Hopdoddy acquires Texas-based burger joint

January 13, 2022

Austin's Hopdoddy Burger Bar has acquired Grub Burger Bar, an 18-unit, Bryan, Texas-based brand that serves burgers, hand-spun shakes and cocktails.

Sajj opening ghost kitchen inside grocery store

January 11, 2022

Bay-Area based Mediterranean fast casual concept SAJJ Mediterranean is opening within Ralphs grocery store in L.A., thanks to a partnership with ghost kitchen…

Smoothie King sales surge in Q4

January 10, 2022

Despite a turbulent time for the restaurant industry, Smoothie King, which has 1,300 global locations, reported a 16.5% sales increase year-over-year…

Restaurant owner outlines plan to 'fix the RRF grants'

John Pepper, CEO of Boloco, wonders why one of his stores received $275,000 in grants, while the units that needed the funding more were left with nothing. He…

Dickey's launches 2nd cookbook

January 10, 2022

After 80 years and three generations of passing down barbecue recipes, Dickey's Barbecue Pit is giving fans a peek behind the kitchen door with its second…

REEF partners with Americana Group for cloud kitchens in Middle East

January 7, 2022

REEF is partnering with Americana Group to open cloud kitchens that will operate Reef, Americana and third-party brands in the Middle East, according to a…

Survey: Pandemic permanently altered consumer-restaurant relationship

January 6, 2022

The pandemic has permanently altered the consumer-restaurant relationship with operators investing in technology — such as POS digital signage — and real…

White Spot Hospitality Selects Jolt for Operation Management

White Spot Hospitality has selected Jolt Software, the leader in digital food safety and operations execution software, for checklists, labels, and temperature…

Wow Bao, Zoup, Smokey Bones leaders share tips on virtual kitchen strategy

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

Fast casual leaders share insight on how and why their brands got into virtual business operations and tips on how to make it a successful strategy.

Top 100 gala to honor Excellence in Food Safety winners

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

January 4, 2022

As part of the 2022 FastCasual Top 100 Movers & Shakers list, FastCasual and Steritech, a provider of food safety assessments, will honor two runners up…

Nominations now open for 2022 Top 100 Movers & Shakers

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

January is a time for goal setting and self-reflection, but it's also the first step in a long process of building our annual Fast Casual Top 100 Movers &…

Breakfast, lunch sales rebounding

December 23, 2021

The breakfast daypart is rebounding, according to a report from The NPD Group.

Inspire Brands: Anatomy of a technology transformation

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Raghu Sagi of Inspire Brands shared the learnings the organization has uncovered over the last two years and the highlights of its companywide digital…

20-year-old entrepreneur refreshes Vitality Brands in Oregon

December 22, 2021

Vitality Bowls in Tualatin has a new owner, local entrepreneur Andres Radilla, and a new look to go with it.

FastCasual's most-read stories of 2021

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

The year's top headlines ranged from stories about robots automating the industry and the growth of Shaq's fast casual brand to updates on COVID-19, menu…

TikTok jumping into virtual dining

December 21, 2021

Social media platform TikTok has partnered with Virtual Dining Concepts, a provider of virtual dining spaces, to create TikTok Kitchen, a dining service…

Consumers a bit more impatient at drive-thrus, carryout

December 20, 2021

Consumers are becoming more impatient when waiting for their food at drive-thrus and pick-up windows thanks in part to technology in restaurants, according to…

Combo Kitchen pairing D. Wade Burgers with Winghouse

December 17, 2021

Combo Kitchen and NBA champions and entrepreneurs Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem are partnering on a ghost kitchen with Florida-based restaurant chain WingHouse…

Chipotle's first Chipotlane Digital Kitchen debuting this month

December 16, 2021

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.'s first Chipotlane Digital Kitchen and walk-up window restaurant will open later this month in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, for digital…

FAT Brands completes Fazoli’s acquisition

December 16, 2021

FAT Brands Inc. has completed its acquisition of Fazoli's from Sentinel Capital Partners, marking the company's official entry into the Italian quick-service…