Andy Wiederhorn returns to CEO role at FAT Brands

September 3, 2025

Andy Wiederhorn is back at the helm of FAT Brands Inc., the parent company of Fatburger, Johnny Rockets, Round Table Pizza, and 15 other restaurant concepts.

How 24/7 Group Chats Are Burning Out Your Food Service Team

The food industry has a problem of an “always-on” culture that’s exhausting your team and costing your business. The good news is, there’s a simple way to fix…

Small restaurants, big impact: Why mom-and-pop eateries still matter

Despite the presence of national restaurant chains, research consistently shows diners form their most-lasting and meaningful memories in independently owned…

Presented by Kraft Heinz

Wonder adds Grubhub-powered restaurants to app

September 2, 2025

Wonder, a mealtime platform that acquired Grubhub last year, is allowing customers to order from Grubhub's restaurant partners through the Wonder app…

Breaking boundaries: Derrick Hayes on purpose, power, building Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

In this episode of Founderology – Built to Breakthrough, Derrick Hayes opens up about the decisions, setbacks, and breakthroughs that shaped his path. He…

Dave's Hot Chicken signs 180-unit European deal

September 2, 2025

Dave's Hot Chicken, a Los Angeles-based fast casual chain, has finalized an agreement with the UK-based Azzurri Group to develop 180 restaurants across 1…

The Hidden Gold Mine in Your Restaurant Kitchen: Why Back-of-House Technology Is the New Competitive Advantage

Discover why real growth for multi-unit restaurants lies not in flashy front-of-house trends, but in back-of-house tech. AI-powered ops, real-time inventory…

Graze Craze's president discusses strategy behind 14 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth

Operating from small 500- to 1,000-square-foot locations, Oklahoma-based Graze Craze has scaled to nearly 100 units in under five years by focusing on…

Gong cha, Crust Pizza leaders talk franchising in today's modern restaurant world

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

A session at the Fast Casual Executive Summit will look at franchising dos and don'ts as well as the latest trends and innovations in franchising.

Chef Bobby Flay's Burgers signs 65-unit deal for Canada

August 26, 2025

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is bringing his fast casual concept, Bobby's Burgers, to Canada, thanks to a multi-year, 65-unit development deal with The Falcon…

FastCasual's 2024 Perfect Pitch winner inks major expansion deal

August 26, 2025

Co-founders Cassie Ghaffar and Sandy Nguyen, will serve as advisers at this year's Perfect Pitch, a round robin featuring eight founders vying to see which…

Why Tacomasa's founder built a debt-free company

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Editor's note: This is the first in a series featuring founders of restaurant concepts answering five questions about building their companies.

Mooyah VP of operations talks quality of food, consistency and those milkshakes

Beth Stockmoe, VP of operations for Mooyah, discusses the brand's food and operations in our latest Restaurant Operator Podcast.

Scheduling Chaos Costs More Than Overtime: Here’s Why

Discover how outdated, spreadsheet-based scheduling silently undermines restaurant profits—with turnover, customer loss, and burned-out managers costing far…

GoTo Foods takes to skies with multi-brand drone delivery in partnership with DoorDash, Wing

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

GoTo Foods is partnering with DoorDash and Wing on a multi-brand drone delivery pilot in three Texas markets to explore how the technology can improve…

Speaker Spotlight: Claudia Lezcano, Fuku CEO

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Claudia Lezcano, CEO of Fuku, shares a look at her career, her achievements and industry trends ahead of her appearance at Fast Casual Executive Summit 2025.

Speaker Spotlight: Sawsan Abublan, CEO and co-founder, Shawarma Press

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

As CEO of Shawarma Press, Sawsan Abublan discusses her journey from pharmacist to fast casual leader, sharing insights on the power of hands-on experience and…

Celebrating the 2025 Fast Casual Hall of Fame inductees

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Registration is open!

How a pizzeria kid built a fast casual salad empire

From Maine to Milan: The global journey of Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls

How do you take a Maine lobster roll and build a brand that stretches from the East Coast to the heart of Milan, Italy? That’s the kind of breakthrough story…