Restaurant Business

APRIL 9, 2025

A Technomic Ignite Consumer report found a significant increase in average checks at both quick service and fast casual establishments. There was a nearly 8% increase in average check at quick service and a whopping 15% increase at fast casual establishments when kiosks were used for orders rather than employees.

Take-out 199

Take-out Technology Fast Casual Inventory 199

Restaurant Business

JUNE 11, 2025

A rendering of Perkins Griddle & Go fast-casual concept. Simultaneously, the company also created a fast-casual version of Perkins called Griddle & Go, another nod to younger, on-the-go customers. News food drink Joe Guszkowski is a senior editor with Restaurant Business covering technology and casual-dining chains.

Fast Casual 175

Fast Casual Front of House Back of House Leadership 175

Restaurant Business

JUNE 12, 2025

News technology delivery finance Joe Guszkowski is a senior editor with Restaurant Business covering technology and casual-dining chains. Premium Emerging Brands Pepper Lunch carves a niche in the Panda Express-dominated world of Asian fast casual The Japan-born franchise brand has 540 units globally, but only nine in the U.S.

Delivery 176

Delivery Leadership 2025 Advertising 176

Restaurant Business

JUNE 13, 2025

Private-equity firm Savory Fund made a major investment in casual-dining chain Hawkers Asian Street Food. Starbucks’ latest gambit to improve operations? Giving store managers ownership over testing early-stage ideas and sharing the results systemwide. Members help make our journalism possible.

Operations 216

Operations Leadership 2025 Fast Casual 216

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 16, 2023

For casual dining habits at restaurants like Olive Garden: 56 percent said they ate at casual restaurants frequently or occasionally. 29 percent said they rarely ate at casual restaurants. More likely to occasionally eat at casual restaurants. When we asked about fast food: 29 percent said they eat fast food frequently.

Fast Casual 531

Fast Casual Fine Dining 2023 Casual 531

Restaurant Business

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

Traffic at the fast-casual chain fell 3.5% in the most recent quarter, but management is banking on a sales rebound from kiosks and unit growth.

Advertising 246

Advertising Fast Casual Casual Management 246

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 21, 2020

Digital advertising will become high priority. Whereas TV was a big part of the advertising mix for national chains and larger regional chains, the shift to off-premise will force restaurant brands to much more heavily lean into digital advertising channels than ever before. Drive-thrus are king, and dining rooms are shrinking.

2021 478

2021 Online Ordering Email Marketing Advertising 478

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

At the same time, QSRs and fast casual establishments are turning to technology to improve operations and customer interactions as they continue to increase output. Take fast casual and drive-thru for example. For fast casual and QSRs, is your menu up to date? Technology is one way to make this happen.

2025 450

2025 Fast Casual Food Customer Experience 450

Restaurant Business

JUNE 6, 2025

The eight-unit fast-casual concept Off The Hook Restaurants is beefing up its executive team as it plans growth in Louisiana. She also led a turnaround at Jamba as vice president of operations, and spent 14 years with Starbucks, rising to director of business operations. Blaze is now based in Atlanta. Have consumers moved on?

Fast Casual 147

Fast Casual Leadership Franchise Franchising 147

Restaurant Business

JUNE 11, 2025

After fast-casual chain &Pizza heard from customers that its prices were too high , it lowered them late last month and simplified its menu structure to highlight affordable options. Wendy’s launched a 100 Days of Savings summerlong promotion, serving up a variety of deals through its app. It’s a unique spin on Southern comfort.

Fast Casual 162

Fast Casual Cash Management Leadership Retail 162

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 10, 2020

Use similar language on your website that you use in any advertisements. So, your online menu acts as an advertisement or preview of what they can expect. Is your brand quirky and casual? Place your logo prominently so it’s easy to see. Your Signage. And, don’t forget your online menus. Atmosphere.

2020 555

2020 Uniforms Online Ordering Design 555

Restaurant Business

JUNE 17, 2025

17, 2025 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn DoorDash now offers services like reservations and advertising. Then last week, DoorDash revealed that it had acquired Symbiosys, an ad tech startup that will allow restaurants to advertise themselves on places like Google, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Is that a good thing for restaurants?

