Judy Kneiszel

Eric Ersher got his start in the restaurant business by coming through the back door, first with a spice business, then a wholesale soup business.

“I saw what kind of soup they were making, and a lot of times it was an afterthought—a way to use leftovers,” he says.

One of the first things John Eucalitto and Bill Chemero learned when they partnered with Jake’s Hamburgers founder John Carter to form Jake’s Franchising LLC in 2009 was how many Jakes there were in the world.

“While negotiating and discussing Jake’s Hamburgers,...

Adrie Groeneweg grew up with Pizza Ranch, but not as a customer. Rather, Groeneweg started the company when he was just 19 years old, and both he and the concept have come of age together.

“I was just out of high school and working full time for a welder and part time for a pizza...

The health benefits of a Mediterranean diet have been getting a lot of attention in recent years, and quick-serve restaurants have also been a “big thing,” says Alon Mor, founder of Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill. And the economy … well, two out of three isn’t bad.

Since the late ’80s, New York City has had a secret: a sweet, creamy, frozen dairy dessert that won’t mess up a model’s diet, or anyone else’s for that matter.

The secret has gotten out, however, as Tasti D-Lite stores have opened in places as close to the Big...

Teriyaki Experience, a Canadian-based Asian quick-serve chain with more than 100 units in Canada and locations in Europe, South and Central America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, is gaining ground in the U.S., with eight open locations and 15 more set to open this year. Another 15 are...

Barbecue is both family food and community food, says Shane Thompson, founder of Shane’s Rib Shack. He says people enjoy it at backyard gatherings, tailgate parties, family events, and—for the past eight years—at a growing number of restaurants Thompson started with little more...

The founders of Ranch One, Ori Gottlieb and Mordechai Davidi, had one goal in mind when they opened their first restaurant next to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City: They wanted to have the No. 1 grilled chicken sandwich concept in the country.

That was 1990. In 1997, restaurant...

Robert Israel says the first time he tasted kettle corn, he “freaked out.”

“I was a New Yorker,” he says. “I came to visit my sister in Colorado and had kettle corn at the Boulder County Farmer’s Market. I had never had it...