QSR 325 MARCH 2025 by WTWH Media LLC

AN ICONIC PAIRING

Summer Caesar Pasta Salad

Fall Classic Mac and Cheese

Restaurants Must Give More

BCOLEY@WTWHMEDIA.COM

Greetings, readers!

Welcome to the fifth edition of QSR and FSR magazines crossover issue, where we do our best to touch on topics covering both the quickservice and sitdown industries. As most are aware, the two segments seem to have much more in common in the post-COVID environment than they have in years past.

Ben: In January, I had the pleasure of traveling to Rimini, Italy, for SIGEP World, a global conference focused on the world of pizza, baked goods, pastries, gelato, and coffee. What I found most interesting was a presentation from research firm Mintel on what’s on the consumer’s mind entering 2025 when it comes to indulgence, convenience, and value. The biggest point to me was that if you’re a fast-food operator, you can’t just hang your hat on convenience and value. And if you’re in full service, the dining room atmosphere sometimes isn’t enough. Both sides of the aisle have to balance all aspects to attract guests. One Mintel survey found that 33 percent of respondents ordered takeout from a sit-down restaurant, ahead of coffee/tea shops, family midscale restaurants, food trucks, convenience stores, and fine dining. Meanwhile, at quick-service concepts, another study found 39 percent tried new flavors, or about the same as people did at sit-down restaurants.

The lesson here is that operators cannot afford to be one dimensional. Customers want to use restaurants for multiple occasions, and brands need to make sure they’re prepared to fill as many as they can. There are plenty of options out there for guests, and with wallets still tight, they will be choosy about where to spend their dollars. Don’t be in the business of giving customers excuses to not dine at your concept.

Operators have to work harder than they’ve ever had to before to meet guests’ needs.

Callie: Resistance to change is a warning sign of becoming obsolete. This is as true today as it was during the pandemic, even though “pivot” has become the latest buzzword to avoid. Like my colleague Ben said, customers are wanting more out of restaurants, and are choosier about where and when they choose to dine out. As much as flashy food presentations and Instagrammable design elements have their place, diners are growing weary of superficial trends and are wanting to see a return to authenticity in both food and operations, according to Kate Howell, third vice president of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, a philanthropic organization of women leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality industries. Building authenticity, fostering community, and promoting sustainable practices should be core focus areas for your restaurant. As important as offering great food at a great value is, diners today are also prioritizing and rewarding companies that make ethical choices. Over 90 percent of consumers support sustainable shifts, according to a report by Consumers International and GlobeScan. For restaurants, this can look like being loud about your support for local farmers and producers, reducing your waste production, having fair labor policies, and being involved in community or charitable causes. And if you’re already doing these things, make sure you’re getting the word out about your actions and you’re reaching the right people. “The future of dining promises a deeper connection to our food and the people who produce it,” Howell says. “Restaurants that lean into these trends will not only meet consumer demand but also play a pivotal role in shaping a more sustainable and connected food culture.”

EDITORIAL

VICE PRESIDENT EDITORIALFOOD, RETAIL, & HOSPITALITY

Danny Klein dklein@wtwhmedia.com

QSR EDITOR Ben Coley bcoley@wtwhmedia.com

FSR EDITOR Callie Evergreen cevergreen@wtwhmedia.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sam Danley sdanley@wtwhmedia.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Satyne Doner sdoner@wthwmedia.com

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AUDIENCE GROWTH Greg Sanders gsanders@wtwhmedia.com

BRANDED CONTENT STUDIO

VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT STUDIO Peggy Carouthers pcarouthers@wtwhmedia.com

WRITER, CONTENT STUDIO Drew Filipski dfilipski@wtwhmedia.com

WRITER, CONTENT STUDIO Ya’el McLoud ymcloud@wtwhmedia.com

WRITER, CONTENT STUDIO Abby Winterburn awinterburn@wtwhmedia.com

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

QSR SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Tory Bartelt tbartelt@wtwhmedia.com

FSR ART DIRECTOR Erica Naftolowitz enaftolowitz@wtwhmedia.com

SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

VICE PRESIDENT SALESFOOD, RETAIL, & HOSPITALITY Lindsay Buck lbuck@wtwhmedia.com VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Eugene Drezner edrezner@wtwhmedia.com 919-945-0705

NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Edward Richards erichards@wtwhmedia.com 216-956-6636

NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Amber Dobsovic adobsovic@wtwhmedia.com 757-637-8673

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Mike Weinreich mweinreich@wtwhmedia.com 561-398-2686

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Guy Norcott gnorcott@wtwhmedia.com 854-200-5864

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE Tracy Doubts tdoubts@wtwhmedia.com 919-945-0704

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE Brandy Pinion bpinion@wtwhmedia.com 662-234-5481, EXT 127 FOUNDER

Webb C. Howell

ADMINISTRATION

919-945-0704

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Crafting Menus that Resonate

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

From the rise of LTOs, to the power of storytelling, menu masters from full service to quick service share insights on the culinary wins and lessons they’ve learned.

Building Icons, One Bite at a Time

BY BEN COLEY

Guy Fieri and Robert Earl’s partnership blends bold ﬂavors and concepts, with the latest vision coming in Times Square with Planet Hollywood and Chicken Guy!

Building Loyalty That Lasts

BY SAM DANLEY

Tapping into loyalty means mastering the data, a double-edged sword of opportunity and challenges.

CHEFS & INGREDIENTS

17 GREAT FIGHT AT LATE NIGHT

Fast-food and casual brands are ﬁnding ways to boost the evening daypart. BY SAM DANLEY

26 CRAFT COCKTAILS GO OFF-LEASH

Dog park bars, with innovative drinks and atmosphere, are becoming increasingly popular. BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

34 TRADING FINANCE FOR CHEF’S KNIVES

Chef Vi Nguyen of Thompson Hospitality Group shares his journey into culinary and cuisine. BY TALLULAH HAWLEY

DEPARTMENTS

40 FARMSIDE KITCHEN

This up-and-coming fast casual wants to be the ‘American’ CAVA or Chipotle. BY BEN COLEY

48 BREAKING BARRIERS IN RESTAURANT TECH

Industry leaders share the nuances of their career and what the future holds for food and beverage. BY SATYNE DONER

92 FRANCHISE FEES UNDER FIRE

Transparency between franchisor and franchisee has become an issue in the industry. BY SAM DANLEY

95 FUNDING THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL DINING

If operators want to succeed, they must invest in their website.

BY JOSEPH SZALA

98 BLACK TAP CRAFTS A FAST-CASUAL JOURNEY

The internationally known brand hopes to grow new burger and chicken spino concepts. BY BEN COLEY

101 UNDERGROUND ROBOTS AIM TO FIX PICKUP

Pipedream is building a system that could change the o -premises game forever. BY SAM DANLEY

104 START TO FINISH: ASHLEY MORRIS

The CEO of Capriotti’s shares what makes his brand tick and what the future holds.

ON THE COVER

Chicken Guy! and Planet Hollywood may serve different guests, but both prioritize innovation.

PHOTOGRAPHY: PLANET HOLLYWOOD/CHICKEN GUY!

P. 16

Revolutionizing the Way Restaurants Serve Caffeine

The future of energy is clean, customizable, and convenient.

ONLINE

How to Drive Sales and Connect Faster

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ON THE GO

Mini-Golf Meets Modern Hospitality

PopStroke is redefning the eatertainment experience and bringing generations together.

BY DANNY KLEIN

Miniature golf, which has been around in some form since the 19th century, but was popularized in the 1920s by a Tennessee resort owner (the first actual

dedicated course arrived in 1917 in Pinehurst, North Carolina), became a common roadside American attraction in the 70s, 80s, and 90s for its theme

park-like, carnival way to drop a couple of hours with a rubber-tipped putter and a brightly colored ball.

But the reality was, hitting through a giant mill or clown or waterfall didn’t appeal to everybody. It was designed for younger kids, or families, or perhaps a teenage couple on a summer night. And simply, the possibilities of entertainment have evolved beyond the nostalgic pull.

This led Greg Bartoli to a thought when he found himself at a juncture and opportunity in his life.

Bartoli had spent 15 years on Wall Street at JP Morgan. In New York

QSR FSR

toward the end of the financial crisis of 2010–2012, he began to buy commercial real estate in South Florida. He was a bit burned out and debating moving so he could spend time with his young family—his children were 1, 3, and 5 years old.

One of the properties sat near the beach in Jupiter, Florida, a town whose postcard vista is an inlet lighthouse and boasts a population (roughly 62,000 people) nearly a 100th smaller than Manhattan.

In 2013, Bartoli created JEM Capital, an investment firm specializing in leisure, hospitality, technology, and real estate that would establish “Lighthouse Cove” on that parcel. His vision was a one-off, mini-golf and sports-themed restaurant that catered to generations and didn’t narrow its audience. So it would feature golf, but also music, good food, a bar, TVs, a playground, and ice cream. A “one-off,” however, soon became three openings given how well it was received.

Bartoli acquired some other restaurants during that time and continued his real estate ventures before another bulb flashed. In 2019, he packaged the premise of Lighthouse Cove into “PopStroke.” Imagine this all-inclusive version of mini-golf, but modernized with technology, a scratch kitchen,

RESONATES WITH ALL AGES, FROM TODDLERS TO THE ELDERLY, ACCORDING TO FOUNDER GREG BARTOLI.

multiple bars, mobile app delivery of drinks and cocktails and food anywhere on the property (including the golf course) and, overall, an elevated spin that would enable all corners of demographics to connect. Professionally designed putting greens, ample entertainment, jumbotron leaderboards, and more. “We really connected and resonated with 3-year-olds to 90-year-olds, and everything in between,” Bartoli says. “I think that’s why it’s been successful. That was the genesis behind it.”

The name itself pays homage to Bartoli’s father, known as “PopPop” by his grandchildren. “PopStroke” is also a golf term that describes a short putting backstroke with a quick follow through,

like the one Bartoli uses.

PopStroke opened its first venue in March 2019 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. There were 36 holes, a full-service bar and restaurant, ice cream parlor, and enclosed playground. It quickly drew crowds and began to eye expansion.

“My kids were 1, 3, and 5 and I have my own parents and wife and thought it would be cool to build a business around bringing generations of people together around the game of golf,” Bartoli says. “Putting is something everyone can do. It’s not intimidating. It’s a major part of the game of golf, but it’s accessible, and whether you’re old, young, beginner, experienced doesn’t really matter, everybody can do it. And I think that’s why it’s really picked up appeal and resonates with so many people.”

Unlike those aforementioned campy minigolf experiences, though, Bartoli says PopStroke attracted kids, professionals, date nights, college

students, seniors, and on and on it went. “Really, everyone,” he says.

Interestingly, the Port St. Lucie PopStroke also happened to enter the orbit of the most famous golfer on the planet in Tiger Woods, whose kids went to the same school as Bartoli’s. When it opened, the CFO of Woods’ TGR Ventures came to check it out and, eventually, the group would become an equity partner in late 2019. That provided the first burst toward growth, with TaylorMade joining as an equipment partner and investor in 2023 as well.

