Top Fast Casual News

The sushi revolution has begun in Conway, Arkansas, with the opening of the newest How Do You Roll? restaurant. The fast-casual custom sushi shop opened its doors April 28 and aims to bring the area healthy, fresh food at a reasonable price. “We’re all about accessibility,” says Yuen Yung, CEO. “We want sushi to be […]

Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the opening of its flagship location in Lehi, Utah. The 35th Costa Vida location in Utah will open its doors on Monday, May 5. In celebration of the opening, Costa Vida will invite the local community to attend their grand opening and Cinco de […]

Amsterdam Falafelshop is expanding its Boston-area presence with the addition of a new shop planned to open amid Kenmore Square’s residential and entertainment neighborhood. Already a hit in nearby Somerville, Massachusetts, and a staple of the Washington, D.C., foodie and late-night scenes, Amsterdam Falafelshop announced that it be given a second Boston home in Kenmore […]

Hexagon Hospitality founders Mitch Kahn and Wade Vandegrift announced a partnership with The Hummus & Pita Co. on their new Union Square location opening on May 8. Hexagon Hospitality will also be a capital partner as it pursues opportunities both in and out of New York in the coming years for 10 new locations of […]

Pie Five Pizza will open its first local restaurant in the St. Louis area this fall. Franchise co-owner Jamey Tasker says he and his partners at TFPie Group LLC plan to open the first of up to 20 Pie Five franchise units in the St. Louis area in the October time frame. The group, comprised […]

PizzaRev marked its two-year anniversary with a special $5 pizza day at PizzaRev’s inaugural Northridge, California, location on April 22—the restaurant served more than 1,000 pizzas.  PizzaRev operates eight Los Angeles–area restaurants and is on pace to open 65 franchised and corporate locations across the country by the end of 2015. “There is tremendous growth […]

The National Restaurant Association (NRA), in partnership with Technomic and DigitalCoCo, premier sponsor PepsiCo Foodservice and Primary Color, announced the 3rd annual National Restaurant Association Fast Casual Trends and Directions Conference, an industry event focused on the growing fast-casual segment. The conference will be held at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago on Friday, May 16, and will […]

Luna Grill is meeting the demands for its fresh Mediterranean fare by expanding not only throughout Southern California, but all the way to Texas as well. This Mediterranean fast-food restaurant remains committed to maintaining its standards of quality service and food across all locations during this exciting time of growth. Since the end of 2013, […]

Chicago resident Sweety Patel is about to treat customers to a whole new Red Mango experience. After visiting almost every frozen yogurt site in Chicago, Patel decided to invest in a franchise.  But Patel will be serving a lot more than the award-winning frozen yogurt at her location. She will also enter the growing $5 […]

Fatburger in Murray Hill, the only Manhattan outpost of the West Coast burger chain, is bringing Buffalo’s Cafe’s quick-serve model, Buffalo’s Express, to New York City. The new Buffalo’s Express, known for its wing varieties, will join forces with Fatburger to be the first cobranded unit on the East Coast. Buffalo’s Express offers a selection […]

Persona Neapolitan Pizzeria, a create-your-own Neapolitan pizzeria with an Italian-trained Pizzaiolo, opened its first location in Santa Barbara, California, in February 2013. Persona has since announced plans to expand its national footprint with a franchise opportunity. Company plans call for adding 10 new restaurants in 2014 and having as many as 250 locations nationwide in […]

Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza announced it has signed three new area development agreements to open Blaze Pizza franchise restaurants in Boston, Dallas, and Phoenix. The fast-casual pizza chain now has commitments to build 252 franchise units in 24 states and Washington D.C. “Our long-term goal is to build a strong, enduring national brand,” says Jim […]

Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, a Denver-based fast-casual, announced updates to its board of directors and senior leadership team to better align with long-term growth objectives. Rob Doran, current chief executive officer of Granite City Food & Brewery, and Michael Staenberg, founder of The Staenberg Group, have been appointed to Garbanzo’s board of directors. Industry icon Ralph […]

McAlister's Deli announced the signing of a development agreement with an experienced multiunit operator to develop three restaurants in the Cleveland, Ohio, area—the brand’s first locations in the market. Gary Master, owner and operator of three Houlihan’s and six Wendy’s restaurants, will open three McAlister’s locations in the Cleveland market over the next two years, […]

La Madeleine Country French Café announced the opening of its new café at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. The opening will mark La Madeleine’s second location in the Atlanta airport—a La Madeleine kiosk can be found in Terminal 4 at Gate 2. As the fourth airport location to open since the inception of the company’s […]

With 20 years of experience operating multiple Krystal restaurant locations in north Florida, Kevin Gartner is expanding his franchise operation portfolio signing on to develop five Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint locations. Bringing the fast-casual pizza chain to Jacksonville and Gainesville, Florida, the company plans to open its first Uncle Maddio’s location in Jacksonville in late […]

Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill opens its third location in Colorado on Monday, April 14, 2014. Grand Junction will welcome the first Costa Vida restaurant to the area, opening its doors at 2430 Patterson Road. In celebration of the opening, Costa Vida is inviting the local community to attend the grand opening event starting at […]

Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, a Colorado-based fast-casual concept featuring Mediterranean cuisine, announced the grand opening of its 30th location nationwide. The new restaurant opened Wednesday, April 9, 2014, at 4575 E. Cactus Rd., Suite 140 and is the second Garbanzo in Phoenix near Paradise Valley Mall.  “We saw considerable growth potential in the metro Phoenix marketplace […]

More “new” is coming to The New Miami Subs Grill. CEO Richard Chwatt, co-president Bernard Vogel, and director and equity partner Armando Christian Perez, aka Pitbull, announced today that the fast-casual franchise chainwill introduce a new brand extension, Miami Grill, which will open domestically and internationally.  The strategic decision to introduce Miami Grill is part […]

Chef Anthony Carron and partners’ 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria opened its first Las Vegas location on Friday, April 4, at Boulevard at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. “I spent a lot of time as a chef in Las Vegas, and it is a surreal experience to open a restaurant right on the iconic Las Vegas […]

Flippin’ Pizza signed a five-unit expansion deal for California. The deal was signed with Triboro Pizza Incorporated, the brand’s new multiunit franchisee that has been in the restaurant industry for over 20 years and owned successful businesses in Long Beach, Los Alamitos, and Newport Beach, California. Triboro Pizza Incorporated has plans to extend the Flippin’ […]

When fast-casual concept PDQ first opened its doors in the fall of 2011 with a new approach to the chicken category, owners Bob Basham and Nick Reader weren’t sure what to expect. They knew the brand’s contemporary design, commitment to quality, and emphasis on customer service were strong brand differentiators, but they wondered if consumers […]

Fazoli’s formed an agreement with Ferrero U.S.A Inc., makers of Nutella hazelnut spread. Participating Fazoli’s locations are serving Cheesecake with Nutella on a chocolate graham cracker crust, topped with a layer of Nutella. Priced at $2.49, the limited-time promotion runs through June 29 or until supplies last. "We are excited to offer a limited-time-only cheesecake […]