Crust Pizza Co., L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Gong cha, Juice It Up execs talk the future of franchising

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Executive insights from the Fast Casual Executive Summit reveal that the franchising model is rapidly evolving due to technology, changing consumer and franchisee demands, and a focus on data-driven site selection, multi-unit growth and community-level engagement for sustained success and investor returns.

Noodles & Co's 3 steps to profitability: Menu innovation, closures, digital growth

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Although the company announced a net loss of $9.2 million, or 20 cents per diluted share, recent sales growth and the decision to close underperforming restaurants are steps in the right direction, said Noodles & Co. CEO Joseph Christina.

Apple Pie Spice: The sequel no one saw coming (except us)

by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

Although pumpkin remains dominant, apple, caramel and cinnamon blends are surging. Is there room for all three on this year's fall menus?

Shake Shack's 1,500-store quest: CDO discusses scaling culture, tech, suburban drive-thrus

Mountain Mike's Pizza

For over 45 years, Mountain Mike’s Pizza, a leading family-style pizza chain known for its legendary crispy, curly pepperonis and Mountain-sized pizzas, has been quietly building one of the largest regional pizza franchises in the West. Today we're developing coast-to-coast with 300+ restaurants, and we're primed for explosive growth nationwide

Labor Forecasting 2.0: Predicting Future Demand and Staffing for Efficient Growth with AI

Labor is your most significant controllable cost—but leveraging labor as a growth driver is more complex than ever. Enter labor forecasting 2.0: an AI-driven approach that helps multi-location units match staffing to real-world demand, while optimizing schedules for labor compliance, operations efficiency, and sales.

2025 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers

This year, the exceptional caliber of leadership across the industry led to a slight adjustment in our numbers—we were compelled to recognize 100 brands and 25 executives instead of our usual 75- 25 split. We also added an extra executive, a testament to the fierce competition and outstanding contributions within the fast-casual arena.