PopStroke in the years following has expanded to 17 locations—Scottsdale and Glendale, Arizona; Las Vegas; The Colony, College Station, and San Antonio, Texas; Fort Myers, Waterford Lakes, Sarasota, Delray Beach, and Tampa,

Florida; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Eight of these opened in 2024 alone, and Bartoli feels 200 PopStrokes, all through corporate growth in the U.S. (some international licensed opportunities are possible), is a realistic view.

Bartoli admittedly doesn’t play much golf himself these days. But he’s enjoying developing a brand capable of threading generations together through the sport’s gravity.

Although it started in Florida, as an example, the strongest-performing venues today are those farther away—in Nevada, Arizona, and Texas.

One key foundational block, and part of the base that’s going to turn consumer demand into lasting success, is what PopStroke has done on the tech front. A company Bartoli founded in 2019, Heard Technology, allowed it to craft a proprietary mobile app that enables guests to keep score electronically, order drinks for course delivery, and place their restaurant orders from anywhere on the property (as Bartoli hoped in the original blueprint)

Outside of PopStroke, Bartoli owned four different restaurant brands and was relying on four separate point-of-sale companies to support them. He felt POS companies in the marketplace were antiquated. Operating relied on multiple third-party integrations, everything from loyalty rewards to inventory management to reservations, labor scheduling, you name it, he says. “The whole thing.”

And so, when Bartoli decided to build a mobile app for PopStroke, his POS provider couldn’t connect the pieces despite claiming to have an open API.

“We’re going to have 200 different PopStrokes someday and I’m not going to rely on all these third-party dependencies and software providers like everybody else does” he says.

Instead, Bartoli hired a team of engineers and developers and built the “entire thing,” so the company had a vertically integrated, direct-to-guest mobile app-based hospitality point-of-sale system.

Now, it controls everything—the app, KDS screens, loyalty rewards, digital menuboards, website, etc. That’s all directed through a single platform.

“You’re not going with nine different places to change prices or institute or implement specials,” Bartoli adds. “Labor scheduling. Inventory management. Real time P&L analytics. The app itself. There’s a lot. And the ability to go direct to guest

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has been super impactful. Not only are we getting massive conversion rates and downloads within our app, but higher ticket prices, more control from the guest.”

“When the guest has the ability to order direct, they order more frequently.”

There is tech infrastructure throughout PopStroke’s properties. They can track the movement of customers so employees know where they are when they order. “It’s been a game-changer, for sure,” Bartoli says. “And we rely on no third-party integration.” It’s built on Stripe with ApplePay and other digital wallets layered in.

In addition to Heard Technology powering PopStroke’s potential, the company plans to bring it to market next year for other third-party organizations with a need for it.

As for where this has all taken Bartoli, despite working on Wall Street and “not really being a restaurant guy,” he’s somehow found himself deeply embedded in the space. He owns a Dune Dog hot dog concept, Lighthouse Cove and its associated restaurants, like Burger Shack, and, of course, has arrived at an inflection for PopStroke. The brand went from nine stores to 17 this year and has a vast pipeline buoyed by agility in design.

There are three different prototypes—a small-market one ( lower footprint), mid-market, warm-weather, and then an indoor, cold-weather PopStroke that’s currently being built in Nashville and is the largest model in the system. That will take the brand to the Midwest, Northeast, and Pacific Northwest given its ability to operate year-round.

Bartoli says he’s looking at markets in “pretty much every state.” He expects PopStroke to open about eight to 10 venues a year for the next two calendars before ramping up to 20 per year in 2027. Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, California, Denver all are on the radar.

Bartoli believes the macro environment for spending should improve somewhat as well in 2025 with lower taxes and other changes on the horizon. With experiential concepts in particular, it’s a category he projects to “significantly grow” in the coming 20 years thanks to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and even millennials, seeking Instagrammable moments. That’s not just a specific comment on a particular social app, but a larger notion around the idea of a generation investing in connection and experience over materials, and the ability to brand themselves as they record and track their lives.

“They’re less interested, let’s just say, in going to a traditional food and beverage establishment versus going out and eating while they’re eating and drinking some cool cocktails and experiencing something,” he says. “That being said, you don’t need to have everything under the sun fall under an experiential category. So there are certain things like golf that I think have a ton of staying power because golf expands the universe around golf expands the older you get.”

In other terms, there are a bevy of sports-themed concepts being gamified in the “eatertainment” arena. But unlike golf, many sports shrink participation as people get older. Here, you begin to play more as you age.

So there’s a wide reach. Still, though, Bartoli says PopStroke won’t rest on that concept. It has a 98 percent scratch kitchen (options such as wings, mahi wraps, ahi tuna nachos, salads, Churrasco steak dinners) and spends ample time on its F&B to ensure it goes far beyond the novelty of differentiation.

Great experience, through tech and hospitality, is the frequency unlock that’s painting whitespace.

“We’re excited about the growth trajectory,” he says.

POPSTROKE ENSURES THAT FOOD ISN’T AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

Revolutionizing Restaurants Serve Caffeine THE WAY

The quick-service restaurant industry faces a variety of challenges that impact its profitability and operational efficiency. Profit margins are under constant pressure due to rising food costs, labor expenses, and the need to remain competitive in a crowded market. Operation complexity is a concern as restaurants must manage high volumes of orders, maintain speed and quality, and keep up with the latest technology and trends. Additionally, many quick-service restaurants are constrained by limited resources and space, making it difficult to streamline processes or expand their offerings. Meanwhile, consumers expect personalized dining experiences, pushing restaurants to adapt quickly

and integrate customization options, which can add layers of complexity to their operations. These factors require quick-service restaurants to innovate and find efficient solutions to stay ahead in a fast-evolving industry.

Monin’s new energy concentrate range, Monin Brilliance™, offers a solution to many of the challenges facing the quick-service restaurant industry. By integrating natural caffeine, authentic flavors, and vibrant natural color into a single, cost-effective product, these concentrates simplify inventory management and reduce operational complexity. “Monin Brilliance is designed to be operationally simple—two pumps and you’re done,”

says Stasha Johnston, senior vice president of marketing for Monin Americas. “It’s quick, consistent, and easy to use and personalize, ensuring smooth operations without compromising quality.”

The energy drink category is projected to grow to $233 billion by 2026, and has increased sales by over $4.5 billion from 2021 to 2023, according to FreshCup. With 54 percent of consumers expressing interest in ordering energy offerings on-premise, according to Datassentials, Monin’s energy concentrates position quick-service restaurants to tap into this expanding market. Many consumers are even willing to pay a premium for the jolt, providing an opportunity for restau-

The future of energy is clean, customizable, and convenient.

rants to increase sales while meeting the rising expectations of today’s demand-driven dining experience.

The idea of the Brilliance line emerged from Monin’s commitment to innovation and a deep understanding of market trends. During research and development, the team identified a significant gap in the energy drink market: most products required additional flavorings to be palatable and were often loaded with chemicals and additives.

Additionally, the Brilliance line is an ideal solution for space constraints faced by restaurant operators. “Traditional energy drinks are in cans, which take up a lot of space,” Johnston says.

“With Monin Brilliance, one 64-ounce bottle provides 64 controlled servings, replacing the storage needs of 64 cans

and increasing efficiency and margins.” This not only helps with storage but reduces waste as this product has a lower carbon footprint, making it a more sustainable option.

Monin Brilliance stands out by combining natural energy with clean-label ingredients, offering a unique and all-natural energy drink experience.

“Our line features flavors and colors derived from ingredients like black carrots, spirulina, and pomegranate," says Melissa Nasits, beverage innovation director for Monin. “We’re giving customers an energy drink that’s not only effective but also made with authentic fruit flavors and free from artificial colors.” Monin Brilliance Energy™ features six vibrant cleanlabel flavors, including fan favorites like Yumberry Red and Starfruit Yellow, while Brilliance Sugar Free Energy comes in three flavors for those seeking energy drinks with no added sugar.

Another key advantage is that Monin Brilliance eliminates the need for multiple products. Unlike many energy drinks that require separate ingredients for flavor and color, Brilliance combines everything into a single, easy-to-use product. “This makes it simple for operators, whether they rely on experienced bartenders, baristas, or even newer staff members, to create consistent and high-quality energy beverages with ease,” Nasits says.

Monin Brilliance elevates menu offerings and hospitality by providing

quick-service restaurants with a versatile, high-quality product that appeals to modern consumer preferences. The line’s simplicity and consistency make it easy for staff to prepare beverages quickly while delivering a premium product every time. This innovation not only enriches menus but also reinforces a restaurant’s reputation for exceptional hospitality.

Monin saw an opportunity to create a premium, clean-label product that combined natural flavors, vibrant colors, and clean caffeine—all in one bottle. “Each flavor in the Brilliance range stays true to its name, featuring authentic ingredients like real dragon fruit flavor for transparency and quality,” Johnston says. “We ensured every aspect of the product—from taste to ease of use—would resonate with both operators and consumers.”

Monin listens closely to its consumers, using their feedback to anticipate trends and stay ahead of the curve in delivering innovative, in-demand products. “For instance, taste preferences vary widely across the U.S.,” Nasits says. “Social media trends, like those on TikTok, shape the market, but regional preferences, such as the South’s love for sweet tea, remain crucial. Monin’s customizable products and adaptive marketing and research and development teams ensure we meet local tastes while staying at the forefront of industry trends.”

Monin has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from its quick-service restaurant clients. “Customers appreciate how versatile and efficient the product is,” Johnston says. “Monin Brilliance is more than a product—it’s a tool that helps operators meet their unique challenges while delighting their customers.” This response underscores Monin’s reputation as a trusted partner in helping quick-service restaurants enhance their offerings and drive sales. ✦

By Abby Winterburn

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Chefs & Ingredients

Great Fight at Late Night

As the competition grows, brands with deep ties to the daypart are doubling down to

BY SAM DANLEY

Late-night is emerging as a key battleground across the indus

try, with both quick-service and full-service brands vying for their share of the lucrative hours after dark.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, which made it nearly impossible to operate 24/7, restaurants gradually started extending their hours back to midnight or beyond, thanks to rising demand and an improving labor picture. By mid-to-late 2023, many chains were reporting recovery of the daypart. Others were starting to eye it as an untapped opportunity to drive sales and traffic.

LOADED TURKEY BURGER

The growing attention has mobilized brands that have long been known for burning the midnight oil to defend what they believe is their territory.

“We started staying open 24 hours in the late 1920s, so late-night has always been part of who we are,” says Jamie Richardson, vice president of marketing and public relations at White Castle, adding that it’s become “much more competitive” lately after the industry started moving beyond the post-COVID recovery phase.

In response, the chain put a plan in place last summer to nurture the daypart with investments in labor, technology, and marketing. A renewed focus on staffing levels helped White Castle keep more stores open later. The company also introduced additional support during late-night shifts, with district supervisors and general managers working alongside frontline employees to maintain a sharper focus on execution.

Richardson says recent tech upgrades, like voice AI in the drive-thru and robotic fryers, help with productivity around the clock and are “especially helpful when you look at late-night.”

