Fast Casual Executive Summit

Join top restaurant leaders at the 20th annual Fast Casual Executive Summit to tackle industry challenges, explore hot trends, and gain actionable insights - all while building valuable connections. #FCSummit will be held on Oct. 5-7 in Austin. Sign up ➡️ fastcasualsummit.com/register/

🌭📍 Dog Haus is heading south of the border. The California-based restaurant chain known for gourmet hot dogs, sausages and burgers announced Thursday it will expand into Mexico for the first time in company history. fastcasual.com/news/dog-haus-…

💍🍕 &pizza will host free wedding ceremonies and receptions for four couples on Saturday, March 14, continuing a brand tradition for Pi Day.pizzamarketplace.com/news/pizza-ser…

📈🥗 WaBa Grill closed 2025 with strong systemwide performance, including 7.1% in same-store sales growth. The momentum has continued into 2026. fastcasual.com/news/waba-gril…

🥪🥳🌵 Big News in Mesa! Franchisees Shane and Kirstin Shaw officially opened their first Port of Subs restaurant on Feb. 3 at 1316 S. Sossaman Road in Mesa, Arizona. fastcasual.com/news/port-of-s…

🥐 La Madeleine opened its first Tennessee restaurant March 18 at 105 Legacy Pointe Blvd. in Mt. Juliet. A grand opening and ribbon-cutting are scheduled for April 14. The location is part of the company's ongoing regional growth plan. fastcasual.com/news/la-madele…

🍗✨ Seoul, South Korea-founded bb.q Chicken has updated its rewards program to boost customer loyalty and encourage more frequent visits. fastcasual.com/news/bbq-chick…

📣 🌭 Portillo's has named Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling chief development officer. She will oversee development, real estate and site selection, prototype design and construction and support long-term expansion plans. fastcasual.com/news/jennifer-…

🌺🍱 Eddie Flores Jr. transitioned from real estate to become the franchisor of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, building a legacy based on the "aloha spirit" & family values. What started as a single location has grown into a leading international restaurant chain. fastcasual.com/news/the-accid…

🍔📈 The Rising Cost of the Burger -- Hamburger menu prices increased 14% from January 2023 to December 2025, while federal Food Away From Home inflation rose about 13% during the same period. Meanwhile, beef production costs surged 32%. fastcasual.com/news/beef-cost…

☕️🤝 Neighborhood customers "regulars" are key profit drivers for local businesses, generating six times more revenue than transient customers through higher tips and repeat spending. fastcasual.com/news/neighborh…

🎙️☕️ Founderology Forum -- Fueling growth from 1 cup to 100+ locations. Brandon Knudsen, co-founder and CEO of Ziggi’s Coffee, shares critical advice on how he bootstrapped Ziggi's from a single coffee shop to more than 100 locations across 22 states. fastcasual.com/podcasts/fueli…

⚓️🐟📈 Speaking at the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit, Michael Ungaro shared the history of his family's brand — a journey that began in 1956 as a 200-square-foot seafood shop and evolved into a destination serving 2 million customers a year. fastcasual.com/articles/how-s…

🍦💰📈 Clementine's Ice Cream landed $6 million in funding from New York-based growth investment firm Next Phase Capital to support the micro-creamery's national expansion strategy. fastcasual.com/news/clementin…

🥤🍦 Just over a month after announcing a partnership with Walmart stores, Vietnamese dessert chain Bambu has opened inside a Walmart Supercenter in Westminster, Colorado. fastcasual.com/news/bambu-ope…

📣 Chili Shack has appointed Elizabeth Orona as chief operating officer to lead the brand's national franchise expansion. fastcasual.com/news/chili-sha…

🥪📍 McAlister's Deli, headquartered in Atlanta, is expanding its presence in 2026, striking multi-unit franchise development agreements in Alabama, Florida, Minneapolis-Saint Paul and the greater Midwest. fastcasual.com/news/mcalister…

🍔🥗 PG Fast Food is shunning the traditional burger-and-fries blueprint in favor of a "naughty but nice" menu that emphasizes choice.fastcasual.com/articles/profe…

✈️🐟 Roger Berkowitz, the former face of the Legal Sea Foods empire, is returning to his roots at Boston Logan International Airport. The James Beard Award winner officially opened Roger's Fish Co. fastcasual.com/news/roger-ber…

🎙️📈🍽️ In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Dr. Chad Moutray, Chief Economist at the National Restaurant Association, to unpack the economic forces reshaping the restaurant industry. fastcasual.com/podcasts/data-…

☕️🛒 7 Brew, a drive-thru beverage chain, is entering the retail market with a line of ready-to-drink canned coffees launching in Walmart stores across Arkansas. fastcasual.com/news/7-brew-co…