How R&R Brands scaled from a single brand to a multi-brand platform

I sat down with Scott Taylor, Founder and CEO of R&R Brands, a visionary and an industry icon whose fingerprints are on some of the most important…

6 Signs Your Restaurant Team Communication Is Out of Control

If any of these signs sound familiar, it’s worth seriously rethinking how your team communication is set up.

The Power of One leadership team: Building a Founder’s leadership team for success

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

May 4, 2026

To scale a business successfully, a founder must transition from being the organization’s primary bottleneck to building a high-level Power of One leadership…

How One Restaurant Fixed Its Team Communication Chaos (And What Every Operator Can Learn From It)

Most restaurants are losing data, burning out staff, and starting from scratch every time someone leaves. Here's how one multi-location BBQ restaurant fixed…

Disposable cameras and raw reactions: Why 'imperfect' social media content is winning in 2026

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

Marketing leaders from Via 313, ATL Wing Spot, and Hook + Ladder explain how multi-unit restaurant brands can drive sustained foot traffic in 2026 by balancing…

How The Red Chickz brought true Nashville soul to the West Coast

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

Podcast host Mandy Detwiler talks to Shawn Lalehzarian, co-founder of the West Coast Nashville hot chicken brand The Red Chickz about the brand's aesthetic…

More than a post: Turning influencers into content engines for your restaurant

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

At the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit, marketing experts discussed the evolution of influencer marketing from a secondary tactic into a core…

Rethinking Peak Performance in the Digital Restaurant Era

Traditional performance metrics such as ticket time and drive-thru speed measure efficiency but fail to capture the full guest experience. Many organizations…

Presented by Service Management Group

The Complete Guide to Team Communication for Restaurant Franchise Owners

Running a restaurant franchise on texts and group chats is messier and riskier than you'd think. Here is a complete guide to improving and organizing team…

Best Team Chat Apps for Multi-Location Restaurants in 2026

Managing team communication across multiple restaurant locations is challenging, and cannot be done properly on text threads and huge group chats. Compare the…

Why small businesses treat loyalty like a luxury — and why that’s killing them

by David Strauss — SVP Sales, SumUp

In an era of declining general traffic, the most successful QSR operators are those who treat loyalty and retention as a core operational priority rather than…

Design experiences that earn loyalty from day one

Traditional experience management starts after the interaction, but with Ignite Communities, people are brought into the process much earlier.

Presented by Service Management Group

The real cost of a broken customer experience (CX): Revenue loss, operational drag, and brand damage

The true cost of a broken CX extends far beyond a single transaction. It compounds over time, affecting revenue, operational efficiency, employee engagement…

Blaze Pizza, Farmer Boys, Mike's Red Tacos, HigherMe experts discuss recruitment, retention

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

Industry experts at the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit emphasized that sustainable restaurant profitability and successful scaling depend on…

Little Caesars VP of franchise development talks brand growth, solid operations

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

Podcast host Mandy Detwiler talks to Bryan Ketelhut, VP of franchise and business development for Little Caesars.

Bango: From a 300-square-foot acai shop to leading a 'Better for You' movement

On this episode of the Founderology — Built to Breakthrough podcast, I talk with Ryan Thorman, Founder and CEO of Bango and a contributor to the Founderology…

How Flying Dolly’s is cooling down the Gulf Coast

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

Flying Dolly’s is a community-focused boutique creamery that pairs nostalgic, artisanal ice cream with authentic New Orleans-style snoballs, leveraging a…

McDonald's adds under $3 menu, $4 breakfast meal starting April 21

April 2, 2026

McDonald's will expand its McValue menu starting April 21, adding a tier of items priced under $3 and a new breakfast meal deal at participating U.S.

Synergy in a slice: Inside the dual-concept model driving Hungry Howie’s Texas expansion

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

Entrepreneur Jay Dhaliwal is leveraging a high-traffic "one-stop-shop" model in Fort Worth by operating a lean Hungry Howie’s franchise within a co-branded gas…

Nestlé: Co-creating the future of breakfast

Building a global insight community for the largest food and beverage company in the world

Presented by Service Management Group