GOOOOOOOALLLLLLL: Fast casual restaurants capitalizing on World Cup fever

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

Along with national pride and fan excitement, this year's FIFA World Cup provides restaurants with an opportunity to increase their customer base. Experts tell…

Why restaurants are treating rebates like a profitability tool

by Sean Donahue — President, Digital Procurement Network, Buyers Edge Platform

Operators are paying closer attention to procurement oversight and existing spend optimization as traditional margin levers become harder to control.

Spread Bagelry promotes John Gonzalez to chief operating officer

June 12, 2026

Spread Bagelry, a Montreal-style bagel chain based in Philadelphia, has promoted John Gonzalez to chief operating officer.

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…

SIDES founders: 'We're gassed to finally land in Scotland'

June 12, 2026

SIDES, the fast-casual hot chicken brand founded by the Gen Z YouTube collective The Sidemen, made its official Scottish debut Tuesday with a high-tech grand…

Tropical Smoothie Café unveils limited-time Moana-inspired beverage

June 12, 2026

Tropical Smoothie Café has introduced the How Far You'll Go Mango Smoothie, a limited-time beverage available at participating locations nationwide through…

Gamification helps improve Smoothie King's loyalty program

June 12, 2026

Smoothie King is seeing early gains from adding game-like features to its Healthy Rewards loyalty program.

The return of the Unicorn Frappuccino: Can Starbucks avoid the headaches this time around?

by Amy Sorter — Writer and Editor, Connect Media

When Starbucks created the drink nearly nine years ago, it generated significant consumer interest, leading to thousands of social media posts but also…

Cheba Hut fires up new joint in Fort Worth

June 11, 2026

Cheba Hut, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, is opening its newest location in north Fort Worth, Texas. The counterculture toasted sub shop will open June 15 at…

7 Brew continues pouring it on, opens 777th stand in San Antonio

June 11, 2026

7 Brew Coffee has reached a milestone of 777 stands in the United States. The triple-seven location at 9219 Potranco Road in San Antonio is now serving…

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream makes 1st Illinois push with Chicago multi-unit deal

June 10, 2026

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream has signed its first-ever multi-unit franchise agreement in Illinois, marking the brand's debut in the state with three locations…

Got the recipe for success? #QSRNext is looking for industry-leading speakers

June 10, 2026

#QSRNext, our half-day session designed specifically for the busy QSR exec, is seeking speakers for this year's virtual show.

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…

The 'anti-burger' blueprint: How Teriyaki Madness is out-scaling the giants

In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Jodi Boyce, CMO of Teriyaki Madness, and John Smolen, SVP of Sales…

Presented by Atmosphere

Dalmoros to open first transit-hub location at Boston's South Station

June 10, 2026

Dalmoros Fresh Italian, formerly known as DalMoros Fresh Pasta To Go, will open its first location this week at Boston's South Station, a transportation hub…

Cava hiring over 2,500 employees

June 10, 2026

Washington, D.C.-based Cava is expanding its workforce and career development initiatives through its Flavor Your Future platform.

GoTo Foods appoints Ama Romaine executive vice president, general counsel

June 9, 2026

GoTo Foods, the Atlanta-based parent company of several foodservice brands, has appointed Ama Romaine as executive vice president and general counsel…

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

Shake Shack brings back viral Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake

June 9, 2026

Shake Shack, headquartered in New York City, is bringing back its Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake to all U.S. locations for a limited time. Inspired by the…

De-risking the map: Why traditional site selection is failing modern restaurants

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Whether you're looking to scale your footprint, optimize existing markets or get a clearer picture of where your target customers are spending their time…