On the marketing front, the chain last fall launched a new “Night Castle” marketing campaign that included tailored messages on social media, merchandise, and a partnership with rapper Fat Joe. It also started funneling more dollars toward channels that cater to late-night crowds, like on-screen ads in bars and QR codes on coasters.

“We tapped into a bar network that was able to geo-target by our castle locations, and we were able to see what competitors in our trade areas were doing really strong late-night business to know where we needed to be our very best,” Richardson says. “We concentrated on a castleby-castle basis versus being generic, and that was really helpful for us to have it be our best-performing daypart versus the prior year.”

The company has focused on building deeper relationships with its delivery providers and actively embraced the delivery space to position itself as a go-to choice for consumers during evening hours. Richardson declined to share specifics about the delivery mix but emphasized that it plays a critical role in driving late-night business.

“The growth of delivery is huge when it comes to late night,” he says. “That area has shaped the landscape as much as anything else. There are more options available to more people who have even more convenience because they don’t neces-

sarily have to be the hunter gatherers themselves. Especially when we look at Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings after 10 P M., the screens are filling up with delivery orders in a really great way.”

Delivery has become the driving force behind Denny’s late-night business, too. Dylan TaylorSmith, vice president of media and digital strategy, says the diner chain has long been known for staying open around the clock and was laser-focused on getting the majority of its restaurants back to 24-hour operations coming out of the pandemic.

Still, for a daytime-centric dining destination, there’s no getting around the fact that traffic is highest when the sun is still shining. That’s why the company has beefed up investments in virtual brands to diversify its menu offerings and increase its reach to dinner and late-night guests.

“Our restaurants are packed at breakfast,” Taylor-Smith says. “As that evolves throughout the day and over the different dayparts, we have this capacity and opportunity to lean into delivery with these other concepts, where we get to utilize space in our kitchen and the labor that we’ve got on staff. It’s kind of the perfect storm.”

Denny’s first got into the virtual brand game in 2021 with The Burger Den and The Meltdown, offering burgers and hot sandwiches stacked with creative toppings. There’s also the Cali-Mexinspired Banda Burrito, which launched on the

West Coast in late 2023 and started expanding nationally last year. Now, over 1,000 of Denny’s roughly 1,400 locations offer at least one virtual brand if not all three, thanks in large part to Banda Burrito’s recent growth push.

As the company expands the availability of

WHITE CASTLE, DENNY’S (2)



WHITE CASTLE HAS NURTURED THE LATE-NIGHT DAYPART WITH INVESTMENTS IN LABOR, TECH, AND MARKETING.

DENNY’S HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON RETURNING MOST OF ITS STORES TO 24/7 OPERATIONS.

virtual brands across the country, it’s leaning into its partnerships with third-party aggregators to promote the delivery-only brands and drive more business.

“The gift of Doordash and Uber Eats is that it’s a platform of people who are ready to transact,” Taylor-Smith says. “They’re ready to try something and ready to eat. So, we’re there with these three concepts, and the lever that you pull is really a promotion—free delivery or something of the sort—to try and get the food in the mouths of these guests.”

The virtual brands capture a different demographic than in-store menus, she adds, noting that there’s just a 1 percent overlap between guests that dine-in and those that order from delivery channels.

“The other thing we know with certainty is that it’s a millennial and Gen Z population,” TaylorSmith says. “Our dining guests tend to skew a bit older, and they’ve been conditioned to using Denny’s as a mainstay for years. The younger generations might not. So, whenever I’m speaking to franchisees about the opportunity in the digital space, I’m like, ‘This is the way we sort of love on this new population and bring Denny’s to a younger crowd.’”

When it comes to menu development, the focus is on utilizing existing SKUs to create distinctive items that set the brands apart from Denny’s without introducing unnecessary complexity. Equally important is optimizing the menu with options that resonate with off-premises diners, ensuring they align with what guests crave during dinner and late-night hours, allowing Denny’s to spotlight these offerings in those key dayparts.

“In that late-night time period, a lot of people want something more indulgent, so we’ve certainly made sure we’ve got plenty of options for that,” Taylor-Smith says.

Jack in the Box is another brand that had mastered late-night for years before COVID threw its giant wrench in the mix. Amid the industry’s ongoing staffing recovery, the company started refocusing on that part of the business back in the summer of 2023 with its late-night “Snoop’s Munchie Meal” activation featuring Snoop Dogg. CEO Darrin Harris said at the time it was “the first big opportunity since COVID to replant our flag” in the all-important daypart.

Since then, Jack in the Box has been growing and defending its share of the segment by making sure it’s staffed appropriately at late-night

and introducing a new way of scheduling labor to ensure it’s hitting its speed of service numbers.

The brand also has kept momentum going by generating buzz with limited-time offers and col-

laborating with high-profile celebrities. Last year, it brought back the fan-favorite Chicken Tater Melt from its original Munchie Meal lineup, reintroducing the item with the help of a partnership with Ice Cube.

“We’re always listening to our guests, using data and real-time feedback to understand their latenight preferences,” says Ryan Ostrom, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Jack in the Box. “This helps us bring back fan-favorite items with a fresh twist or introduce entirely new offerings inspired by food trends that match the energy of late-night culture.”

The biggest lesson the brand has learned about succeeding in the increasingly competitive daypart is to understand what consumers want during late-night and meet them where they’re at, he adds.

“Late at night, indulgence is key, so we focus on bringing back fan-favorite items at just the right moments—like Monster Tacos during Halloween—to create excitement and give our guests something to look forward to,” Ostrom says.

“We’ve also learned that consumer preferences are constantly evolving, and staying ahead of those trends is essential. For example, we’re seeing increased interest in more niche offerings that go beyond traditional QSR fare, such as boba, ramen, and ube flavors. This insight has inspired some of our recent limited-time offers, allowing us to deliver adventurous, bold, and unexpected menu experiences that resonate with late-night diners.”

COVID HURT JACK IN THE BOX’S LATE-NIGHT DAYPART, BUT IT’S DETERMINED TO WIN BACK SALES.

JACK IN THE BOX LISTENS TO GUEST FEEDBACK TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT LATE AT NIGHT.

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Make 2025 Your Restaurant’s Highest Proﬁt Year

The key to building 12 months of LTOs to make a buzz.

In 2025, as the market grows even more complex and consumers continue demanding both innovation and top value, restaurants face the challenge of staying competitive while delivering memorable experiences. However, LTOs remain a powerful tool, helping operators stand out and drive success in a rapidly evolving industry.

Looking ahead, successful LTOs will continue to make a significant impact, with operators seeing revenue and tra fc increasing by as much as 25 percent during months featuring well-executed promotions, according to Datassential’s 2022 Keynote Report. The question for 2025 is:

What makes an LTO truly successful? As the landscape shifts, more companies are stepping up with strategies and solutions designed to help busy operators answer that very question.

“The biggest challenge for operators in 2025 will be keeping customers engaged while being mindful of cost—people want to be wowed no matter the dining level,” says Zachary Greatting, culinary content chef, for Simplot Foods. Greatting is also a small business owner and acutely understands the importance of LTOs in a successful restaurant. “A successful LTO needs buzzwords—’Korean Corn Cheese Pizza with Spicy Gochujang Chicken’ sounds way more interesting than just ‘lasagna,” Greatting says.

2025 is also the year operators are discovering that price hikes have reached the point where they are driving consumers away, which means searching for ways to increase revenue and decrease costs. According to TouchBistro’s 2025 State of Restaurants Report, 40 percent of operators are looking to cut costs through

ﬁnding new suppliers and 38 percent are reducing food waste.

Considering these factors, a successful LTO in 2025 needs to be mindful of food waste, supplier costs, and consumer demands, while maximizing excitement, virality, and seasonality. “Suppliers like Simplot can help take the stress off by providing ideas, recipes, and even promotional assets for LTO campaigns,” Greatting says. Simplot can also help operators combat food waste by providing a portfolio of frozen foodservice products. These options are backed by culinary chefs and influenced by ongoing market research into consumer trends and demands.

Monthly LTOs are a must have, but operators mindful of waste and labor need to use what is on hand, which all starts with choosing the right supplier that will act as a true partner. Cutting costs is only one side

of the equation, in 2025, many operators are focusing on investing in marketing eforts to increase revenue. In fact, 34 percent of operators are considering investing in marketing to increase revenue, according to TouchBistro’s 2025 State of Restaurants Report. However, proper marketing takes time and experience something operators may not have access to.

“Our marketing resources provide everything from LTO ideas to social media templates, and printable materials for tabletops and posters,” Greatting says. “All you have to do is add your brand’s LTO’s specifics like item, image, and price and hit post.” With these resources, operators can remain inspired and keep consumers engaged while reducing food waste, labor costs, and time commitments that tend to bog down operations.

Many operators are also faced with the strain of ongoing labor challenges, and ensuring consistency across locations is increasingly difficult. Discovering the right products for back-of-house that allow for reduced training and reliance on skilled sta f is key to keeping costs down.

“Our products are designed with convenience in mind—saving operators time while delivering consistent quality,” Greatting says. “For example, our caramelized-style onions come seasoned, ready to use in minutes, while our avocado spreads, like dill pickle and everything bagel, are ready to go straight from the pouch.”

Beyond products, Simplot ofers strategic support to keep promotions fresh and effective. “The LTO calendar we developed isn’t just a list of holidays—it’s now a planning resource operators can use to map out months of ideas in advance,” says Greatting. This tool helps restaurants plan around seasonal trends while ensuring campaigns remain engaging year round.

“Our test kitchen continuously experiments with new concepts so operators can stay ahead of the trends,” Greatting shares. “We believe that innovation paired with reliability gives our partners the best chance for success.”

For restaurants looking to make a splash with monthly LTOs, Simplot’s ﬂexible solutions—including Conquest Delivery+ Fries, which stay crispy for 40 minutes—ofer a

unique advantage in the takeout and delivery space. “Consistency is key when you’re rolling out new menu items,” Greatting notes. “Our products are designed to minimize prep time while ensuring a premium experience for the guest.”

“We understand that operators wear multiple hats,” Greatting emphasizes. “That’s why we strive to simplify the process by providing fully developed promotional tools alongside our food oferings.”

Simplot remains committed to helping restaurants of all sizes thrive in 2025 and beyond. Their comprehensive approach to LTOs—covering quality ingredients, marketing support, and operational efciency—positions them as a valuable partner in the evolving foodservice industry.

“We work closely with operators to understand their speciﬁc needs,” Greatting says. “It’s not just about providing products—it’s about ofering creative, scalable solutions that work for small and large businesses alike.” From frozen products packaged at the height of freshness and nutrition to convenient and ready-made spreads and ingredients, Simplot has a product, solution, or resource for every operator’s needs.

“By choosing Simplot, operators get more than just food—they gain a partner committed to their success,” Greatting says. “With innovative products, datadriven insights, and sales and marketing support, Simplot helps restaurants create memorable LTOs that drive both traffic and proﬁtability throughout the year.

