LYFE Kitchen names director of franchise development

January 22, 2013

LYFE Kitchen Restaurant has named Stacy Soderstrom as director of franchise development. Soderstrom will lead the charge of recruiting franchisee candidates to…

Restaurants with engaged employees rank high in customer satisfaction

January 21, 2013

Restaurants with the most engaged employees experience exponentially righer customer satisfaction ratings, according to research from management consulting…

Fast casual pizza concept Project Pie set to expand in seven markets

January 21, 2013

Project Pie founder and CEO James Markham has announced plans to expand his fast casual pizza concept into multiple new markets within the next year, starting…

Yelp to include restaurant health inspection scores

January 18, 2013

San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, chairman of the US Conference of Mayors Technology and Innovation Task Force, and Yelp CEO and co-founder Jeremy Stoppelman…

Starbucks shift supervisors demanding pay raises in Boston

January 18, 2013

Shift supervisors at Starbucks cafes in Boston are demanding pay raises after a recent Massachusetts court decision banned them from sharing in tip pools.

Former Rubio's exec named CEO of Boneheads

January 18, 2013

Boneheads Grilled Fish & Piri Piri Chicken, a six-unit Atlanta-based fast casual restaurant chain known for its signature Piri-Piri Chicken and fresh…

Pancheros awards inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award

January 17, 2013

Pancheros has named Joe Ward as its first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Ward is a franchisee of two locations in the Des Moines, Iowa, area.

Wingstop reports 9th consecutive year of same-store sales jump

January 17, 2013

In 2012, Wingstop opened 57 new restaurants and achieved a record ninth consecutive year of same-store sales increases. The 550-unit concept's same-store sales…

Jamba Juice lays out growth, product plans for 2013

January 17, 2013

Jamba Juice Company has released its "BLEND" Plan 3.0, outlining strategic priorities and initiatives for 2013 that will position the company for growth and…

PayPal brings digital wallet to NCR's restaurant merchants

This deal is of particular importance for PayPal because of the scope of NCR's point-of-sale footprint across the restaurant industry.

McAlister's Deli franchisee becomes fully employee-owned

January 16, 2013

The Saxton Group has sold its stock to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, becoming one of the largest 100-percent employee-owned companies in the restaurant…

East Coast Wings & Grill signs multiunit deal for Philadelphia

January 16, 2013

East Coast Wings & Grill, a North Carolina-based concept, plans to expand into Philadelphia with several new locations throughout the next five years.

Chipotle plans nationwide rollout of catering service

January 16, 2013

Chipotle Mexican Grill will launch its catering service in Colorado on Jan. 21. Chipotle catering allows groups of 20 to 200 to customize their individual meal…

Zoës Kitchen signs supply chain co-op

January 15, 2013

Zoës Kitchen has partnered with SpenDifference for strategic supply chain support.

U-Swirl acquires Aspen Leaf and Yogurtini fro-yo chains

January 14, 2013

U-Swirl Inc., parent to U-SWIRL International Inc., the owner and franchisor of U-SWIRL Frozen Yogurt cafés, has acquired specific assets of Aspen Leaf Yogurt…

Jamba Juice introduces new store design, drive-thrus

January 14, 2013

Jamba Juice Company hasannounced the launch of a store format and design initiative that will transform the store layout and design across the entire concept…

Zaxby's reports data security breach

January 14, 2013

Zaxby's Franchising Inc. has announced that certain licensed locations have identified suspicious files on their systems that may have resulted in unauthorized…

Brazilian concept leaving mark on U.S.

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

A Giraffas executive describes the chain's strategy for taking on America.

Study: Restaurants avoiding menu price increases

January 11, 2013

Chain restaurants, tasked with navigating both value-hungry customers and rising commodity prices, are showing little interest in significant menu price…

Starbucks resuable cups: A redemption story

The Seattle-based coffee chain has introduced reusable cups, but it may be a challenge to get customers to remember to bring the cups back into the store.