Restaurant Business

JULY 29, 2025

Our goal was to create made-to-order meals that won’t break the bank but keep the freshness and consistency we’re known for,” said Fred Slater, director of R&D and executive chef of the 102-unit fast casual. We encourage customers to bring in a can or package of food, which we then donate to a food bank. Sign up here.

Menu

Restaurant Business

JUNE 27, 2025

Los Angeles has become a hotbed for bagel concepts like Courage Bagels, Hank’s Bagels, the Yeastie Boys food trucks, and more. News Emerging Brands franchising Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JULY 22, 2025

News franchising acquisitions finance Joe Guszkowski is a senior editor with Restaurant Business covering technology and casual-dining chains. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here. Get today’s need-to-know restaurant industry intelligence.

Franchising

Restaurant Business

JUNE 17, 2025

Salad is rising as the next drive-thru concept The fast-casual Greenlane is plotting growth across Florida with investor and NFL star Rob Gronkowski working the drive-thru window. But Tampa-based Greenlane is among a growing number of fast-casual concepts making freshly prepared salads a drive-thru option. By Lisa Jennings on Jun.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JUNE 6, 2025

But it wasn’t quite so bad for fast-casual concepts , which outpaced other categories with 9% growth in 2024, according to Technomic. Fast-casual chicken chains, including Dave’s Hot Chicken, saw double-digit sales growth, while fast-casual pizza continued to falter. Segment leader Chipotle Mexican Grill rose to No.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JUNE 11, 2025

The Atlanta-based company is hoping that more modern food and restaurants will help its brands break through with younger consumers. Last June, the 260-unit chain dropped “Restaurant and Bakery” in favor of the more streamlined Perkins American Food Co. That means you can now get boba at Perkins. By Joe Guszkowski on Jun.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JUNE 23, 2025

One example is OpenAI’s Operator, a tool that can perform web-based tasks like making a restaurant reservation or ordering food from a delivery app. AI agents will no doubt make their way into restaurants themselves, where they could be used to create schedules or order supplies, easing the workload on managers.

Hiring

Restaurant Business

JULY 8, 2025

deals this week as fast-food pizza chains work to reverse stubbornly weak sales. deals this week as fast-food pizza chains work to reverse stubbornly weak sales. deals this week as fast-food pizza chains work to reverse stubbornly weak sales. It could have been worse: Fast-casual pizza chain sales declined 5%.

Leadership

Restaurant Business

JULY 9, 2025

To put the new Whopper on the menu, the Miami-based fast-food burger chain had to bring in the brisket, Carolina gold BBQ sauce and crispy onions. “A Both are available while supplies last. News menus Burgers Pat plans and executes menu, food and drink stories for Restaurant Business and hosts the weekly Menu Talk podcast.

Leadership

Restaurant Business

JUNE 17, 2025

Continue to Site >>> Menu C-stores are stealing fast-food tactics. Not quite yet An easy way to bring bold Korean flavors to modern menus From BBQ to beverages, menus are seeing a lot of action Food C-stores are stealing fast-food tactics. Photo: Shutterstock Made-to-order food, value offerings, loyalty programs.

Food

Restaurant Business

JUNE 13, 2025

The fast-food franchisor is asking a federal court to sign off on its decision to terminate Paradigm Investment Group’s franchise agreement. Private-equity firm Savory Fund made a major investment in casual-dining chain Hawkers Asian Street Food. million last year, that’s more than double the next closest chain.

Operations

Restaurant Business

JUNE 25, 2025

Fast-casual Panera Bread has been going through significant change over the past two years, with multiple board and leadership changes. News leadership Fast_Casual Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts. Sign up here.

Leadership

Restaurant Business

JULY 16, 2025

Photos courtesy of Lime Fresh Mexican Grill With nine locations in Florida, fast-casual Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is David to Taco Bell’s Goliath. Photos courtesy of Lime Fresh Mexican Grill With nine locations in Florida, fast-casual Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is David to Taco Bell’s Goliath. By Patricia Cobe on Jul.

Menu

Restaurant Business

JUNE 24, 2025

Probably not The Bottom Line: The fast-casual Mexican chain remains a shockingly good value and its first-quarter sales slowdown was not out of the ordinary. Among fast-casual chains, the slowdown was more pronounced. None of this isn’t to say that there aren’t potential issues with the fast-casual chain. Photo: Shutterstock.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JULY 25, 2025

Photo: Shutterstock Value, convenience and food quality are the three big drivers that will draw consumers into a restaurant for breakfast. Meanwhile, dine-in visits have increased in fast-casual and fast-food restaurants, while takeout and drive-in orders are down. By Patricia Cobe on Jul. Sign up here.

Mobile Ordering

Restaurant Business

JULY 22, 2025

Click here to complete your profile Multimedia How Cracker Barrel chef Matt Banton is expanding the flavor portfolio Tyler Florence dishes on San Francisco and David Burke puts his pastrami to the test Happy Hour value and summer flavors The summer of spritzes The Latest Leadership Wendys names Pete Suerken president of its U.S.

Franchising

Restaurant Business

JUNE 23, 2025

And fast-food customers Chef Jonathon Sawyer discusses his Chicago restaurant, Kindling, and his latest TV appearance Are we reaching peak chicken tender saturation on menus? It’s easy to score what’s marketed as a Dubai Chocolate Bar at specialty retail food stores; in New York City a 7-ounce bar sells for about $19. Sign up here.