There is no one magic solution for successful LTOs. However, a supplier that understands the market, has plentiful resources and embraces a partnership mindset can help operators get one step closer to a viral LTO that doesn’t strain the back-of-house or lead to lost revenue through excessive waste. “Simplot Food’s products are designed with convenience in mind—saving operators time while delivering consistent quality,” Greatting says. “By working with Simplot, you’re not just getting food products—you’re getting a full support system designed to drive traffic and revenue.”

& Ingredients

Craft Cocktails Go Off-Leash

Dog park bars are having fun with creative drink programs, and a few emerging franchises— like Pups Pub—are leading the pack in innovation.

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

A growing segment you may not have heard of? Off-leash dog park bars, likely coming soon to a city near you. The logistics of operating this kind of concept aren’t without challenges— from hiring specialists to make sure dog fights don’t break out to careful restaurant design and ensuring sanitary conditions—but the obvious upside is, you get to see puppies all day, and the market keeps demanding more. The pet industry is poised to balloon

Gloving Solutions

from $320 billion in 2023 to almost $500 billion by 2030, according to a report from Bloomberg Intelligence. The U.S. alone is positioned, the report found, to approach $200 billion by the end of the decade.

Though the majority of dog park bars across the country are mom-and-pop shops, there are a few brands trying to tap into the massive market and emerge as leaders in the space.

Take MUTTS Canine Cantina, for example, a Texas-based brand that partnered with Fransmart in 2019 to start expanding. College roommates Kyle Noonan and Josh Sepkowitz founded the concept in 2012, where customers can sip a cocktail and let their pups off the leash to run around in the attached doggy park. The brand leans into the dog puns, from offering “barktastic” treats for pups on the “Woof Menu” to the beverage menu; the Barkarita features 100 percent Agave tequila, premium orange liqueur, and fresh lemon and lime juice. Ranch Waters, a Texas Mule with bourbon, and a variety of frozen cocktails round out the offerings.

With open locations in Texas including Austin, Dallas, El Paso, and Fort Worth, MUTTS inked a franchise agreement in 2022 to expand to Arizona with six locations, and also has plans to branch into Denver and Kansas City.

Florida was one of the first states to allow dogs in outdoor dining spaces in 2006. As of 2023, there were 23 states that allow dogs in outdoor patio areas of restaurants by state law. Unless it’s a service animal, dogs are not allowed wherever food is served, which means dog bar concepts that want to serve food either need a separate indoor area for humans only, or to have outdoor seating, which is the model MUTTs chose—but that also limits potential markets to warmer, more temperate climates.

Last year, FSR wrote about Off Leash, a fullservice restaurant and bar concept with a premium dog park, including a chef-inspired menu serving up all dayparts and a wide-ranging beverage program with craft cocktails and local IPAs. Off Leash was set to have two locations in Georgia— but the Alpharetta location closed after less than

“Pups Pub prioritized creating an entertaining sports bar environment for people to enjoy with or without dogs, unlike most other dog bar concepts. Many competitors proudly advertise that they love dogs and ‘tolerate people,’ which is evident by their limited bar menus and lack of human entertainment like TVs and music.”

SHEILA SUHAR AND HER HUSBAND , ALEX WRIGHT, COFOUNDED PUPS PUB IN 2020.

six months in operation, and there are no plans to reopen or relocate at this time.

Case in point: Serving food on premises complicates operations considerably, which is why many emerging dog bars are opting to only serve beverages and perhaps have rotating food trucks visit and allow guests to order food delivery. Pups Pub falls into that category, which Sheila Suhar and her husband and fellow dog lover, Alex Wright, cofounded in 2020. The sports bar and off-leash dog park has two locations open so far in Florida in Orlando and Tampa’s SoHo district.

Pups Pub blurs category lines with its full bar service and food trucks, which rotate every week. Guests are attracted to the multi-functional space for canine companions, but unlike similar concepts, Pups Pub has been intentional about elevating the experience for humans, who can enter the space for free without a membership required.

Pups Pub is a 21-plus bar, so Wright and his team lean into adult puns for their drinks. The company has trademarked three phrases: “Bitches Runnin’ Wild,” “Here to Chase Tail,” and “Bad Mother Pupper.” All three phrases are featured on the “Handcrafted Dogtails” menu, as well as on merchandise including dog bandanas and human T-shirts.

“Our VIP’s enjoy the silly humor, so we crafted some of our favorite drink recipes with Pups Pub’s trademarked phrases that are also featured throughout each Pups Pub location,” Wright explains, which encourages cross-promotion. “A guest could take a picture standing in front of the orange neon Bitches Runnin’ Wild sign while drinking a Bitches Runnin’ Wild signature cocktail while wearing a Bitches Runnin’ Wild shirt that matches their dog’s Bitches Runnin’ Wild bandana.”

The Bitches Runnin’ Wild cocktail features Tito’s Handmade Vodka, cream of coconut puree, peach schnapps, pineapple, and cranberry, while Here to Chase Tail includes Empress Gin, watermelon pucker, and a splash of lime juice topped with soda water. Wright’s favorite drink on the

menu is the Bad Mother Pupper, which is simply Jameson Irish Whiskey and Mountain Dew— “don’t knock it until you try it,” he quips. Other punny “dogtails” include The Dogfather with Milagro Reposado, simple syrup, angostura bitters, and orange bitters; the Bloodhound Margarita; the American Bulldog Mule, the Skinny Frenchy; and a Leashy-Tini.

“Pups Pub is constantly adding and subtracting menu items throughout the year to cater to our customers’ tastes,” he adds. “It really depends on what products and recipes are in high demand, which is why we create seasonal menus throughout the year. Pups Pub’s signature cocktails are proven; however, we still evaluate all drinks annually.”

Wright and his team like to take a collaborative approach to beverage innovation. Bartenders, hourly staff members, and even a few trusted regular guests are encouraged to sit in on the brand’s brainstorming sessions when crafting new cocktails, whether it’s a pairing for an event or for a specialty menu. “I bartended back in the day before I joined the Air Force, and obviously now working in a bar for years, you’re around and see all the trends,” Wright says. “We definitely have a lot of fun in our brainstorming sessions whenever we’re looking to create the menus.”

“We’re lucky, pun intended, to have a pick-ofthe-litter when we’re hiring our staff, whether it be bar managers, bartenders—they know their craft very well, and we work together,” he continues.

As the concept has grown in popularity in the region, Pups Pub began offering monthly and annual VIP ( Very Important Pup) memberships to drive loyalty that includes benefits like discounts, VIP entry, and access to exclusive events. Locations also host special event “Pawties,” community giveback activities, and offer “Yappy Hour” deals.

The brand announced its partnership last year with Franchise Well, a boutique consulting firm that has worked with brands running the gamut from Subway and IKEA to RE-MAX and The UPS Store. Pups Pup has sold five franchises within the last few months, targeting mainly single-unit operators at this point in communities from Texas eastward to Florida and north to Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. “Once some of these start opening and more people are familiarized with the brand, the quicker it’ll grow,” Wright says. 

HOW TO Drive Sales and Connect Faster

The must-have tool for modern restaurants.

THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY is more chaotic than ever, making it essential for businesses to find effective ways to engage customers. One increasingly popular solution is text messaging, a tool with a remarkable 90 percent read rate within just 10 minutes—far surpassing email’s 18 percent open rate, with messages of ten overlooked for days.

The instant impact of text message marketing is driving more and more restaurants to adopt it as a tool for connecting with their customers. “We saw tremendous success with our PizzaCloud service,” Scully says. “It inspired us to create Text.Food specifically for all restaurants. Our goal is to add 10,000 quick-service and fine-dining restaurants to our text messaging service over the next two years.”

Unlike many other platforms that charge steep prices based on message volume, Text.Food offers volume dis-

counts across chains, regardless of how many locations an owner manages. “Our pricing starts at 2.2 cents per message for small customers and drops to as low as one cent for large-scale users,” Scully says. This model benefits both small operators and larger chains, ensuring that everyone receives the best rate.

Automated campaigns are another valuable core feature of Text.Food, allowing restaurants to schedule texts based on slow times or special promotions. Some even send humorous, light-hearted messages rather than relying on promoting coupons and sacrificing profits. “One of our users sent a message reading, ‘Did you know it’s not a felony to eat pizza on Monday? Order now!’ These messages are fun and engaging, not overly salesy, and people respond to them just as well as coupon offers,” Scully adds.

With Text.Food, f lexibility is key to creating campaigns that match a brand’s voice, whether it’s advertising new menu items or encouraging customers to stop in on slower days.

Customer support is another strong

suit where Text.Food excels. The platform offers a self-service portal, but for those who need assistance, their team is available 24/7 to help design the most effective campaigns. “We aim to offer the best of both worlds. Restaurants can manage everything on their own, or we can guide them through the process,” Scully says.

One of the significant advantages of Text.Food is the ease of setup. “Once the brand is registered, a user can send their first campaign in minutes. We handle the annoying bit, getting the initial approval from the National Campaign Registry,” Scully says. This makes it an attractive option for busy restaurant operators seeking a simple, effective way to boost sales and engage customers.

With affordable pricing, f lexible campaigns, and exceptional customer support, Text.Food is positioned to become a leader in text message marketing for restaurants. Whether you’re a small independent operator or part of a larger chain, this service can help increase revenue and customer satisfaction—all with a simple text. ✦

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TEXT.FOOD, VISIT TEXT.FOOD.

Price for this service varies based on type of message & volume.

• We apply volume discounts across entre chain, so individual locaton owners beneft from total chain volume.

As low as $0.01 per message for high volume customers!

Use your Existing Phone Number to send messages!

• Either through direct integration to your POS system, or by exporting lists from the POS to import into our platform, you can schedule & manage outbound text message marketing to increase revenue.

We are fully compliant with CITA/FCC regulatons!

Text messages have up to 95% open rate within minutes: push online orders, drive additional revenue, & send upsell messages!

EXAMPLE OF HOW IT WORKS:

1) Send a X Dollars of coupon message to customers who’s last order was more than 90 days ago, with the goal of “re actvatng” those customers.

2) Send an “upsell” coupon for add on items to more actve customers

3) Automated campaign to send a few hundred messages per day, with the goal of adding 10+ additonal orders per day. Messages can be coupons, but you can also get great tracton with messages such as “Happy Monday. Did you know you are allowed to eat pizza on Monday? ” followed by your online ordering link.

Trading Finance for Chef’s Knives

How

chef Vi Nguyen went from crunching numbers to crushing it in the kitchen at Thompson Hospitality Group.

BY TALLULAH HAWLEY

Although he had a successful job in the financial industry, chef Vi Nguyen felt that his career was missing something. He was a baby when his family emigrated in the 1970s from Vietnam to Leesburg, Virginia. His mother, Xuan, did not have a lot of formal education, he says, but she knew how to cook.

“I gravitated towards the kitchen because I saw my mom and the passion and the happiness that she got from serving other people, a genuine happiness of making someone happy through food,” he continues. After working multiple jobs in order to put Nguyen and his four siblings through college—alongside owning several cafes of her own—Xuan opened her final eatery in 2004. Xuan Saigon was the first Vietnamese restaurant in Leesburg, a mid-size town in the suburbs of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV)

As a young boy, he says that in lieu of daycare, he would help to wash dishes and make coffee. That time in the kitchen, even as a child, “was a good opportunity for her to teach me. She knew I was passionate about being closer in the kitchen, and it was an opportunity for me to stay closer.”

