Why an independent restaurateur is betting on Mellow Mushroom
by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media
Seasoned independent restaurateur Jon Walker is expanding his culinary portfolio by opening a Mellow Mushroom franchise in Danville, Virginia, capitalizing on the brand's robust corporate support system and a strategic location near a high-traffic casino.
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Built to Breakthrough: Make your brand stand out by being outstanding
by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners
This installment of the Built to Breakthrough series explains that building a clear, consistent brand with a strong unique strategic position (USP) is essential for standing out in a crowded market and competing on value rather than price.
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How best friends are building their pizza and brew empire
Joey Freis and Mitchell Millar bought a pizzeria at 21 with no plan. Now they lead nine restaurants and are getting ready to scale Best Pizza & Brew towards its next destination of 35 locations. In our conversation, we discussed what it took to stop being the answer to every question and start scaling towards their vision.
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The 1:1 Personalization Playbook: Using AI to send every guest their own offer
In this session, Hang CEO Matt Smolin, whose platform powers millions of AI-personalized offers a month for restaurant brands, will walk through the playbook to start personalizing your own offers right away.
HungerRush
HungerRush brings every part of your restaurant together — orders, guests, data — in one platform built for fast casual and quick-serve multi-location brands ready to grow.
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Hospitality hiring challenges driven by structural gaps, new study finds
A new study reveals that the hospitality industry's hiring challenges stem from deep structural issues rather than a simple high volume of applications, driven…
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Kalibrate offers best in location selection services, software
Charles Wetzel, CEO of Kalibrate, a location analytics and site selection platform, talks about his company in this video from ICSC 2026 in Las Vegas.
2026 Pizza Marketplace Top 100 Movers & Shakers
This year’s Top 100 honors those who have mastered the "rare beast" of combining high-volume operations with artisanal quality. Whether it’s an independent shop utilizing AI to streamline inventory or a regional chain perfecting the 18-minute carryout window, these Movers & Shakers are the ones defining the future of the American slice.
