How Church’s Texas Chicken uses real estate discipline to drive franchise growth

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

Church’s Texas Chicken is bucking the fast-food trend of large, expensive experiential builds by pivoting to a "simplify and amplify" strategy, utilizing…

Hardee’s partners with NASCAR's Bubba Wallace for limited-edition combo meal

June 25, 2026

Hardee's has launched "Bubba's Full Throttle Meal," a special limited-edition combo celebrating its partnership with 23XI Racing and NASCAR driver Bubba…

The Cost of Running Your Restaurant's Internal Communication on Personal Messaging Apps

Using personal messaging apps for work communication creates hidden costs for restaurant teams, from privacy risks and blurred workdays to missed tasks and…

Dunkin’ launches patriotic menu, merchandise for America's 250th birthday

June 24, 2026

Dunkin' has launched a lineup of limited-time beverages, bakery treats and merchandise designed to celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July and America's 250th…

Taco Bell launches global L.O.C.O.S. platform to target emotional fans

June 23, 2026

Taco Bell has launched its global platform, L.O.C.O.S., on Tuesday, aiming to connect with fans experiencing intense emotions from sports events, personal…

From kitchens to tech hubs: Inside fast casual’s digital revolution

In the latest episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, Cherryh Cansler, publisher of FastCasual.com, sits down with Luke Wilwerding, Vice President of North…

Presented by Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.

Fast food still cheaper than casual dining, but delivery fees erase gap, study finds

June 22, 2026

A quick-service restaurant meal is still less than half the price of casual dining at the menu level, but delivery markups, platform fees and tips can erase…

KFC expands Cheshire footprint with Winsford Gateway restaurant

June 22, 2026

KFC opened a new drive-thru restaurant at Winsford Gateway on Friday, creating 45 new jobs for the local community, according to a press release.

Sonic launches $2.50 menu for America's 250th birthday

June 19, 2026

Sonic Drive-In is launching a limited-time value menu to commemorate the nation's 250th birthday this summer, according to a press release.

Tord Olav Dønnum on the future of autonomous foodservice

by Richard Slawsky — Editor, Connect Media

Tord Olav Dønnum discusses how robotics, automation and artificial intelligence are reshaping foodservice operations and how autonomous kitchens can help…

Wonder, Dave’s Hot Chicken Real Estate VPs reveal growth strategies

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Real estate strategy is central to growth for restaurant brands, and Wonder and Dave's Hot Chicken are taking different approaches to scale. In a podcast…

How Jae Kim is Scaling Chi’Lantro

Jae Kim emptied his $30,000 in savings and maxed out his credit cards to launch a Korean food truck in Austin in 2010. Now he is leading 13 Chi'Lantro…

KFC overhauls global menu, restaurant designs to battle fast-food sameness

June 15, 2026

KFC has announced a global brand evolution aimed at updating its menu and restaurant designs to combat what it describes as the sameness across the…

What Is the Best Team Communication App for Multi-Location Restaurant Groups?

Everything multi-location restaurant groups need to know about choosing the right work chat app.

Built to Breakthrough: Unlocking your power

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

To successfully scale their businesses, founders must make non-delegable decisions and commit to a written, structured action plan that simultaneously aligns…

70 years old and 'restarting': Shakey’s Pizza VP outlines fresh strategy for expansion

In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace, chats with Sonia Barajas-Najera, vice president of…

Inside the tech stack: How Mattenga’s Pizzeria mastered SEO, 8-second reordering

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

In this podcast episode, Mattenga’s Pizzeria co-owner Enga Stanfield explains how partnering with owner.com and leveraging technology helped her independent…

Presented by Owner.com

Onboarding at root of QSRs' turnover problem; here’s how to fix it

by Matt Umholtz — President & CRO, AllianceHCM

To combat the quick-service industry's costly 150% turnover rate, operators must replace clunky paperwork with a frictionless, digital onboarding process that…

How best friends are building their pizza and brew empire

Joey Freis and Mitchell Millar bought a pizzeria at 21. Now they lead nine restaurants and are getting ready to scale Best Pizza & Brew towards its next…

Dunkin’ partners with Barbie for pink summer drink lineup

June 3, 2026

Dunkin' has launched a summer beverage lineup featuring pink iced drinks and a collaboration with Mattel, Inc.'s Barbie brand, according to a press release.