Inspired by his mother, Nguyen decided it was time to leave the mortgage and finance world to achieve not just his goals, but his passions that have stayed with him since his youth.

BEING A PART OF A LARGER RESTAURANT GROUP HAS ALLOWED CHEF VI NGUYEN TO EXCEL IN HIS OWN JOURNEY OF MELDING CULINARY EDUCATION WITH HOSPITALITY.

At age 30, he decided to pivot to enroll at L’Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, Maryland.

During and throughout culinary school, Nguyen returned to his hometown to assist his mom in streamlining Xuan Saigon by facilitating its marketing, organizing the kitchen, and honing the skills of its staff. In 2014, the family restaurant was sold, and Nguyen happily reports that his mom is now retired.

Once he graduated, he went through the fine-dining stage circuit, working for heavily decorated chefs such as an internship with the James Beard Award-winning and now Michelin Star-adorned Fabio Trabocchi at the Ritz-Carlton restaurant Maestro.

Soon, Nguyen was sought out by Edward Berg, who at the time was serving as Chipotle’s director of operations. “He taught me so much about throughput and [that] you want to capture the sales fast,” he says of Berg, whom Nguyen notes is still a mentor of his. “And then, your labor and your food costs will take care of itself if you have the right systems in place.”

“As a chef, you want to learn as much as you can,” Nguyen continues. After his years in fast casual, he returned to fine dining for another stint, serving as the executive chef at Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg until 2017, a position that he would return to in 2022.

Between his work at Lansdowne,

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Nguyen decided to open up his own fast-casual spot, called KOVI Asian Street Food Kitchen. “We basically became the number one food truck in the DMV,” he says, which led to two brick-andmortar locations, the second of which opened only six weeks before the COVID pandemic shut everything down.

Always on the hunt for new inspiration and emerging techniques, Nguyen again made a jump to the business side of the restaurant industry. As a part of the Florida-based Asian street food group Hawkers, Nguyen was on the front lines, assisting in opening restaurants around the East Coast. His next move was to the Northeast-based Mecha Noodle Bar, which won Restauranteur of the Year from the Connecticut Restaurant Association in 2023.

In June 2023, Nguyen made his move to Thompson Hospitality Group, where he currently serves as culinary director. “Thompson has been the best culinary decision of my career,” he says. Though, he notes that he was not even looking to switch jobs at the time. During a phone call with the company’s vice president of retail operations, Mark Copanzzi, Nguyen was convinced that he had to join the team. “When I talked to him, I’m getting goosebumps thinking about it, it was an amazing conversation.” Nguyen says a face-to-face meeting with Copanzzi and founder Warren Thompson was enough to seal the deal.

The company has been open since 1992 and is the “largest minority-owned food and facilities management company” in the U.S. today, according to its website. Thompson Hospitality Group owns 14 restaurant brands with over 70 restaurant locations in total, including Social House Kitchen and Tap, Velocity Wings, and Milk and Honey Southern Inspired Kitchen, among others.

Thompson Restaurant Group is not only successful with its leaders and growth, but it also promotes entrepreneurship, says Nguyen. “The culture is second to none. I absolutely love what we are doing at Thompson, because there is no ceiling,” he continues. “It’s a perfect fit—it’s like a glove.”

Thompson, also serving as president and chairman of the restaurant group, has also been an encouraging force, Nguyen attests, saying that “Thompson wants us to be our own owner and our own manager.”

With the company’s large portfolio of restaurants, juggling the range of flavors offered by each individual brand may seem daunting, but Nguyen assures that he is up to the task. “It’s about using

Favorite ingredient? Lemongrass. It’s such a unique ingredient and it’s in a lot of my favorite dishes, from French to Vietnamese cuisine.

Morning beverage?

I live and die by Nespresso. Every day I go through about four Nespresso pods.

Favorite Sunday morning meal?

I make pho on a weekly basis, and Sunday morning, we usually have a family meal.

Dream person to cook for?

Anthony Bourdain, who made me become a chef. After reading Kitchen Confidential, the way that he writes and his journey…. He actually signed my book and I met him!

those French classic techniques and batch cooking to save that integrity for the fast casuals and all those other things that we do when we are doing catering and batch events,” he says. “So, in my experience in fast casual and fine dining has really gotten me to a point where I can help train on how to execute higher-end and highervolume types of businesses.”

For the future of the Thompson Hospitality Group, Nguyen believes that the only way is up, and says “I think that in five years, we are going to maybe triple in size.” This is not just a pipe dream; FSR recently wrote that the group’s restaurant division alone is expected to get more than $200 million in revenue in 2025.

Additionally, Nguyen and his team try to give their brands some autonomy to create specials and features that will inspire their chefs to create but also motivate them toward innovation and taking on new challenges. “I have to make sure that we are successful with what we are putting out there and with our buying power through Sysco and the other groups that we use for our procurement, it just has to make sense financially for us to be really creative and innovative with our menus,” he says.

Nguyen continues, “Obviously, with Southern fare, we are not tied to anything, but we can be really creative with cross-building. Like some of the things that we are doing with our collard greens, adding a little bit of kimchi in there for the bite. These little tricks and nuances are something that I want to teach our team.”

While his current role is to ensure that his team is supported and up to all standards, being a part of a larger group also has allowed Nguyen to excel in his own journey of melding culinary education with hospitality. “It just means so much more to me that I can touch many more lives with the way that I teach, the way that I give,” he says. “My passion is people, it is not food. Obviously, I love food, but my passion is, ‘What can I leave our last conversation with? What are you going to take away from this with my culinary team?’”

Given Nguyen’s history and quest for culinary exploration and knowledge, it truly seems so. “I get to teach, I get to travel, I’m learning every day,” he says. “If I’m not continuously learning, how can I grow and how can I facilitate my team to grow?”

TALLULAH HAWLEY IS A STAFF WRITER FOR QSR MAGAZINE. SHE CAN BE REACHED AT THAWLEY@WTWHMEDIA.COM.

SOUTHERN FLAVOR MADE EASY.

Hottest Trend The

Showing No Signs of Slowing

DATASSENTIAL PROJECTS THIS INGREDIENT’S MENU GROWTH TO SURPASS 100 PERCENT OF FOODS IN FOUR YEARS. BY

YA’EL MCLOUD

Consumer interest in spicy foods has been on the rise, with 70 percent of individuals now expressing a love for spicy flavors—a significant increase from previous years, according to the Supply Side Food & Beverage Journal. This growing appetite for heat is evident across various demographics, including younger generations who are increasingly seeking out bold and adventurous taste experiences. The trend has also given rise to innovative flavor combinations, such as the "swicy" blend of sweet

and spicy, which has gained popularity in both the food and beverage sectors. As consumers continue to explore and embrace spicier options, the demand for products like hot honey is expected to remain strong, solidifying its position as a versatile and enduring condiment in the culinary world.

“Datassential predicts hot honey’s menu growth to outperform 100 percent of all foods over the next four years,” says Mike Kurtz, founder of Mike’s Hot Honey. “We’ve been named the flavor of the year and what’s hot by the industry press year after year; the growth of hot honey on menus backs it up. This trend is not slowing down.” Hot honey, a trend with staying power, has fueled

the rise of “swicy” flavors, enhancing pizza, wings, sandwiches, and salads. Mike began drizzling his signature hot honey on pizzas at a Brooklyn pizzeria, where customers soon asked to buy bottles to take home.

“Much of the growth continues to be through word-of-mouth from fans and tastemakers,” Kurtz says.

“Someone new to discovering Mike's Hot Honey may have the impression that it's a new, trendy condiment that just appeared in response to the popularity of hot honey/swicy flavors, but actually the opposite is true. Mike's Hot Honey started the hot honey trend, which is the driving force behind the growing interest in swicy flavors.”

The flavor packed and viral ingre-

dient is not the only thing that sets Mike’s Hot Honey apart from other suppliers. Mike’s Hot Honey strives constantly to listen and understand operators' struggles and adapt its product to meet operator’s needs. “We are constantly listening to feedback from operators and partners to make sure that Mike's Hot Honey is ahead of the curve when it comes to challenges operators are facing every day,” Kurtz says. “We know the success of our product in foodservice is dependent on the success of the operators using it, so when we see an opportunity to improve, we do our best to implement it.”

It is no secret that the restaurant world post-pandemic is strained, operators across all sectors are looking to find ways to cut costs and increase revenue in 2025. TouchBistro’s 2025 State of Restaurants

Report revealed the top ways operators are looking to cut costs and drive revenue. Thirty-eight percent of operators are looking to reduce food waste, and on the flip side, 34 percent are hoping to invest more in marketing efforts to increase revenue. These tactics can often fall short if an operator doesn’t have one eye on the trends swaying consumers, even harder is knowing which trends will have the staying power to be worth investing in.

Mike’s Hot Honey was aware of these issues and in response rolled out the Drizzle-Ready Cap based on requests from leading chains to decrease food waste, increase efficiency, and ease of use. The Drizzle-Ready Cap is made with the widely used and popular FIFO Innovations™ bottom-dispensing cap. Mike’s Hot Honey is proudly the first brand to introduce FIFO Innovations™ dispensing cap technology on their standard foodservice packaging. This design allows for a 25 percent reduction in waste and is 2–3 times faster. Simply decreasing waste is no longer enough to compete in 2025, which is why marketing efforts are so vital to success. “Mike's Hot Honey offers marketing support through menu branding and promotion collaboration, as well as resources like signage and displays to help restaurants drive sales,” Kurtz says. “Customers are excited to try Mike's Hot Honey menu items due to our large buzz on social media and the growing trend of hot honey.”

Moving into 2025 Mike’s Hot Honey is expected to grow into less traditional dayparts like breakfast and

dessert. “Mike's Hot Honey is best known as a pizza topping, having been founded in a Brooklyn pizzeria in 2010,” Kurtz says. “Pizza and chicken, like fried chicken and wings, have traditionally been the two top pairings. In 2025, we expect to see more applications in beverages like coffee drinks and cocktails as well as desserts and sandwiches.”

As consumer interest in bold flavors continues to rise, hot honey has solidified its place as more than just a passing trend—it’s a staple that operators can leverage for both flavor innovation and business growth. With the “swicy” movement gaining momentum and operators looking for smart ways to increase efficiency and drive revenue, products like Mike’s Hot Honey are proving their long-term value. By listening to operators’ needs and introducing solutions like the Drizzle-Ready Cap, the brand is setting a new standard for how condiments can enhance both the customer experience and back-of-house operations. As 2025 begins, restaurants that embrace enduring trends and invest in smart marketing strategies will be best positioned for success.

“Thousands of restaurants around the country are using Mike’s Hot Honey through incredible collaborations with iconic brands like Dunkin’ Donuts, California Pizza Kitchen, and First Watch,” Kurtz says. “Our new innovative Drizzle-Ready Cap is a game-changer for the food service industry, making it easier and more efficient than ever to drizzle our hot honey on everything from pizza and wings to breakfast sandwiches and desserts.”

