Pizzeria has opened Pieology Pizzeria R&D, a restaurant concept that gives customers a voice in the chain's decision-making about menu items and…

Catering to the Pressed-For-Time Diner

Lunch hour is one of the few times of the day workers can relax and recharge their minds. The challenge for restaurant operators is finding ways to maximize…

Corner Bakery Cafe snags CMO from Fazoli's

September 28, 2017

Corner Bakery Cafe has hired Donna Josephson as its SVP and CMO. Bringing more than 20 years of restaurant marketing experience, she most recently served as…

Upserve offers seamless online ordering

September 27, 2017

Upserve has launched a streamlined process to allow restaurants to fulfill online orders without managing multiple menus, transcribing orders or ballooning…

Freshii closes Target units, reports delayed openings

September 27, 2017

After operating 18 locations inside Target stores for the past two years, Freshii announced this week that it's closing all of them with 17 shuttered in the…