Articles tagged

Fast Casual

9 articles · All articles

November 7, 2026
Hawaiian Bros Plans 52 Florida Restaurants in Its First Move Into the State

Hawaiian Bros Island Grill, a Kansas City-based fast-casual chain, has signed a deal to open 52 restaurants in Florida over the next six years, marking its first move into the state. Southern Rock Restaurants, which runs close to 200 McAlister’s Deli and Dave’s Hot Chicken locations in 13 states, will build them in Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tampa and Orlando. It plans to open 24 within three years. That’s a big bite for a chain with about 80 restaurants in 14 states. The first 24 alone would add about 30% to today’s footprint.
November 3, 2026
- Fast Casual
- Chicken Salad Chick
Chicken Salad Chick Tops 350 Restaurants, Enters 5 New States in 2026

Chicken Salad Chick has passed 350 restaurants, and the chain is picking up speed. The Atlanta-based brand, which bills itself as the nation’s only fast-casual chicken salad concept, operates in 27 states. Fast-casual means counter service a notch above fast food, and Chicken Salad Chick serves more than a dozen made-from-scratch chicken salad flavors.
November 30, 2025
Global Food Chains Want a Piece of the American Market

While U.S. restaurants battle rising costs and cautious consumers, international chains are rushing in the opposite direction. They're coming to America at roughly double the pace of a decade ago.
September 22, 2025
Qdoba Announces Western Expansion with 50-Unit Franchise Deal

Qdoba Mexican Eats is making a major move into Western markets. The fast-casual chain announced one of its largest franchise deals ever, with industry veteran Barry Dubin agreeing to open 50 new restaurants across five Western states. Dubin's company, B Wild Investments, will develop locations throughout Alaska, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico. The initial rollout targets major markets including Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, St. George, and areas around Colorado Springs.
June 29, 2025
Fuzzy's Taco Shop Tests Full-Service Model After Tough Year

Fuzzy's Taco Shop opened a game-changing location in Sugar Land, Texas, on June 16 that ditches the traditional counter-order model for full table service. Unlike typical Fuzzy's restaurants where customers order at counters and grab food from pickup windows, the new Houston-area spot features "Tacotenders" who take orders tableside using handheld tablets. It's a bold move for the 115-unit chain after a brutal year that saw sales plummet nearly 15% and unit count drop 11%.
April 30, 2025
Fast-Casual Chain Cava Targets 1,000 Locations by 2032

After opening 58 new locations in 2024, the company plans to top that number this year with more than 60 new restaurants planned. The fast-casual Mediterranean chain currently operates 367 restaurants across 26 states and Washington, DC, with a bold goal of reaching 1,000 locations by 2032.
March 31, 2025
Qdoba Mexican Eats Expands with 500 New Locations on the Way

Qdoba Mexican Eats is speeding up its growth across the nation, adding 33 new locations to its plans and bringing total restaurant commitments to more than 500 across the United States. The fast-casual Mexican chain is growing through key franchise partnerships in many regions. In the Northeast, PFGS, LLC will build 15 locations across Springfield, Mass., and Hartford, Conn. Meanwhile, Empire Inc. has agreed to open 10 restaurants in the Columbus, Ohio area, using their experience running over 100 restaurants including Subway and Dunkin' stores.
September 16, 2024
- Experiential Brands
- Fast Casual
University Dining Gets an Upgrade with Experiential Brands

Fast casual restaurants are opening in an unlikely new location: college campuses. Experiential Brands, which owns popular concepts like The Original Hot Chicken, Flametown Burgers, INKED Tacos, and Pinsa Roman Pizza, is seeing on-campus dining as the next frontier for growth. The company just opened its first university locations at Auburn University, East Carolina University and the University of Tennessee.
March 26, 2024
"Aloha Spirit" Spreads as Hawaiian Bros Sign New Franchise Deals

Hawaiian Bros, the fast-casual restaurant chain dishing up island-inspired eats, has signed three major multi-unit franchise deals to open more restaurants. The new agreements will add lots of new Hawaiian Bros locations in markets like Portland, Nashville, and Las Vegas over the coming years. With its tropical style, tasty food, and growing number of locations, Hawaiian Bros is heating things up as it brings island flavors to mainland markets. The recent multi-unit franchise agreements mark a major wave of expansion for the on-the-rise brand.