&pizza COO breaks down the business-building power of activism

On the unofficial national holiday of Juneteenth — commemorating the proclamation of the freeing of slaves in Texas, final remaining U.S. state to do so —  the…

[ON-DEMAND WEBINAR]: How Mid-Market Restaurateurs are Hyper-Focused on Digital Channels for Future Growth

With many fast-casual restaurant concepts having successfully pivoted to off-premise, the desire to re-open the doors to diners may come with hesitation.

Presented by FastCasual.com

Panera, DQ franchisee opening Oath Pizza

June 18, 2020

Covelli Enterprises, the largest franchisee of Panera Bread, has opened an Oath Pizza location on the Ohio Turnpike. It is part of the turnpike service plazas…

Jollibee opens 1st cloud kitchen

June 18, 2020

Fast-food chain Jollibee will open its first cloud kitchen in metro Chicago Thursday inside a Kitchen United outpost in River North on North Sedgwick Street…

Networld Media employees honor late founder Alan Fryrear

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Alan Earl Fryrear, co-founder and chairman of Networld Media Group, died at the age of 81 on June 10, 2020.

Former Blaze Pizza exec named Yoshinoya CMO amid brand's digital expansion

June 18, 2020

Kim Freer, Blaze Pizza's former VP of Brand Marketing, has moved into the CMO's office at Yoshinoya America. The brand said she brings a level of expertise in…

Is Subway's problem bigger than a footlong?

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

The North American Association of Subway Franchisees — representing thousands of U.S. franchisees — said its survey of members showed that 75% of those…

Seattle council green lights hazard pay for food delivery workers

June 17, 2020

Food delivery vendors in Seattle now will pay drivers $2.50 per delivery in addition to standard pay rates thanks to a new law approved by the city council.

Edible promotes pair to operations leadership

June 17, 2020

Edible has expanded its operations team by promoting two in-house executives to what the brand sees as key operating roles moving forward. Former Executive…

Panda Express launches in-house delivery to 'cut out the middleman'

June 17, 2020

Panda Express said it has contracted with a delivery services firm to add in-house delivery to its current third-party providers, including Uber Eats and…

Ritual to launch contactless ordering tool for Chicago restaurants

June 16, 2020

Ritual, a Toronto-based mobile ordering startup, has launched a tool in the U.S. — Ritual One — to allow small, independent restaurants in Chicago provide…

Pay, right away, a key plus for QSR delivery drivers

by Steve Barha — Founder, Instant Financial

A lot of QSRs are now thinking about deploying their own delivery drivers as online ordering and delivery intensify, and the third-party delivery landscape…

Partech teams up with Techknow to upgrade drive-thru offerings

June 15, 2020

POS provider ParTech Inc. has partnered with Techknow, a multi-sensor drive-thru management solution company, to equip restaurants with drive-thru timers and…

US restaurant transaction decline easing up a bit

June 15, 2020

U.S. restaurant chain customer transactions were down -14% for the week ending June 7, revealing improvement for an industry hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Burger King intros plant-based breakfast sandwich

June 15, 2020

Burger King has launched a plant-based offering — Impossible Croissan'wich. A test in select U.S. markets earlier this year proved successful, allowing the…

Wendy's responds to homicide, fire at Atlanta store

June 15, 2020

Authorities have ruled the death of an Atlanta man — shot by police at a Wendy's location —  as a homicide. Rayshard Brooks, 27, was shot repeatedly in the…

Yum Brands sues Grubhub alleging distribution deal violated

June 12, 2020

Yum Brands, the owner of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, has filed suit against Grubhub Inc., alleging that the online food ordering platform violated a…

Pivoting to meet immediate demands in the QSR, fast casual industry while planning for the future

Julie Hoffman, travel and hospitality head of industry for Adobe, shares valuable insight on how QSRs and fast casual brands can not only hurdle challenges in…

New CMO upping Yoshinoya Japanese Kitchen's digital game

June 12, 2020

Yoshinoya America, known for its Japanese-inspired rice bowls, has launched its first loyalty program, Yoshinoya Rewards, as well as digital ordering for…

Taco John's: A QSR that dares fast casuals to 'follow us'

With a fresh look and a plan to add more than 75 stores in the next few years, Wyoming-based Taco John's, is having something of a rebirth 52-plus years into…