Video: Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit attendees party with a purpose

More than 140 restaurant execs, plus a variety of sponsors, attended the first Franchising Restaurant and Innovation Summit.

Video: Illegal Pete’s founder discusses how raising hourly wage to $17 has grown his business

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Employees get a food and drink credit, medical and dental insurance and tips, which all resulted to a 3.2-percent increase to the brand's bottom line.

Video: Former NFL star shares how football experience shapes his restaurant business

John Offerdahl, former Miami Dolphins linebacker and owner of Offerdahl’s Café Grill, discusses how the lessons he learned from playing in the NFL helps him…

Video: Smashburger founder discusses why old brands are struggling

Fast casual is pervasive, persistent and is starting to cover all categories, said Smashburger Founder Tom Ryan.

Video: Why fast casual continues to steal casual-dining customers

The fast casual industry has grown by 600 percent over the past 15 years, and that’s because it knows the secret to attracting and keeping customers.

Video: Execs discuss how to build a foundation for profitable growth

C-level execs from Kudo Corporation, Corner Bakery Café, Giardino Gourmet Salads and Supply Chain Services discuss how to ensure profitable growth, including…

Video: Why COO describes Blaze Pizza as a technology 'fast follower'

Jim Mizes, COO of Blaze Pizza, shares insight how his company uses technology to reach customers.

Video: Pie Five VP shares strategy on connecting with millennials

Christina Coy, VP of marketing for Pie Five, discusses how the brand uses social media, YouTube and mobile marketing to connect and engage millennials.

ICXSummit15: From scavenger hunt to Skydeck, the highlight reel

by Christopher Hall — w, t

From an Under Armour installation that tests athletic ability to a Warby Parker photo booth experience, interactive customer experience was the order of the…

NRA wrapped up: Interviews, highlights of the 2015 show

Although the NRA reported that more than 60,000 foodservice providers attended its show last month in Chicago, we knew thousands of others weren't able to make…

Digital menu board execs discuss latest trends

Execs from Peerless and Nextep discuss how operators can benefit from using DMBs.

Uncle Maddio's execs: Fast casual pizza still burning up growth

Uncle Maddio's director of operations, Scott Goodrich, and CEO Matt Andrew discuss how hot the fast casual pizza industry is and what's helped the brand…

Using mobile to create a personalized guest experience

Jared Miller, CTO for the Atlanta Falcons, discusses how mobile can be used to create personalized experiences even when the customer isn't using their device.

Groupon, PeachWorks execs discuss how technology benefits operations

The CEOs of Groupon's Breadcrumb and PeachWorks discuss how their technology can help restaurants and retailers stay relevant.

Fast casual stars honored at Top 100 gala

The 2015 Fast Casual Top 100 gala in Chicago honored the list's top 50 brands. Panera came out on top, and there were a few other surprises as well.

The hidden benefit of SMS text marketing messages

Erin Levzow, Director of Digital and E-commerce at Wingstop, points out a key benefit of SMS promotions that you may have overlooked.

Pizza Hut executive discusses importance of mobile customer engagement

Baron Concors, Chief Digital Officer at Pizza Hut, discusses why it's important to think mobile first.

Building loyalty with mobile: Where to start?

Eric Buckner, Senior Product Manager - Mobile for Sears Holdings, discusses where to start when considering a mobile loyalty program.

Getting back to your marketing roots

Although mobile and social media marketing have been hot industry topics for the past few years, you can’t have a strong digital showing without first…

Fast Casual Executive Summit 2014 video highlights

Ever wonder what it's like to attend a Fast Casual Executive Summit? Here's a taste from our latest event in Denver.