DRIZZLE-READY CAP

Farmside Kitchen

The emerging fast casual hopes to be the next CAVA or Chipotle, but with American cuisine at the heart of it all.

BY BEN COLEY

FOUNDERS:

Meg Schiffman & Ben Protheroe

ANNUAL SALES:

$3.3M AUV (Durham Research Triangle Park location)

Farmside Kitchen wants to be America’s next great fast casual, comparable to Chipotle, CAVA, Panera, Shake Shack, and Sweetgreen.

Cofounder and CEO Meg Schiffman, who previously worked as CAVA’s director of marketing, understands how these giants got to where they

TOTAL UNITS: 3 total

Durham Research Triangle Park opened April 1, 2021; Chantilly, Virginia; opened Jan 2, 2025; Cary, North Carolina, opened late February

Farmside owes its identity to the Farmbowl, a product filled with healthy grains, fresh proteins, and various vegetables. All are made with ingredients sourced from local and regional farm partners, like Hines Family Farms in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Across the menu, guests will find regeneratively grown quinoa, cauliflower rice, brown rice, black beans, lentils, and more. Additionally, proteins are grilled in-house, which “just creates a much more robust sensory experience,” Schiffman says.

Customers can build their own with a choice of a grilled protein or roasted veggie, grains, greens, six toppings, and dressing. They can also order one of Farmside’s nine signature bowls. The Rancher—described as “a savory taste of the Southwest” with some sweet and hot flavors, black beans, brown rice, kale, roasted corn, and more— is the number one seller and mixes 30 percent. Another example is The Farmside (signature grilled chicken, warm roasted sweet potatoes, gala apples, goat cheese, sliced toasted almonds, shredded kale, warm seasoned brown rice, and balsamic vinaigrette).

Alongside Farmbowls, the company sells avocado toast, grilled cheese, mac n’ cheese, sourdough bread from local concept La Farm Bakery, and multiple cookie flavors.

are—each one started with a branding aspect that set them apart from the beginning. Panera is known for bread, Chipotle is fueled by its burrito bowl, Shake Shack is associated with the luxury burger, Sweetgreen covers salads, and CAVA controls the Mediterranean segment with its grain bowl.

“Ultimately one way to think about it is we’re trying to become—and we are on our way to becoming—a version of an American CAVA or an American Chipotle,” Schiffman says.

“ … To some people, maybe American sounds a little broad, but it’s grilled, fresh proteins,” she adds. “It’s simple seasonings. It’s olive oil on your

QSR

FSR

roasted vegetables and salt and pepper. These are straightforward but delicious and craveable flavors that anybody can eat. I think that’s one of the things that really sets us apart from a Mexican or Mediterranean style cuisine is this is super approachable, and it’s something you could eat with high regularity, which is really critical.”

Schiffman cofounded Farmside in 2021 alongside VP of operations Ben Protheroe, who has experience from CAVA, Chipotle, and Piada Italian Street Food. The chain has three locations in Durham and Cary, North Carolina, and Chantilly, Virginia, which is just outside Washington, D.C. The original restaurant in Durham earned $3.3 million in AUV last year, a number that “knocked our socks off,” Schiffman says. The restaurant saw better sales numbers than the average CAVA, Chipotle, and Sweetgreen. EBITDA margin was 19 percent.

Schiffman believes Farmside is built to win the fast-casual space because it intersects three key culinary factors—convenience, health, and taste. So far, the chain has experienced favor -

able success with guest sentiment and frequency.

“Something that’s so critical to the success of any fast-casual restaurant brand is that people have to be able to come and eat your food on a regular basis,” Schiffman says. “And I’m down there in our North Carolina location all the time, and I know there’s people that come in literally every day and they get the same exact thing and they don’t get sick of it. And that’s really important, I think, and one of the things that’s driving our success here in the early days.”

When Farmside opened its first location four years ago, it focused on creating an inviting space—a necessity when COVID-conscious customers were still unsure about dining out. Schiffman wanted a space that “really welcomed them and made them feel almost like at home.”

Inside, there are warm wood tones and trims and custom-made quilts, and outside there are comfortable pergolas and seating.

“Most important to know here is that when you think about some of our predecessors, the CAVAs, the Sweetgreens, and the Chipotles of the world,

they grew up in this more industrial style … We wanted to flip that a little bit.”

The restaurant is supported by a small, but “extremely loyal” team with little turnover, Schiffman says.

“Our purpose is to nourish a happier and healthier way of living for all people—especially our team members, for the planet, and for our farm partners,” Schiffman says. “We create this beautiful virtuous cycle where each one is feeding on the next and just creating this experience of something better for you—making you feel better and making you at the end of the day want to treat people better. Our guest service philosophy is to bring a little bit of joy to every single guest today, and that’s the goal that each one of our team members comes in with when they start their shifts.”

Farmside separates its growth trajectory into three phases. The first is North Carolina and Northern Virginia markets like Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Greensboro, North Carolina; and Arlington, Alexandria, Sterling, and Fairfax, Virginia. The next step is further penetration in these two states and growth into South Carolina. This will create a gateway to the third phase, which is

expansion into primary and secondary markets throughout Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Tennessee.

Once Farmside develops its proof of concept with the three locations, the brand hopes to initiate a large capital raise to elevate it to a new level of expansion— money that could help open

another 10 units within the next few years.

Schiffman acknowledges there will be challenges, as there are for any other fast casual looking to break through. The high-quality commercial and residential trade areas that Farmside prefers will be difficult to obtain, but the CEO is confident in her chain’s brand promise and future.

“We just want everybody to live their best life, and we know so much of that is about what you put in your body,” Schiffman says. “If you’re putting good stuff in your body, you’re going to get good stuff out.” 

BEN COLEY IS THE EDITOR OF QSR. HE CAN BE REACHED AT BCOLEY@WTWHMEDIA.COM.

FARMSIDE KITCHEN HOPES TO GROW DEEPER INTO THE SOUTHEAST.

Breaking Barriers in Restaurant Tech

These industry vets dive into the nuances of technology in the QSR and casual-dining spaces, as well as their vision for the future generation of women in tech.

BY SATYNE DONER

In an industry historically known for underrepresenting women in leadership roles, the tides are turning. Increasing opportunities are empowering women to reshape how restaurants connect with their guests through technology, driving innovation across both quickservice and full-service sectors.

Erin Levzow’s career spans multiple industries—from Las Vegas casinos to Wingstop, Del Taco, the Museum of Ice Cream, and Batch & Box. She’s held roles ranging from senior director of digital marketing to chief marketing officer and strategic growth advisor. Early in her career, Levzow recognized how outdated restaurant technology was.

“Some people have babies in nine months, and I re-platformed an entire martech stack in that time for Del Taco, which is crazy because we did it with only our partner and three employees,” Levzow says. “I quickly saw how restaurants were way behind the casinos … They knew how to use data analytics, and our operators were asking, ‘What are data analytics?’”

While full-service and quick-service restaurants are fundamentally different, Levzow notes their shared challenge: understanding who their customers are. Both sectors face an influx of data from disparate systems

that don’t communicate well enough to provide consistent customer insights.

“Knowing who your customers are is non-negotiable. How do you make informed business decisions if you don’t know who you’re talking to?” Levzow says. “I hope marketing teams and tech-

systems work. A lot of deals in the industry are still handshake agreements, but we need to challenge people to ask better questions and truly understand what technology they’re implementing and why.”

LEVZOW

TAMMY BILLINGS

Technology has evolved rapidly to meet the needs of both quick-service restaurants, which prioritize efficiency and scalability, and full-service restaurants, which focus on personalization and guest experience. QSRs have embraced mobile apps, AI-powered kiosks, and other tools to streamline service, while casual concepts rely on data-driven, personalized recommendations and tailored experiences to connect with their guests. Despite these differences, one truth remains clear: restaurants need technology that helps them understand their customers and improve their experience.

Tammy Billings, a strategic technology advisor and new business development consultant at SignalFlare.ai, echoes Levzow’s concerns. In today’s loyalty market, customers still have to self-identify when they walk through the door. Whether it’s QSR or casual dining, customer data platforms and customer identification systems are essential.

“We’re still a brick-and-mortar business, so how do we give customers the experience they want from the moment they walk in versus when they’re swiping their card?” Billings says. “We’re in the midst of a massive data revolution. Ten years ago, we didn’t even know what data was. Today, we have too much of it and don’t know what to do with it, so we need to bring it all into one system.”

Chrissy Ouellette, who has spent much of her career at the intersection of tech and restaurants, agrees. Ouellette began her career at Sonic at 15 years old delivering food on roller skates. She has since moved into numerous tech roles, most recently serving as vice president of sales and business development at Touchpoint Restaurant Solutions. She believes that while data streamlining is critical, there’s another issue at play.

The pandemic accelerated the need for both QSRs and casual chains to upgrade their tech stacks, shifting away from legacy systems to prioritize the guest experience. However, Ouellette points out that this created another problem—a technology stack that became too complex. Managing 25 different tech systems, she argues, can become counterproductive and ultimately damage both the customer experience and the bottom line.

“I ask brands to tell me about their tech stack, and the list is a mile long,” Ouellette says. “What they’re spending monthly is astronomical, and no one can give me an accurate ROI on each product because they haven’t dug deep enough to understand why they don’t know.”

Ouellette suggests simplifying the tech stack. “I would like to see us rewind, keep the nonne -

“We’re

in the midst of a massive data revolution. Ten years ago, we didn’t even know what data was. Today, we have too much of it and don’t know what to do with it, so we need to bring it all into one system.”

Tammy Billings SignalFlare.aiv

gotiables, and let go of the rest. Let’s see if you’re able to survive and increase your profit margins,” she says.

From fast food to fine dining, the restaurant industry continues to embrace technology to enhance efficiency, personalization, and customer engagement. But within the restaurant tech space itself, there is a pressing need to foster greater diversity and create pathways for the next generation of women to become creators, innovators, and decision-makers.

Savannah Schmidt, vice president of marketing for Lunchbox, believes the responsibility is threefold. At the personal level, women should set boundaries and step away from companies that don’t align with their values. They must advocate for themselves to ensure they have a seat at the table.

Peers, Schmidt says, should focus on expanding the circle by networking, offering mentorship, and platforming voices that need to be heard. At the company level, organizations must prioritize developing a diverse talent pool—not simply filling quotas but fostering authentic representation.

“There are so many amazing, highly specialized women who need a seat at the table, but they haven’t been given the organic attention yet,” Schmidt says. “I entered this space when I was 21 years old, and I was so nervous at first because I didn’t want to sacrifice who I am as a woman to feel like I could sit at the leadership table. I didn’t want to be aggressive or dominant just to get a seat … and I’m very fortunate Lunchbox allowed me to show up as my authentic self, with autonomy.”

“There are so many amazing, highly specialized women who need a seat at the table, but they haven’t been given the organic attention yet”

—Savannah Schmidt Lunchbox

Schmidt hopes to see the restaurant tech space evolve to allow the next generation of women into leadership roles without requiring them to jump through hoops, prove their worth, or compromise their authenticity. She continues to advocate for pathways to mentorship for women wanting to shatter the glass ceiling in technology.

