How Velvet Taco CEO Chris Schultz scales a cult brand without losing its soul

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

During his keynote at the Fast Casual Executive Summit in Texas, Chris Schultz will discuss restaurant growth, brand culture, leadership, international expansion and why protecting a fast-casual brand's identity matters more than opening the next location.

How Church’s Texas Chicken uses real estate discipline to drive franchise growth

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Connect Media

Church’s Texas Chicken is bucking the fast-food trend of large, expensive experiential builds by pivoting to a "simplify and amplify" strategy, utilizing smaller, hyper-efficient restaurant footprints that cut construction costs in half, open new urban markets and boost operational efficiency and franchise growth.

KFC opens 60th Scotland location

KFC has opened its first restaurant in Airdrie, marking the brand's 60th location in Scotland, according to a press release.

From kitchens to tech hubs: Inside fast casual’s digital revolution

In the latest episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, Cherryh Cansler, publisher of FastCasual.com, sits down with Luke Wilwerding, Vice President of North America Sales at Elo Touch Solutions, to unpack the highly anticipated FastCasual Top 100 Movers & Shakers list.

The top 3 priorities for Founder success in 2026

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

To succeed in 2026's highly competitive market, businesses must focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional customer experiences across all channels, tracking customer transactions as the ultimate health metric and investing in strong leadership to drive growth and loyalty.

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.