May 18, 2013

Judy Kneiszel

Salsarita's offers a range of Mexican menu options including fresh salsa.
One to Watch: Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina
May 2013

Former McAlister’s Deli exec gives the fresh-Mex concept a new lease on life and opportunities for growth.
Muscle Maker Grill franchise is using healthy food in a fast casual setting to g
One to Watch: Muscle Maker Grill
April 2013

Smoothie-concept-turned-fast-casual spreads healthy options to diners across the country.
Teriyaki Madness sells popular Seattle staple across West Coast U.S.
One to Watch: Teriyaki Madness
March 2013

Budding Japanese fast casual hopes to deliver a Seattle staple nationwide.
Freebirds World Burrito
October 2010

Freebirds World Burrito relies on a long list of ingredients and a modern atmosphere to bring customers through the door. Offering beer and wine just helps “eliminate the veto vote,” says the chain’s president, Bryan Lockwood.

Nanoosh
October 2010

David Kostman, founder of Nanoosh Mediterranean Hummus Bars & Counters, says his goal is to have people walk out of his four New York City restaurants saying they experienced great food and great ambiance, and that the check wasn’t very high. Offering an...

La Boulange
September 2010

La Boulange Bakery and Café prides itself on being an authentic French bakery, from its round crusty loaves to the open-face sandwiches it serves on the bread.

House of Bread Bakery Café
September 2010

Sheila McCann, founder of House of Bread Bakery Café, says foodservice has similarities to her former occupation as a criminal trial attorney.

“You have to give it your undivided attention and always think on your feet,” she says. “Foodservice...

Cheeseburger Bobby’s
August 2010

The founders of Cheeseburger Bobby’s know consumers have a lot of choices, so they are always searching for ways to stand out from the crowd. The Build Your Own Burger Bar is one of those ways.

Chilorio’s Very Mexican
August 2010

Many of the recipes for the salsas made fresh daily at Chilorio’s Very Mexican came from the mother of the Monterrey, Mexico-born founder of the concept, Diego Cortes. The recipes were tweaked by Chilorio’s executive chef Antonio Marquez, whom Cortes calls...

EVOS
August 2010

According to the founders of EVOS, ketchup matters. So much so that they created the Ketchup Karma Bar at their concept where diners select from four flavors. 

The ketchups are housemade and flavors are Garlic Gravity, spicy Cayenne Fire Walker, smoky...

Abbott’s Frozen Custard
July 2010

There are a lot of frozen-dessert chains out there, says Gail Drew, president of the Rochester, New York–based Abbott’s Frozen Custard, but they just don’t have the history of Abbott’s.

“Everybody in Rochester has an Abbott’s...

Red Mango
July 2010

Frozen yogurt has always been categorized as an “ice cream substitute,” Red Mango president Dan Kim says, but he differentiates his company’s product not by what it isn’t, but by what it is. Kim describes Red Mango’s product as a tart,...

The Grilled Cheese Truck
June 2010

On a whim, Dave Danhi, owner of the California hospitality recruitment firm dd factor, entered the 2009 Grilled Cheese Invitational last April in Los Angeles. While the well-known L.A. chef didn’t win the trophy, he did walk away with the idea to create The...

Naked Pizza
June 2010

There’s no better showcase for cheese than pizza. And pizza, cheese and all, has gotten a healthy makeover in the most unlikely of places: New Orleans.

“If we can sell a healthier pizza in the least healthy city in America, that’s a pretty good...

Taylor Gourmet
May 2010

Taylor Gourmet shows just how far Philadelphia natives will go to recapture the sandwiches of their youth. The deli and market concept was created by friends David Mazza and Casey Patten after they graduated from Penn State, moved to Washington, D.C., and started...

Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop
May 2010

For those who enjoy the leftovers as much as Thanksgiving dinner itself, Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop has a sandwich for you.

It’s not that the Las Vegas–based concept serves leftovers. It just takes the flavor of a Thanksgiving-night refrigerator...

Rising Roll Gourmet
May 2010

The name Rising Roll brings to mind homemade yeast bread, which requires time to expand, and that’s exactly what the Atlanta-based sandwich purveyor has been doing since partnering with Mike Lassiter of Franchising Concepts in 2003—taking time to grow.

...
Brothers BBQ
April 2010

The city of Denver does not immediately conjure up images of barbecue joints like St. Louis, Kansas City, or Texas can. But that’s precisely why Denver seemed like a good place for brothers Nick and Chris O’Sullivan to start a chain of barbecue restaurants...

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
April 2010

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, the Dallas-based purveyor of slow-cooked meats and down-home sides, has been in business since 1941. But company president Roland Dickey Jr. singles out 2009 as “quite a journey,” one that left Dickey’s leaner, meaner, and poised, once again, for...

Tazinos
March 2010

Tazinos seems to be a restaurant concept created specifically for the following scenario: Mom wants a nice salad and something healthy for the kids. The kids want pizza but can’t agree on toppings. Dad just wants to eat—now.

Tender Greens
March 2010

If you pulled three guys from the kitchen of a fine-dining restaurant and challenged them to come up with a fast-casual concept, what would they come up with? Apparently California-based Tender Greens.

“The Tender Greens concept was born of three...

Goldfish Tea
February 2010

Chrysler has greatly affected life in the Detroit area over the decades, and now it has brought the Motor City a Chinese teashop—albeit indirectly.

Janice and Jim Girling, founders of Goldfish Tea, were both working for the automaker when they were offered...

T Salon
February 2010

Because Miriam Novalle loves tea so much, there’s not a grain of sugar in her T Salon shops.

“There’s nothing like a cup of tea when it’s great,” she says. “So I tell people to try the tea first before they cover and mask it...