Voting now open for 2026 Top 30 Movers & Shakers: Catering

Voting is officially open for 2026 Top 30 Movers & Shakers: Catering, recognizing the restaurant professionals driving growth, innovation and excellence in…

QSR closures reveal a shift from growth at all costs

by Valerie Gritton

As Wendy's closes underperforming restaurants, development data suggests the next phase of restaurant growth will be defined by stronger unit economics and smaller, smarter formats.

HTeaO breaks ground on 1st South Texas location in Brownsville

Iced tea franchise HTeaO is expanding into South Texas with its first location in the Rio Grande Valley, according to a press release.

How Urban Bird Hot Chicken turned a bad lease into a fast-growing brand

Brandon and Chantel Gawthorp built 32 Wingstop franchises across three states over 20 years, then let it all go to bet on themselves. They opened the first Urban Bird Hot Chicken in 2020, in a space another restaurant left behind. Six years later, they have 24 locations open, many more on the way, and every single one built 100% debt-free

4 misses in Founder-led negotiations

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

Although Founders know their businesses best, their deep emotional investment and daily operational pressures often compromise their negotiating leverage, making it essential to partner with an objective advisor to maximize the true value of their deals.

Miso

Miso Robotics delivers AI automation for restaurants and hospitality. Flippy automates the fry station, reducing labor dependency with consistent execution at twice the throughput of manual operations. Zippy is your employee revenue engine, turning frontline performance into measurable business outcomes in real time.

AI and the Future of Restaurants: From Foot Traffic to Predictive Insight

As consumer behavior and privacy expectations evolve, restaurants need smarter ways to understand diners and drive growth. Gladys Kong of Azira and Isabelle Soriano of Goodway Group explore how AI and location intelligence can inform site selection, media strategy, audience engagement, and faster, more informed decisions.

The 1:1 Personalization Playbook: Using AI to send every guest their own offer

In this session, Hang CEO Matt Smolin, whose platform powers millions of AI-personalized offers a month for restaurant brands, and Rev Ciancio, CMO of Salad House & Handcraft Burgers and Brew, walked through the playbook to start personalizing your own offers right away.