“We need to move away from prioritizing women only during a certain month or plugging them in at the table because we have to,” Schmidt says. “I don’t want to be chosen just because I’m a woman. It should be based on my expertise, my leadership skills, and everything else I bring to the table. At the same time, we must continue to lift and mentor each other to ensure our voices are heard and we’re being seen for our achievements.” 

SATYNE DONER AN ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF QSR. SHE CAN BE REACHED AT SDONER@WTHWMEDIA.COM.

®

/ BY BEN COLEY

Building Icons, One Bite at a Time

Guy Fieri and Robert Earl’s partnership blends bold flavors and concepts, with the latest vision coming in Times Square with Planet Hollywood and Chicken Guy!

Robert Earl has a track record of attaching himself to great celebrity. He has an eye for well-known figures who, whatever they do, tend to get publicized. That’s what guided him as CEO of Hard Rock Cafe decades ago and inspired him to develop Planet Hollywood.

Widely known TV and culinary personality Guy Fieri is no exception. The two were connected via their relationships with Caesars Entertainment. Earl with his Planet Hollywood

Las Vegas Resort and Casino and Fieri with Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar.

Earl—as he’s done for decades with other partnerships— observed what Fieri was doing and how he ignited emotion in each type of audience.

Earl saw a man recognized by everyone and who received a smile from everyone. A person who had his finger on the pulse of American dining.

“He does something so smart if you stop and think about it,” Earl says. “He travels America on a weekly basis and sees every trend. He understands Middle America’s taste buds.”

He began to hang out with Fieri in Las Vegas and gravitated toward him like others had. “He’s impossible for me to keep up with,” Earl jokes. “He could drink me or party me under the table.”

Eventually, Earl asked Fieri to create a new menu section for the Planet Hollywood location at Orlando’s Disney Springs as part of an overall transformation in 2017.

The collaboration went so well that the duo took it a step further and decided to open fast casual Chicken Guy! The first store opened in Disney Springs in 2018, beside the flagship Planet Hollywood location.

“We honed in on fast casual, which I think is an obvious statement now subsequent to COVID, that it just gives you so many different angles,” Earl says. “It gives you dine-in. It gives you drivethru, it gives you delivery, it gives you pickup, and so you’ve got the best of all worlds in terms of broadening your audience. Chicken was the protein that we focused on. There’s quite a few incredible brands out there already. It’s a space

“It gives you dine-in. It gives you drive-thru, it gives you delivery, it gives you pickup, and so you’ve got the best of all worlds in terms of broadening your audience.”

that will always be in demand. It will always be priced right whereas beef tends to rise and go crazy at different times.”

The moves—both the Planet Hollywood menu and the launch of Chicken Guy!—were no-brainers for Fieri, who describes Earl as exuberant, energetic, and one of the most dynamic people he’s ever met.

“Robert is an OG,” Fieri says. “He’s a guy that was doing it before I was even in it. You think about his involvement with Hard Rock Cafe, you think about his creation of Planet Hollywood, what a genius move that was. Taking this experience he had with Hard Rock and everybody loving the rock and roll memorabilia and then saying, ‘Well, wait a second, let’s go do the same thing for movies and then go and get those superstars and get these guys involved in it.’ He’s always been a forward-thinking, no-boundaries kind of guy. I mean he really knows how to get after it. I was very honored to be asked to form a team with him.”

This year is a major turning point for Earl and Fieri’s partnership as Planet Hollywood and Chicken Guy! opened new locations in New York City.



GUY FIERI

 ROBERT EARL

Each location marked the restaurateurs’ official return to Times Square and one of the biggest opportunities to put Planet Hollywood and Chicken Guy! in front of a global audience.

A REVAMPED PLANET

Earl cofounded Planet Hollywood in October 1991. It has since been recognized worldwide for its restaurants and resorts.

The first venue opened on 57th Street in New York City and moved to Time Square in 2000.

“Unquestionably the media center of the world,” Earl says. “If you want to generate press, this is the place to be, and Planet Hollywood has been designed as a backdrop for interesting media events to take place.”

The restaurant shuttered during COVID with the intent of coming back bigger and better.

Located at 42nd Street, the revamped location— backed by a $20 million investment—showcases what Earl calls a Planet Hollywood sequel. Designed to cater to various events, from intimate gatherings to large-scale celebrations, the adaptable space combines state-of-the-art technology with visual storytelling.

Upon entering, visitors are greeted by an Art Deco-inspired glowing staircase that leads to the second-floor dining area, where a canopy of illuminated stars and interactive walls create a unique ambiance. Instead of traditional memorabilia, synchronized audio-visual projections immerse diners in Hollywood-inspired scenes. The third floor amplifies the experience with HD video screens embedded in the ceiling and surrounding walls.

The venue also evolves into a vibrant nightlife destination after dinner hours with dynamic bars, signature cocktails, and DJ booths.

It’s meant to be a Planet Hollywood where people find themselves visiting once a week as a hangout spot instead of a once-per-year destination. Customers, particularly office workers, could visit for happy hour. This specific restaurant has a second life after 10 p.m., unlike the other locations.

“We cut back on the food very late at night,” Earl says. “We become more of a lounge. So from a restaurant operator perspective, it gives you more hours to make money. From the guest perspective, it’s conveying a different message of what this space is because locals normally would say, ‘I have someone from out of town coming,

this is where I’ll take them.’ But now I want the locals not to wait for their out-of-town guests.”

The restaurant is already attracting attention. Whoopi Goldberg brought the cast of the Broadway play “Annie” late last year. Earl foresees Planet Hollywood hosting additional celebrity-filled celebrations and movie premieres.

“Of course one can’t come back with the same

THE PLANET HOLLYWOOD IN TIMES SQUARE PROVIDES A UNIQUE SENSORY EXPERIENCE WITH ALL OF ITS HD SCREENS.

formula,” Earl says. “You have to do something fresh. And you have to take account of the new consumer, the new consumer needs, and how their life has changed, how their timing has changed, and what their interests are, where their palate has gone, what entertainment they’re watching. Are they all now TikTok fans instead of going out to AMC? You’ve got to balance all of that.”

The NYC Planet Hollywood is strategically placed near Times Square, but not in the dead center, to attract thousands of office workers in the area and New Yorkers in addition to transitory tourists.

The new location is targeting group events and the hotel banquet segment. Earl anticipates a lot of corporate buyouts where customers will take up either one room or both.

“If you’re launching a new product, whatever it is, you can just create your identity from the front door onwards and literally take over the building,” Earl says. “It doesn’t look temporary where you’ve put some screens in front of a wall.”

For the consumer, Planet Hollywood implemented a high-quality sound system and sorted through several popular music videos and movies so guests are constantly visually stimulated by surrounding screens.

The restaurant also ensures consumers can be part of celebrity culture.

“We can go film someone with our handhelds or even with our phone, and suddenly I could put on the screen, ‘Is this man the next Bachelor in Paradise?’ or whatever you want to put or ‘Is someone the next Beverly Hills housewife?’” Earl says. “So it’s going to be very fun, very interactive. If there’s a birthday, we can do something incredible—any type of celebration.”

The menu is equally as flashy. The biggest sellers are a section called “1991 icons,” which is a collection of classic items that pay tribute to Planet Hollywood’s original menu, including the World-Famous Chicken Crunch, Planet Nachos Grande, L.A. Lasagna, and St. Louis BBQ Ribs.

That’s combined with a contemporary menu offering numerous choices of appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, and other entrées. Some examples include Kobe Cheesesteak Empanadas, Prime Rib Sliders, Chicken Caesar Salad, All-American Double Smash Cheeseburger, Spicy Rigatoni Vodka, NY Strip Steak, and Lobster Pot Pie.

“When you see the menu, if you took away the name Planet Hollywood, you would say, ‘Oh, I’ve

got to go there a few times because there’s so many dishes that are current, relevant, well-priced by New York standards,’” Earl says. “I think you’ll spend $40-plus at dinner. Great cocktails, two wonderful bars, very bubbly employees. It’s New York. They’re very sharp, they’re very fast. A lot of them are actors, actresses, singers, and dancers from that community, and I think the whole thing is high energy.”

Fieri views the NYC Planet Hollywood as proof of Earl’s constant willingness to evolve. The TV star believes eating out in today’s time goes far beyond the consumption of proteins and beverages. It’s also about an experience.

 PLANET HOLLYWOOD’S MENU IS DIVERSE AND COVERS MULTIPLE PROTEINS.

 PLANET HOLLYWOOD WANTS TO ENTERTAIN GUESTS AND WOW THEM WITH A CONTEMPORARY MENU.

He adds that Earl has carefully crafted a creative visual touching experience and differentiated culinary experience in the same building.

“When you go to an iconic place like Disney or Times Square, you’re going to have two or three meals, two or three dinners in that period of time,” Fieri says. “This may be your only visit to New York or Times Square. Let’s make it a memorable one. And what could be more memorable than going to Planet Hollywood and having a chance to see all the excitement that takes place and get all the glitter and glamour that happens and then also get a chance to see the memorabilia and the story arc?”

THE FUTURE IS CHICKEN

Over six years, Chicken Guy! has expanded to more than a dozen outlets across the U.S., including some nontraditional spots in stadiums, malls, resorts, and Los Angeles International Airport. The brand has also seen success with franchising. In April, Chicken Guy! announced that Chandhi Hospitality Group signed a 10-unit agreement to expand the concept throughout Northern California.

When Fieri and Earl had their first conversation about developing a restaurant years ago, Fieri figured it would be about burgers. Earl assured Fieri that he loved his burgers, and even labeled him as a “burger genius.” But the longtime operator emphasized to Fieri that “the future is chicken.”

Earl asked how much Fieri knew about chicken. The answer? Quite a lot.

“I said, ‘Robert, I bet you I’ve eaten more chicken and at more chicken restaurants than anybody in the country having ‘Diners, DriveIns, and Dives,’” Fieri recalls. “I said, ‘I’ve done it all over the country. I’ve seen it.’ And he goes, ‘What do you think? What do you think chicken is?’ And I said, ‘Well, not on the bone, it’s tender. It’s a variety of salt.’ And he goes, ‘That’s what I’m talking about. Can you make that?’ I said, ‘Standing on my head.’”

“I said, ‘Robert, I bet you I’ve eaten more chicken and at more chicken restaurants than anybody in the country having ‘Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives...’ I said, ‘I’ve done it all over the country. I’ve seen it.’”

It wasn’t as easy as Fieri first thought. He, chef Anthony Hoy Fong, and the rest of the culinary team spent six to nine months establishing the right philosophies. They tried 50 brine techniques and repeatedly tinkered with garlic, buttermilk, salt, and other ingredients. Once they were happy with how the chicken should be prepared, the group delved into sauces. The team began with dozens of choices, but eventually whittled it down to 10 signature sauces—Special Sauce, Donkey Sauce, Garlic Parmesan, Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ, Buffalo, Buttermilk Ranch, Honey Mustard, Sweet ‘N’ Sour, Chipotle Ranch, and Nashville Hot Honey. All of the sauces are made in-house.