Bar

Restaurant Business

JUNE 12, 2025

Employees then load the food into a robot and send it on its way. The customer unlocks their food using a code in their delivery app. News technology delivery finance Joe Guszkowski is a senior editor with Restaurant Business covering technology and casual-dining chains. Orders come in like any other delivery order would.

Delivery

Restaurant Business

JUNE 18, 2025

The New Jersey-based fast-casual chain has been acquired by private-equity firm Thompson Street Capital Partners, the company announced Wednesday. News acquisitions franchising Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JULY 21, 2025

But store closures have returned this year amid a difficult operating environment for much of the fast-food space. By Jonathan Maze on Jul. 21, 2025 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Jonathan Fitzpatrick will be the new CEO of Subway. Photo courtesy of Subway. Members help make our journalism possible. Whether theyre working is another thing.

Loyalty Program

Restaurant Business

JULY 15, 2025

Photo courtesy of Hawkers Asian Street Food. Photo courtesy of Hawkers Asian Street Food. Chris Tomasso, CEO of First Watch, and Barry McGowan, CEO of Fogo de Chao, are both joining a new board for Hawkers Asian Street Food, the casual-dining chain Savory acquired last month. By Jonathan Maze on Jul.

Leadership

Restaurant Business

JUNE 11, 2025

The convenience-retailing giant on Wednesday announced a Craveables Value Menu, pitting it in head-to-head competition with fast-food chains also looking to win consumers over with low prices. The prices for both restaurant food and food from grocery and convenience stores rose 0.3% Food prices overall are up 2.9%

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JULY 29, 2025

The casual-dining chain is introducing two new menu categories, bowls and bites, featuring a selection of items ranging in price from under $10 to $16. They cited their restaurants’ experiential atmosphere, high-quality food and operational excellence, and noted that customer satisfaction scores are improving virtually across the board. “I

Pricing

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. Sign Up Thanks for signing up!

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JULY 29, 2025

29, 2025 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Marc Sheehan has long been interested in the history of food. There he served food based on what people cooked in the region from the Colonial era onward—not what was in cookbooks, which catered to a wealthy audience, but what normal people grew in their gardens.

Leadership

Restaurant Business

JULY 25, 2025

Becca McIntyre, Beans & Brews Coffee House Beans & Brews Coffee House appointed Becca McIntyre as VP of supply chain and culinary. Separately, both have previously held leadership roles in chains including Pollo Campero, Salata, Schlotzsky’s, Popeyes, Arby’s, Applebee’s, Papa Johns and more.

Leadership

Restaurant Business

JUNE 24, 2025

Hart joins food-and-games investment company Emerging The Chicago-based company is behind Puttshack, F1 Arcade, Flight Club and the upcoming Poolhouse. The growth capital firm behind the food-and-games brands Puttshack, F1 Arcade and Flight Club has added more restaurant industry firepower to its leadership team. Photo: Shutterstock.

Leadership

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

Restaurant Business

JULY 15, 2025

News technology consumers Joe Guszkowski is a senior editor with Restaurant Business covering technology and casual-dining chains. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here. View All Articles by This Author Want breaking news at your fingertips?

Leadership

Restaurant Business

JULY 14, 2025

Beerline Cafe does not serve Thai food, but gets lumped in anyway for being vegan. To use the vegan Thai food example, Abdow suggested that a restaurant might want to include questions on its website such as “What makes your Thai food vegan?” All of this has obvious implications for restaurants. Abdow said. with an answer below.

Social Media

Restaurant Business

JUNE 17, 2025

The service is less profitable than other channels, and restaurants don’t control the data or the experience once the food leaves the building. News Tech Check technology delivery Joe Guszkowski is a senior editor with Restaurant Business covering technology and casual-dining chains. Sign Up Thanks for signing up!

Leadership

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

Restaurant Business

JUNE 10, 2025

Louisville-based QSR Automations provides digital kitchen display systems for many large casual-dining brands. Joining forces will allow the company to connect the dots between restaurants’ inventory, food prep and order flow, allowing operators to serve customers faster and more profitably, the companies said. Sign up here.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JUNE 11, 2025

The food delivery company said Wednesday that it has acquired Symbiosys, an ad tech company, in a deal valued at $175 million. The growth of advertising is part of DoorDash’s evolution from a food delivery company into an all-around ecommerce platform for restaurants and other businesses. By Joe Guszkowski on Jun. Sign up here.

Advertising

Restaurant Business

JULY 18, 2025

The casual-dining chain confirmed that it laid off a small number of employees to align with its new First Choice plan , which calls for the chain to refranchise some company-owned locations in order to pay down debt. It’s also working to lower restaurant expenses through supply chain efficiencies and technology investments.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JULY 1, 2025

shops Value pressure comes to the fast-casual sector Financing These full-service restaurant chains opened the most locations last year In an overall down year for full-service unit growth, these five brands bucked the trend. Cheese debuts a new arcade concept for adults who want to be kids Food Whats next for Jenis Splendid Ice Creams?

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JULY 24, 2025

With just one report, the fast-casual burrito chain lost its sense of invincibility. Almost every publicly traded fast-casual chain, outside of previously struggling Noodles, faced some sort of sales slowdown. By Jonathan Maze on Jul. Photo: Shutterstock. Chipotle’s stock was down 12% this year as it was.

Operations