Leadership 167

Leadership Advertising 2025 Reservations 167

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 9, 2025

Joe Gale has more than 30 years of sales, operations and account management experience, including 20 years with Coca-Cola North America Foodservice where he worked closely with numerous QSR and fast casual brands. Our team also provides on-site support during the grand opening and afterwards during the first few weeks of operation.

Franchise 221

Franchise Franchising Loyalty Program Training 221

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

When people search online to find a local business, they're usually ready to make a purchase and are more likely to become customers than those casually browsing the web or social media platforms. Compared to other advertising forms, like TV or radio ads, local SEO can be a more budget-friendly option for businesses with limited funds.

SEO 507

SEO Website Management Email Marketing Online Ordering 507

Restaurant Business

JUNE 5, 2025

News independents chefs Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Fast Casual 147

Fast Casual Leadership 2025 2024 147

Restaurant Business

JUNE 5, 2025

On Thursday, the casual-dining chain promoted Lyle Tick, its president and chief concept officer, to the top job. News casual_dining Joe Guszkowski is a senior editor with Restaurant Business covering technology and casual-dining chains. By Joe Guszkowski on Jun. Sign up here. Get today’s need-to-know restaurant industry intelligence.

Leadership 162

Leadership Fast Casual 2025 Franchise 162

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 21, 2024

Remain Price-conscious : Price matters in fast-food and fast-casual restaurants, ranking second among the factors customers consider. Use targeted advertising and promotions to capture the attention of less price-sensitive delivery users. Restaurants in the category should consider value pricing strategies for their beverage menu.

Beverage 493

Beverage Fast Casual Seasonal Menu Fine Dining 493

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 11, 2021

You could adjust your menu to fit their budgets and include younger adults in your advertising. Whether you’re a fast casual, family style, fine dining, or fast food restaurant, you’re going to appeal to a distinct, identifiable customer base. Before you know it, you could accumulate a loyal audience of returning customers.

Marketing 492

Marketing Food Truck Fine Dining Fast Casual 492

Indoor Media

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Sure, friends and family were supportive when you started, and colleagues in the industry gave you advice, but it wasn’t until you were in the weeds that you fully understood the requirements of running (and advertising) your counter-service restaurant. Ready to try Facebook advertising for your restaurant? The slightly younger crowd.

Fast Casual 78

Fast Casual Advertising Casual Social Media 78

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 5, 2022

Piya has no confirmed locations, but it will have a private omakase dining room and a fast-casual area where NFT holders can access exclusive events. Since this demographic has grown up with digital currencies, they are more likely to appreciate such information on storefronts or online advertisements than other demographics might be.

Serving 472

Serving Loyalty Program Food Supply Point of Sale 472

Restaurant Business

AUGUST 6, 2024

The fast-casual chain is improving drive-thru speeds and will be advertising during Bears games to focus on what can be controlled.

Fast Casual 293

Fast Casual Advertising Casual 293

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 18, 2021

The National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry Report found 46 percent of family-dining and fine-dining restaurants added delivery options between March and December 2020, along with 44 percent of casual-dining and fast-casual restaurants. So what’s next? Will these habits stick?

Delivery 421

Delivery Kitchen Safety Social Media Online Ordering 421

7 Shifts

AUGUST 12, 2020

So far, 2020 has thrown marketing plans, advertising budgets, and restaurant growth out of the window. To help, we’ve created the ultimate restaurant marketing guide, covering strategy, creative, branding, marketing channels, paid and unpaid advertising, and so much more. Your mission statement is the ‘why’ of your restaurant.

Marketing 418

Marketing 2020 SEO Loyalty Program 418

EATER

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

Until now, the latter category has been how a restaurant advertises that it is a place worthy of occasion, a different experience than going to a diner or a Chili’s. While Commander’s Palace doesn’t specify long sleeves under its requirement of “collared shirts,” a golf shirt and chinos feels closer to casual than business attire.

Website Management 353

Website Management Sports Customer Experience Reservations 353

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 26, 2024

“Immediately after the event the team meets to gather feedback and create a recap,” Kurt Pahlitzsch, Vice President of Casual Dining at Doherty Enterprises, franchisee of Chevys, told Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine.

Social Media 294

Social Media Food Supply Events Entertainment 294

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 31, 2024

In RMS’ Q4 consumer survey , respondents reported dining out less across all categories – with fast casual and full service being hit the hardest. Thirty percent of respondents dined at QSRs less – but 42 percent reported going less to fast casual, and 46 percent reported going less to full-service restaurants (see chart).

