Tagged Articles
fast casual
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QDOBA to Expand Across the South
Fast-casual QDOBA Mexican Eats plans to expand in the Atlanta area and across the state of Alabama thanks to a partnership with Premier Queso Kings, LLC, who signed a 20-unit deal with the chain.
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Melissa Young on Fast Casual Restaurant Design
Fresh takes on the fast-casual theme seem to emerge almost daily, with new players, new concepts and new pressures on operators within the segment to keep raising the bar on innovation. Almost paradoxically, as customer demands for convenience increase and off-premise sales grow, the on-premise experience has become even more important.
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Miami Grill Debuts New Flagship Location
Positioned near the tourist areas anchored by the Orlando theme parks, the new 2,400-square-foot restaurant offers seating for 62, will be open late night and has a double window drive-thru to provide expedited service.
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The State of Fast Casual
Despite a slight slowdown the past couple of years and some weeding out of concepts that missed the mark or overreached, the grass on the fast-casual side of the industry is still green. In fact, against the backdrop of a stubbornly stagnant industry overall, the segment is still a bright spot, continuing to outperform others in measures both quantitative and qualitative.
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LemonShark Poké to Double in Size
Santa Monica, Calif.-based fast-casual LemonShark Poké will double its footprint in 2019 with plans to open 15 new locations in Missouri, Utah, Illinois and New York.
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Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers Enters Nontraditional Space in Development Push
Wichita, Kansas-based fast-casual concept Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has entered the nontraditional sector for the first time with the opening of four new locations across the Midwest. The chain plans to open more than 40 restaurants in 2019, including its first two international locations in Dubai, UAE.
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Full-Service Indian Chain Debuts Fast-Casual Concept
Owned by husband and wife team Anjan and Emily Mitra, DOSA is a successful Indian food concept based in San Francisco. The company recently opened its first outpost in Oakland and third location overall. While the first two DOSA units are full service operations, this one, dubbed dosa by DOSA is the growing chain’s first attempt at a fast-casual service model.
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Captain D’s to Open 15 Units in the Southeast
Fast-casual seafood chain Captain D’s signed a deal with multi-unit operator StarChain USA to develop 15 new restaurants throughout Arkansas and the Carolinas over the next several years. Additionally, StarChain will acquire four existing Captain D’s restaurants in South Carolina and five in Arkansas.
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Pronto by Giada Offers the Feel of its Namesake
Giada De Laurentiis is among a number of celebrity chefs and Food Network personalities to move into the fast-casual restaurant sector. Pronto by Giada opened at Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas last year. Interior design on the project was handled by starrdesign out of Charlotte, N.C.
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Teriyaki Madness Opens 50th Location
Teriyaki Madness opened its 50th location, its first in Minnesota.
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Chipotle Opens 2,500th Unit, Uses Tech for Growth
Chipotle Mexican Grill opened its 2,500th restaurant, this one in Concord, Calif. It’s a milestone that comes on the heels of a reorganization and a focus on tech for the fast-casual pioneer. Chipotle completed its executive leadership team with the hiring of Tabassum Zalotrawala as chief development officer, who will spearhead many of the new initiatives.
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B.GOOD Revamps, Focuses on Clean Lines and Efficient Design
In this Q&A, Gina Venezia, vice president of construction and development at B.GOOD, discusses the updated design why the chain chose to make some BOH line changes.
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I Heart Mac & Cheese Loves NYC
Fast-casual concept I Heart Mac & Cheese signed a 23-unit development agreement with franchise group Manor 3.
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The Hummus & Pita Co. Expands Southeast Footprint
Mediterranean fast-casual The Hummus & Pita Co.signed a multi-unit deal to expand in the Southeast. Franchisees Jay Gill and Patrick Sidhu will bring five locations to the Atlanta area over the next two years.
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Fast-Casual BBQ Mighty Quinn's Updates Design
Mighty Quinn's Barbecue has updated its look to better accommodate both flow of service and its catering/takeout business. Check out this Q&A with founder Micha Magid.
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Moe’s Southwest Grill Embraces its Inspiration
If there’s one cuisine that exemplifies fast casual, it’s Mexican. There’s Chipotle, Qdoba, Salsarita’s, Baja Fresh, Freebirds and at least half a dozen more solid options to choose from.
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Captain D’s Largest Franchisee Doubles Down in the Southeast
Trident Holdings LLC, the largest franchisee of fast-casual seafood chain Captain D’s, acquired 8 corporate-owned stores in Mississippi and will develop 10 new units throughout the state as well as in key Southeast target markets, including Louisiana and Georgia, over the next several years.
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Chicken Salad Chick Brings Southern Comfort to the Midwest
Auburn, Ala.-based Chicken Salad Chick will open its first outpost in the Midwest, in Chesterfield, Mo., in January.
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McAlister’s Returns to Its Roots
This fast-casual deli concept redesigned its prototype to emphasize connections to communities, hospitality and elevated food.
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Trendy Taco Stand Debuts on the East Coast
Julian Hakim, co-owner of The Taco Stand, discusses how he and his partner Aram Baloyan brought their San Diego-based breakfast, lunch and dinner concept to the East Coast.
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B.GOOD Enters the Chicago Market
B.GOOD, a fast-casual, farm-to-table chain, will enter the Midwestern region by opening three restaurants in the Chicago market. The first location is in the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills. The chain will open other locations in Schaumburg and Naperville in mid-December.
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Trend: Fast-Casual Indian
Indian dining experiences in the U.S. have long resided primarily on either end of a very niche spectrum: mom-and-pop curry house-style restaurants with lunch buffets and low prices or chef-driven operations offering fine, authentic Indian cuisine. Options in the middle for those who just want a quick and affordable Indian fix at lunch? Not so much. But that’s about to change.
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Pokéworks Signs Master Franchise Agreement to Expand into Mexico
Pokéworks signed its first master franchise agreement to take the fast-casual chain outside the U.S. and into Mexico.
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Mediterranean Fast-Casual Plans Aggressive Expansion
San Francisco-based SAJJ Mediterranean, a fast-casual specializing in customizable Middle Eastern cuisine, has aggressive plans for the next year, including the opening of three locations in California.
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Chicken Salad Chick Opens First Oklahoma Restaurant
Fast-casual chain Chicken Salad Chick opened its first location in Oklahoma, in Broken Arrow. It is the brand’s 95th restaurant across 10 states.
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Seoul Taco Brings Two New Units to Chicago Area
Seoul Taco, the Korean-Mexican fast-casual fusion chain, plans to open restaurants in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood and in the Chicago suburb of Naperville.
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Curry Up Now Signs 20-Unit Multi-State Franchise Deal
Indian fast-casual chain Curry Up Now signed an expansive 20-unit franchise deal that will introduce the brand to markets throughout Colorado and Utah.
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Slim Chickens Targets Non-Traditional Unit Growth
With more than 75 units, “better chicken” chain Slim Chickens has started to expand globally — with units in the U.K. and Kuwait — and now targets non-traditional locations, such as airports and universities.
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Sauce on the Side Opens First Franchised Unit
St. Louis, Mo.-based fast-casual Sauce on the Side opened its first franchised location.
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Pokeatery Expands to East Coast
Build-your-own poké concept Pokeatery will be opening its first East Coast location in Charlotte, N.C., inside the Epicentre shopping center, before year’s end.