Top Fast Casual News

Daphne’s California Greek announced 10-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater as partner and brand ambassador for the company’s commitment to a healthy, active lifestyle. He will be the founding member of Team Daphne’s, which will include a roster of professional and amateur athletes, local artists, independent musicians, and people who are making a difference in […]

Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, a Denver-based fast-casual restaurant concept featuring Mediterranean cuisine, announced the roll out of three new menu items: tzatziki sauce, pomegranate lemonade, and mint lemonade. The tzatziki sauce, made from scratch with yogurt, sour cream, cucumbers, lemon, garlic, and other spices, is now a part of Garbanzo’s regular sauce lineup and can top […]

  Forget flowers, The Loop Pizza Grill is celebrating mom on Sunday, May 8 with a gift for her wallet. This year for Mother's Day, The Loop is offering one free kid's meal with each adult meal purchase. "Who's more important than mom?" says Cathy Manzon, The Loop's marketing director. "Sunday is the day when we have […]

  Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries has signed a deal with C-Side Development to open a store in Norfolk, Virginia. Jason Armstrong of C-Side Development reports that the company is currently negotiating a lease in the tidewater are of Norfolk that is slated to be open by August 2011. Armstrong and his business partners, Timothy […]

Toppers Pizza announced that, as a means to accelerate growth, the company will start focusing on employing multiunit franchisees with diverse portfolios instead of single-unit operators. The 28-unit, Whitewater, Wisconsin–based brand is aiming to have 100 units open and operating by 2013, says director of marketing Scott Iversen. “We think it’s a nice, attractive investment […]

Bar-B-Cutie Franchise Systems LLCannounced the opening of its newest store in McAllen, Texas. Orlie Ochoa, owner and operator of the McAllen Bar-B-Cutie, brings extensive restaurant experience to the new location. The restaurant is serving its customers through fast-casual dining, drive-thru, and catering services. Its menu features a variety of smoked meats, all cooked on location; a […]

Smashburger opens the doors to its 100th store on April 27 in Schaumburg, Illinois. Since its debut more than three years ago, Smashburger has successfully opened stores in 20 states and 29 markets with an even mix of corporate and franchise units. "We've accomplished a lot in three years and can attribute our growth and […]

Yesterday, Jersey Mike’s Subs opened its 50th store in the Los Angeles area in Hollywood, celebrating with a fundraiser to benefit Hollywood High School. The East Coast–style sub sandwich shop, with a rapidly growing following on the West Coast, opened its first California store in 2003 in Camarillo and now has 27 individual storeowners employing nearly […]

On April 11, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers opened the 50th Freddy’s restaurant, in Victorville, California. This is the 10th new store in 8 months, demonstrating that while economic recovery has been slow, Freddy’s quality-based model is what the post-recession consumer demands. “America is now catching up to the values Freddy’s has always had,” says […]

Newk’s Express Café has started 2011 with a bang, awarding 24 new franchise locations in the first quarter. Four separate groups have committed to opening restaurants in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida; Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana; Atlanta; Michigan; and Virginia. Newk’s partnered with Franchise Dynamics, one of the country’s leading full-service franchise sales outsourcing […]

Dine America, the annual “Executive Idea Exchange” for leaders in the restaurant and foodservice sectors, released the agenda for its 2011 conference. The conference will take place October 9-11, 2011, at the Intercontinental Buckhead in Atlanta. The conference schedule includes keynote addresses, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities, including an offsite party. Industry (and Twitter) celebrity […]

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s co-CEOs Steve Ells and Monty Moran announced the promotion of the company’s 200th Restaurateur, a position reserved for its most elite restaurant managers who are all hand-picked by the CEOs. Chipotle’s Restaurateurs are powerful leaders who know how to create positive restaurant experiences by building a culture of empowered top performers who […]

Chipotle Mexican Grill unveiled additional details for its new restaurant concept slated to open this summer. The concept, ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, is inspired by the traditional shophouses found throughout Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Shophouses are classical two- or three-story buildings where families live upstairs and run restaurants or fresh markets on the ground level. […]

­Effective tomorrow, Boston-based chain of burrito restaurants Boloco will no longer be serving up a diverse menu of burritos and bowls with ingredients inspired by cultures all over the globe. Instead, it will switch to a 100 percent Mexican menu and change its name to Chipdoba Mexican Grill. These changes come from several years of […]

Noodles & Company—the Colorado-based restaurant concept that serves made-to-order noodles, salads, and sandwiches inspired from around the world—announced a new development agreement with franchise group Prairie Pasta Company. Prairie Pasta is an affiliate of Border States Management, based in Willmar, Minnesota. The new franchise partner is slated to open its first Noodles & Company location […]

MAD Greens will not technically be affected by the upcoming national mandate requiring restaurant chains with 20 or more units to post calorie counts on their menuboards; the Denver-based salad-and-panini concept has 10 units to date. But the company’s leadership recently decided to add calorie counts anyway—and to go a step further by adding sodium, […]

Atlanta-based fast casual Moe’s Southwest Grill recently unveiled a new prototype that it will roll out in new units this year. The changes made for the new prototype, though, are subtler than those made at most brands that revamp their concept and focus mostly on sustainability, efficiency, and a cleaner store look. Paul Damico, president […]

Saladworks recently opened its first North Carolina location with the help of a franchisee who hopes to preach the benefits of healthy food in barbecue country. Unmesh Patel opened his first of three planned Saladworks units on March 9 in the food court of The Streets at Southpoint mall in Durham. “It’s taken a while […]

For a third consecutive year, EVOS, a fast-casual restaurant company with an earth-friendly attitude, will offer free organic milkshakes to customers at each of its locations in celebration of Earth Day, April 22. Made from simple, wholesome ingredients like USDA-certified, organic milk and served in biodegradable cups made from plant-based ingredients, the shakes reinforce EVOS’ ongoing […]

  Sodexo, Inc. announced today that it signed a master retail license agreement with the award-winning Indian concept, Café Spice, to bring traditional Indian cuisine with a South Asian flair to Sodexo operations across country. The concept made its nontraditional debut in the university segment this fall at Sodexo-managed Babson College in Massachusetts and at […]

Moe’s Southwest Grill today introduced a new Spicy Trio available for a limited time.  Moe’s new Spicy Queso and Jalapeno Sour Cream are the featured ingredients of the Spicy Burrito, Quesadilla, and Rice Bowl. The contrasting sensation of the cool sour cream with the fiery jalapeno adds a bold twist to the new menu item.  […]

  Exit41 signed three new restaurant clients for its social ordering solution, which includes integrated online, mobile, Facebook and phone-in ordering applications for takeout, delivery and catering. With Exit41's social ordering solution, consumers can place food orders from the restaurant's Facebook page and share and "Like" their favorite menu items within their social network, enabling […]

Saladworks is offering franchisor support in a big way: three members of the executive leadership team, including the concept’s founder and CEO, are visiting new franchisees in their markets as part of the site selection process. Twice a month, John Scardapane, Saladworks founder and CEO; Paul Steck, president; and Jena Henderson, vice president of brand […]