Pollo Tropical, Taco Cabana shuttering units

December 20, 2018

Pollo Tropical is closing 14 units across Florida and Georgia, and Taco Cabana will shutter nine in Texas, according to Fiesta Restaurant Group, the brands…

Chipotle skips sponsorship of college bowl games, offers free delivery instead

December 20, 2018

In honor of college football season, Chipotle Mexican Grill is offering free delivery now through Jan. 7 on any Chipotle order worth $10 or more. "Given the…

Fiesta Restaurant Group names former Panera exec as SVP, general counsel, corporate secretary

December 17, 2018

Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc., parent company of Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana, has appointed Louis DiPietro as its SVP, general counsel and corporate…

Starbucks focuses on delivery

December 14, 2018

Delivery is a top priority at Starbucks, according to CEO Kevin Johnson and several of the chain's other leaders who discussed growth strategies during…

FAT Brands aquires Yalla

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

December 4, 2018

FAT Brands has acquired Yalla Mediterranean, a seven-unit fast casual chain specializing in Mediterranean cuisine. With this acquisition, Yalla — based in Los…

Porn officially taken off the menu at Starbucks

November 29, 2018

Starbucks customers will have to order their lattes sans porn as the coffee giant is rolling out a tool next year to block them from viewing explicit content…

Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza partners with (RED) in support of World AIDS Day

November 28, 2018

Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza is teaming up with (RED) Saturday in support of  World AIDS Day, according to a company press release. The chain is offering a…

Mac’d taps eatsa to integrate digital order channels, boost customer experience

November 27, 2018

The build-your-own mac and cheese fast casual Mac’d is deploying eatsa’s technology platform to integrate order-to-pickup processes.

Dos Toros launches additional revenue stream with line of bottled sauces

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

November 26, 2018

Dos Toros Taqueria has jumped into the retail industry with the launch of bottled hot sauces. Available on its website or in its 19 units, the options include…

Zoes CEO out as Cava completes acquisition

November 26, 2018

Zoes CEO Kevin Miles is out of a job now that Washington D.C.-based Cava Group has completed its $300 million acquisition of the brand, a plan it first…

Restaurants pull romaine lettuce after CDC issues E coli warning

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

November 20, 2018

Updated: 8:30 a.m., Nov. 21

Landcadia acquires Waitr for $308M

November 16, 2018

Landcadia Holding has completed its acquisition of Waitr, a restaurant platform for online ordering and on-demand food delivery.

ezCater launches management platform

November 14, 2018

Online business catering marketplace ezCater is launching the next generation of its management platform, ezManage, according to a news release. 

JPMorgan Chase launches Franchise & Restaurant Group

November 12, 2018

JPMorgan Chase's Commercial Bank announced the launch of the a franchise and restaurant group within its middle market banking and specialized industries…

Honeygrow closing 3 Chicago units

November 8, 2018

Honeygrow, based in Philadelphia, is closing three of its Chicago area units, according to an email to FastCasual from a company spokesperson.  

Chanticleer names president

November 8, 2018

Chanticleer Holdings Inc., which owns and franchises a variety of brands, including American Burger Company, BGR — Burgers Grilled Right, Little Big Burger…

Starbucks testing delivery, mobile payment in Japan

November 8, 2018

Starbucks is planning a major expansion in Japan, opening 300 stores there over three years and launching a series of e-commerce initiatives, including mobile…

Shake Shack misses Q3 earnings expectations

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

November 2, 2018

While some Q3 numbers were up at Shake Shack — revenue grew 26.5 percent and system-wide year-over-year unit growth increased 31 percent — the chain's shares…

Starbucks: Happy hour, focus on improving digital channels responsible for solid Q4 numbers

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

November 2, 2018

Starbucks Corporation is enjoying a high this week, and it's not just because of the caffeine. The chain reported Thursday that Q4 global comparable store…

Pret a Manger agrees to settle worker lawsuit for nearly $1M

October 31, 2018

Pret A Manger will pay nearly $1 million to settle wage claims with New York employees, according to The Times UK.