We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: André Vener is cofounder of Dog Haus, a hot dog, sausage, and burger fast casual based in Pasadena, California. The franchise just rolled out The Absolute Brands, a portfolio of eight v...
Mar 30, 2020•29 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Leslie Silverglide is CEO of MIXT, a salad and healthy-eating fast casual based in San Francisco. She talks about how the brand is going above and beyond to feed those in need—both comm...
Mar 27, 2020•22 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Alonso Castaneda is VP of brand development and strategy at Four Foods Group, a Utah-based company that incubates emerging restaurant concepts and equips them with the resources they ne...
Mar 26, 2020•30 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: John Kolaski is founder and CEO of K2 Restaurants, a hospitality company that incubates and operates several restaurant concepts. K2 runs the SocialEats food hall in Santa Monica, Calif...
Mar 26, 2020•18 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Christine Specht is CEO of Cousins Subs, a 100-plus-unit sandwich chain that her father, Bill Specht, founded nearly 50 years ago. Christine offers tips on communicating through the cor...
Mar 25, 2020•22 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Sarah Grover is the interim CMO of plant-based fast casual Veggie Grill. More importantly, she's the architect behind "The Great American Takeout" initiative, which is rallying people t...
Mar 24, 2020•18 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Anthony Pigliacampo is cofounder and co-CEO of Modern Market, a fine-fast eatery based in Denver. He's been at the forefront of the charge to #SaveRestaurants, and has many practical ti...
Mar 24, 2020•29 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Zach Goldstein is CEO and founder of Thanx, a CRM and digital engagement platform used by many restaurant companies. He offers insights into the data from the restaurant industry's last...
Mar 23, 2020•23 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: There's a lot of fear and uncertainty for operators about their supply chain, and whether or not the coronavirus outbreak will significantly disrupt their purchasing and distribution. M...
Mar 23, 2020•41 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Carl Howard is the CEO of Fazoli's, an Italian quick serve with 200-plus locations in the U.S. He offers a glimpse at the efforts Fazoli's has made to keep operating in the midst of the...
Mar 20, 2020•19 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Brandon Solano is CEO of Rave Restaurant Group, parent company to Pizza Inn and Pie Five. He explains how the company is adjusting its buffet business at Pizza Inn to be viable in today...
Mar 20, 2020•24 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Mark Brandau is group manager at Datassential, a food market research company that has been studying consumer sentiment toward restaurants during the coronavirus outbreak. He digs into ...
Mar 19, 2020•21 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Donna Lee and Zach Flanzman are partners in Chicago fast casual Brown Bag Seafood Co. After Illinois's governor mandated that all restaurants and bars shut down their dining rooms, Lee ...
Mar 19, 2020•24 min
We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare. Next up: Don Fox is CEO of Firehouse Subs, a national sandwich franchise with more than 1,100 locations across the U.S. Fox weighs in on how he's communicating with his franchisees and what leve...
Mar 19, 2020•30 min
We're a week and a half into the coronavirus outbreak, and the restaurant industry is reeling. Sales have taken a dive off a cliff as dining rooms close and operations resort to carryout, delivery, and drive thru only. There is no certain timetable for when the threat of coronavirus fades, and when restaurants can return to some sense of normal. To help the industry through this challenging time, we're going to publish several mini episodes featuring industry leaders discussing their creative so...
Mar 18, 2020•26 min
When Kat and Landon Eckles opened the first Clean Juice outside Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2015, the intention wasn't necessarily to build a thriving franchise. Passionate about healthy, organic foods and with several years of experience serving them to their kids, the husband-and-wife duo were just looking for a change after a season with Landon often on the road and Kat as a stay-at-home mom. But the concept quickly took off, and through franchising has grown to nearly 100 locations serving...
Mar 06, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Paul Damico originally made a name for himself as the president of Moe's Southwest Grill, scaling the fast-casual Mexican brand from 200 units to around 700 in his eight years with FOCUS Brands. But in 2017, Roark Capital Group—majority owner of FOCUS—asked Damico if he'd be interested in serving as CEO of one of the group's much smaller investments, Naf Naf Grill. Springing at the chance to build something nearly from the ground up, Damico moved to Chicago and took the helm at the fast-casual M...
Feb 21, 2020•46 min
Aside from Krispy Kreme and Dunkin', doughnut brands have mostly failed to gain national notoriety in the U.S., instead remaining niche, regional favorites that stick closely to traditional formats and flavors. But Duck Donuts is looking to change the narrative around doughnuts, rocketing to nearly 100 locations around the country serving a wide variety of innovative flavors that can be customized by guests. In this conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, Duck Donuts founder Russ DiGilio explain...
Feb 14, 2020•38 min
In just 13 years, Sweetgreen has become a foodservice darling with more than 100 locations. But the salad fast casual—which has leveraged a high-quality supply chain and bleeding-edge approach to restaurant technology to reach a valuation of $1.6 billion—is determined to create a legacy beyond the four walls of its restaurants. That's why it recently pledged $1 million (along with other resources) to the nonprofit FoodCorps, which is working to connect kids to healthy food in what's essentially ...