Franchise 221

Franchise Franchising 2024 Mobile Ordering 221

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

In the short term, it’s QSR that will experience labor improvement, then fast-casual. Restaurants will become increasingly casual. Today, casual restaurants like Applebee’s or Chili’s are struggling because younger consumers want fast casual dining such as Panera Bread. Suzannah Gerber of Haven Foods.

Mobile Ordering 539

Mobile Ordering Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 539

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 17, 2020

Quick service and fast casual segments continue outperforming full-service restaurants by a very wide margin. By June, the median company in quick service and in fast casual had increased their number of hourly employees per location compared to their pre-pandemic staffing levels. How Is Casual Dining Doing?

2020 493

2020 Mobile Ordering Loyalty Program Food Safety 493

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

A casual brunch spot in a college town will attract a different crowd than a high-end steakhouse in a business district. Your color scheme should complement your concept for example, bold reds and yellows for a lively fast-casual spot, soft pastels for a relaxed caf, or sleek black and gold for an upscale dining experience.

2025 195

2025 Marketing Email Marketing Operations 195

The Restaurant Group

MAY 17, 2025

Why Referral Programs Matter for Restaurants Referral programs thrive on word-of-mouth marketing, one of the most trustworthy forms of advertising. Additionally, referral programs are cost-effective, as they leverage existing relationships rather than requiring large investments in external advertising.

Loyalty Program 78

Loyalty Program Social Media Customer Experience Email Marketing 78

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 31, 2022

Speak to what sets you apart from the pack, what food you'll serve, the service style (fast-food, fast casual, fine dining, etc.) Detail your plans for using social media, local advertising, promotions, and how you're going to reach your target audience. Here is where you'll want to give investors an overview of your business.

Point of Sale 397

Point of Sale Back of House Document Download 397

7 Shifts

JUNE 4, 2021

Fast-casual: 28.9%. Casual: 33.2%. Upscale casual: 30.4%. In the restaurant industry, it can be applied to social media ads, local print advertising, coupons or deals, and more. What Percentage Should Labor Cost Be In A Restaurant? Pizza: 31.3%. Recommended Download: Free Restaurant Labor Cost Calculator Template.

Point of Sale 416

Point of Sale Inventory Employee Relations Customer Service 416

EATER

APRIL 25, 2023

On the road that leads to Santa Teresa (one of the most visited destinations in the country), dozens of food stands blanket the sidewalks with plastic tables, chairs, and signs advertising “caldosas here.” But the signs advertising giant caldosas make many stops at La Macarena. Juan Miguel Pacheco outside Fory Fay.

Fine Dining 274

Fine Dining Back of House Point of Sale Advertising 274

7 Shifts

JUNE 1, 2022

Advertised as a place for “uninterrupted private meetings between decision-makers and solution providers,” BITAC allows for several in-depth conversations between attendees and suppliers of equipment , furnishings, and technology needed to scale and sustain a restaurant business. Digital Transformation in Fast Casual and QSR Summit.

2022 195

2022 Fast Casual Website Management Workshop 195

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 1, 2020

Adertising analytics platform Pathmatics releaed paid Instagram advertising data for posts and stories. Pathmatics analyzed thousands of Instagram advertisers’ data – highlighting ad spend, impressions, creatives, and geographic heat maps detailing high-spend cities and states from April 15, 2020. Instagram Impact.

2020 450

2020 Travel Food Safety Consumer Goods 450

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 21, 2020

We've explored new modes of advertising, consistent social media posting, we're signing up for Rotary fundraisers and participating more in the life of the community, which is a win-win. We are implementing new ways of reaching people instead of waiting for people to come to us. Ingenuity is the mother of invention.

2020 450

2020 Online Ordering Customer Experience Point of Sale 450

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 9, 2020

parent company of fast-casual restaurant chain The Habit Burger Grill, for approximately $375 million in a cash transaction. “As a fast-casual concept with strong unit economics, The Habit Burger Grill is a fantastic addition to the Yum! Beefing Up with Habit Acquisition. Brands, Inc. Gibbs, chief executive officer of Yum!

Fast Casual 282

Fast Casual Customer Service Online Ordering Employee Relations 282