Feb 06, 2020•19 min
When Jae Kim launched the Korean barbecue truck Chi'Lantro BBQ in Austin, Texas, in February 2010, he figured serving Korean-Mexican fusion tacos and burritos to the city's late-night crowd would be enough to build a buzz and lead him to his dream of opening a restaurant. But there was one piece missing, and it came to Kim one fateful night as he lamented disposing of an unused batch of kimchi. He heaped the kimchi on french fries and piled it with other ingredients, and the Original Kimchi Frie...
Jan 17, 2020•57 min
Take one look at a P. Terry's restaurant and you might think it's been around for generations. From the Googie architecture to the roadside burger-stand vibe, Austin, Texas–based P. Terry's has created a timeless experience dedicated to quality, value, and customer service. And that's exactly how founder Patrick Terry intended it when he opened the first P. Terry's—in 2005. Terry sat down with QSR editor Sam Oches to discuss the chain's 15-year success story, how it gets away with selling Black ...
Jan 09, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Fast-casual chains that have been around for a decade or less have the luxury of easily adapting to new trends and technologies. Legacy chains that have been around for generations? Not so much. But Mark Parmerlee, owner of Dallas-based Golden Chick, a chicken quick serve with nearly 200 locations primarily in the South, has strived to keep the 50-year-old concept rooted in its homestyle authenticity while also keeping up with the times. In this conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, Parmerlee ...
Dec 30, 2019•47 min
Before the off-premises boom, before third-party delivery, and before meal kits, there was the home meal replacement movement. Restaurant concepts like Boston Market promoted the idea of feeding a whole family with freshly prepared, grab-and-go options, not just singular menu items. This was the environment in 1996 when Phil Romano launched Eatzi's in Dallas, and while the market concept's initial growth sputtered after just a few years, today it's enjoying a renaissance and growing once again. ...
Dec 13, 2019•1 hr
Some restaurateurs join the industry as teenagers, others jump in as a second career. Mariel and Marco Street were born into it. Their father, Gene Street, is a renowned Dallas restaurateur who started the Black-Eyed Pea concept, and they grew up surrounded by restaurant innovation. That was a big reason why they went on to become partners in Liberty Burger and Street's Fine Chicken, two Dallas-area concepts that aim to provide relaxed neighborhood dining destinations with flexible service forma...
Dec 06, 2019•38 min
For its first few years in business, Honeygrow enjoyed the same kind of momentum and accolades as other trendy fast casuals popping up on the East Coast. Its unique stir-fry menu and ahead-of-its-time touchscreen ordering platform helped it earn a loyal following and propelled it out of its home market of Philadelphia and into cities like New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. But in 2018, Honeygrow's momentum came to a screeching halt. The launch of sister concept Minigrow, along with a three-u...
Nov 14, 2019•56 min
College campuses can be tough for running a restaurant business. Students are fickle, the hours are late, and come summer time, your key demographic clears out of town. But for Matt Friedman, college campuses have been a perfect real estate opportunity for his fast casual Wing Zone, which he has scaled to nearly 100 units around the world. Friedman sat down for a conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches to talk about how he mastered college towns, and how his commitment to delivery in the early 19...
Nov 01, 2019•36 min
Howard Schultz famously committed to a “third place” mentality when scaling Starbucks into the global icon that it is today, creating a space outside the home and office where consumers could feel comfortable. And Kim Malek now hopes to accomplish the same thing through ice cream. The cofounder of Portland, Oregon–based Salt & Straw—and former Starbucks executive—is working with her cousin and cofounder Tyler Malek to build a national ice cream brand that pairs a dedication to local communit...
Oct 25, 2019•49 min
There was a time, not so long ago, when fast-casual brands built around one menu item started to gain some traction, whether it was meatball brands or doughnut brands or even avocado brands. Then there was the grilled-cheese trend; a wave of grilled-cheese concepts sprung up in the early 2010s, offering premium takes on the comfort-food sandwich. But while many of those brands faded away, Melt Shop—a fast casual founded in New York City in 2011—managed to evolve into a thriving melted sandwich f...
Oct 18, 2019•50 min
Historically, seafood has maintained something of a small corner in the limited-service restaurant industry. Few brands outside of Long John Silver's and Captain D's have managed to expand nationally, and those that have succeeded have largely been known for fried seafood options. But that's starting to change, thanks to fast casuals like Chicago-based Brown Bag Seafood Co. Founder Donna Lee launched the concept as a way to offer Windy City residents the kind of fresh, healthier, fish-forward fa...
Oct 03, 2019•59 min
Fast-casual Mediterranean is having a moment. The customization format so popular in fast casual has become the perfect vehicle for the fresh, often healthier profiles of Mediterranean foods, and brands like CAVA and Zoes Kitchen are helping dishes like hummus, pita, shawarma, and falafel go mainstream. SAJJ Mediterranean is one concept striking while the iron is hot. The Bay Area brand launched in 2012 as a food truck, and has since grown to 10 California brick-and-mortar locations, with plans ...
Sep 20, 2019•40 min