“The whole idea was, as a chef and as a restaurant owner from all different styles of restaurants, we wanted to make it so if people are going to eat something fried, breaded, and with sauces, we better make sure that it’s the best that they can get,” Fieri says. “We better make sure that we give them exciting flavors, great crunch, more chicken than breading, a good price point, and we need to be the boss of the sauce. I mean, we need to really deliver.”

There were multiple debates and arguments over a long period, but Fieri is happy with the final concept, which is a chicken product that his own family clamors for, even if it means the food travels a long distance.

“[ My youngest son] Ryder was telling me, ‘Hey, I know you’re going to be at Disney and you’re going to get some Chicken Guy! Can you bring me some home?’ I said, ‘Ryder, I won’t be home for two days.’ He goes, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter. I can reheat it. It stays crispy.’ And that was the thing that we were looking at. Does it stay crispy? Have that crunch? Is it tender? Is it juicy? All this because as a chef, it had to be that. I mean, tenders you can buy at a gas station, and they can be cardboard and people still eat them. It’s like pizza. When it’s good, it’s really good, and when it’s bad people will still eat it.”

Fieri is also proud of the Flavortown Milkshake platform comprising the classic hand-spun vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, in addition to specialty flavors Apple Cinnamon Cereal, Oreo, and Triple Double Mint.

“I said, ‘We got to have milkshakes,’” Fieri says. “And Robert’s like, ‘Milkshakes take too much time.’ I’m like, ‘No, we got to have milkshakes.’ So we make some really creative milkshakes, and one of my favorites is the Apple Cinnamon Cereal Milkshake. When I would go to a friend’s house or if my parents left me for the weekend, I’d go get sugar cereal. And you’d eat the cereal, but that milk at the end was liquid gold. So we took a couple different types of cereal, steep them in heavy cream, and then we make ice cream out of that steep heavy cream of cereal milk.”

Chicken Guy! restaurants are “popping up quickly,” Fieri says. In December, two stores opened in American Canyon and Los Angeles, California.

The NYC location is Fieri’s first spot in Times Square since closing Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen & Bar in 2017. He believes it will serve as a flagship unit similar to the Disney Springs iteration and “give us a chance to really showcase what we’re doing.”

“The great thing is that our team builds beautiful restaurants,” Fieri says. “I mean really beautiful restaurants. New York has rebounded fortunately. I mean, I was very scared for the way things had taken place during the pandemic, and so many of my great friends closed restaurants there and that was heartbreaking. But listen, people are moving and shaking. There’s a lot going

on. There’s a lot to go see. There’s a lot to experience. There’s a lot to partake in. We were happy to be one.”

As Chicken Guy! continues its steady expansion, Fieri is committed to preserving the brand’s unique identity and high standards. He and Earl remain hands-on, with Earl managing buildouts and Fieri overseeing openings. Their approach relies on partnering with knowledgeable franchisees who can identify the best local markets while staying true to the concept’s core values. When selecting franchisees, Guy Fieri eyes operators who share a passion for high-quality

GUY FIERI WAS ADAMANT THAT MILKSHAKES PLAY A BIG ROLE IN CHICKEN GUY!’S MENU.

food, creativity, and a dedication to doing things the right way. While acknowledging that Chicken Guy! may not be the easiest or cheapest concept to franchise, he thinks this high standard is key to maintaining the brand’s integrity.

Also, the chicken craze isn’t going anywhere.

“It’s a neutral medium,” says Fieri, explaining why chicken has gained popularity. “There’s still people that aren’t into red meat. There’s a lot of different factions, but chicken is so neutral. Everybody likes chicken. That’s just a simple principle, and it really is adaptable. Chicken can go in so many different directions. Almost every ethnicity works with chicken, and you never really hear anybody say, ‘I don’t eat chicken.’ You’ll hear people say, ‘I don’t eat red meat.’ You’ll hear people say, ‘I don’t eat lambs.’ Even vegans and vegetarians go after making chicken-oriented vegan dishes. They have their substitutes. Chicken plays well with others. It can go anywhere. You can sauté it, you can deep fry it, you can slow roast it, you can shred it, you can barbecue it.”

CULINARY HARMONY

The biggest benefit of Chicken Guy! and Planet Hollywood sharing a building in NYC is the shared overhead, Earl says. By renting a building on a long-term lease and splitting the space

into two operations, there are economies of scale.

The concepts have different management teams and will be marketed separately. Also, each should bring different crowds. Earl says Chicken Guy! is an impulse buy. One can eat at the restaurant, but he anticipates many DoorDash and Uber Eats orders and customers taking meals back to offices. Planet Hollywood is for those looking for a more in-depth sit-down experience.

Earl admits Planet Hollywood has lost some recognition with the younger millennial and Gen Z consumers because they haven’t grown up with it in the same way. However, he sees that as a positive because he can use the NYC location as a way to tell a new story without them being conflicted or confused.

He also doesn’t think the updated version will alienate dedicated fans of Planet Hollywood.

“I think we’re going to drive both new audiences and the people that are familiar with the brand, but we are also trying to get you to become a gaming customer of ours and a lodging customer of ours as well as a diner,” Earl says.

“I think we’re going to drive both new audiences and the people that are familiar with the brand, but we are also trying to get you to become a gaming customer of ours and a lodging customer of ours as well as a diner.”

As for Chicken Guy!, Fieri promises the fast casual—which he calls “the baby” of his ventures—receives the focus it needs amid his busy schedule and multiple ventures. He says the concept caters to a broader shift in culinary trends in which consumers want better quality in their quick-service occasions and won’t settle for frozen, reheated meals.

As of January, there were additional locations planned for Barstow, California; Dallas; and Wesley Chapel, Florida.

Guy Fieri credits his partnership with Earl as a driving force behind the success of Chicken Guy! and their other collaborative projects. He appreciates Earl’s deep respect for culinary and that he’s always honored his vision for food. When Fieri worked to revamp the menu at Planet Hollywood, he insisted on maintaining full creative control, which Earl granted. And with Chicken Guy!, he didn’t just want to be brought in as a name.

“The great thing with Robert is Robert has an opinion about food,” Fieri says. “Robert has a great palate, but Robert in the kitchen, you know, he lets me do what I do … That guy, I think he has 25 hours on his clock and like 375 days in his year. I don’t know where he gets the time and the energy.”

BEN

COLEY IS THE EDITOR OF QSR. HE CAN BE REACHED AT BCOLEY@WTWHMEDIA.COM

Let’s dig into the ever-evolving menu. From the rise of LTOs to the power of storytelling and knowing your audience, menu masters from full-service to quick-service restaurants share their insights on the culinary wins and lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Crafting Menus That Resonate

/ BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

Resonate

In today’s competitive dining landscape, culinary innovation isn’t just about slapping the newest dish you saw on TikTok onto your menu without a second thought; it’s about figuring out what is authentic for your restaurant brand, what makes sense from a value perspective, and what you can realistically pull off. It also involves crafting a curated, multi-sensory experience for diners with storytelling at the center. This approach requires a delicate balance of creativity, strategic risk-taking, and a willingness to experiment with fresh ideas while staying true to the brand’s identity. It’s a process where trial and error often lead to the most innovative breakthroughs, and limited-time offerings (LTOs) provide the perfect playground for testing these concepts.

THE ROLE OF LTOS

LTOs play a key role in culinary innovation for restaurants; it allows corporate chefs to test the waters for their best ideas and find out if the products resonate with customers, and if it doesn’t work out, there’s a natural expiration date. For example, even though Whataburger is known for its gourmet burgers, “We give ourselves permission to innovate on the chicken side,” says James Sanchez, executive chef at the Texas-based fast-casual chain.

By leveraging existing products and responding to internal creativity, Whataburger quickly launched a hit item. “Earlier this year, really by accident, we launched WhataWings, boneless tenders tossed in a sauce,” Sanchez recalls. “And I say by accident because it was me

IN 2024, WHATABURGER

EXECUTIVE CHEF

being in a Whataburger unit … We had the breakfast bowl designed for something else, so we had the carrier; we had four existing sauces that were used for other builds; and then we just presented that idea as an innovation topic.”

Whataburger initially launched WhataWings last year as an LTO item with sauces including buffalo, sweet and spicy, honey BBQ, or honey butter wings, but continued adding new LTO sauce drops

like Nashville hot throughout the year, and in the spring announced WhataWings would stay on the menu through the end of 2024 due to overwhelming demand. It still remains to be seen whether WhatAWings will eventually make its way onto Whataburger’s All-Time Favorites menu. “Those are the ones that were limited-time offers that did so well that we couldn’t let them go away, so we’ve curated them,” Sanchez says.

He notes part of the product’s success involves the way younger generations enjoy customizing and mixing and matching flavors. “Watching the family members ( Whataburger’s term for employees) being present with the folks that are executing for you, that are making their product and allowing them permission to show you what they love to do has really been a lightning rod for us internally from a menu [ perspective],” Sanchez says.

He continues, “I wish I could take the credit, that I’m the genius to figure it out. I was just the bold one to take it to senior leadership and say, ‘This is what we’ve got to do,’ and have the courage to do it. And then of course, leadership followed and we launched it very rapidly.”

Sanchez has worked with the brand since 2018, and previously told QSR magazine how the culinary group studies trends, examines its food menu board to find gaps, and works hand-in-hand with sauce and protein suppliers to generate ideas for new menu items. The product development team embarks on a food tour about two to three times per year, traveling to markets—where Whataburger locations are and where they aren’t—to taste food items from higher-service restaurants.

For some concepts, creativity is inherently ingrained in the experience. Velvet Taco, for example, runs 52 LTOs per year in the form of their Weekly Taco Feature, explains Venecia Willis, director of culinary. “They run Wednesday to Tuesday, and really I look at it as the tortilla is just the vessel to give the flavors to someone’s mouth,” she says, “and anything can be a taco.”

That means the brand has close to 500 different tacos it can activate at any moment. Velvet Taco is intentional about “taking those older legacy tacos and looking at them through a microscope and through our current brand lens to see if it still fits the brand and what adjustments need to be made,” Willis says. “A lot of them used to have minimal ingredients, and so they felt underwhelming from a guest value perspective. So really elevating those, adding more ingredients. We had a taco that was called the Chicken Bacon

JAMES SANCHEZ HELPED LAUNCH WHATAWINGS.

MIRANDA GRUBBS

NICOLE TRULY

 VENECIA WILLIS

 JAMES SANCHEZ

Ranch, of course it sold ... Everyone loved it. But from a brand standpoint, we felt it wasn’t who we were.”

Willis’ team swapped out tomatoes for a housemade tomato jam; traded simple bacon for a habanero pork belly; and nixed shredded lettuce in favor of arugula to give the taco an elevated twist. “Another way that we’re capturing value for the brand is we’re testing combos,” she adds. “So to allow the guests to come in, maybe they’re not at that higher price point, but it allows them at a discounted rate to try two tacos on the menu and a small portion of one of our sides.”

THE POWER OF STORYTELLING IN MENU DEVELOPMENT

Menu innovation today goes beyond the plate; it’s about connecting with diners on an emotional level. Peter Kiley, brewmaster at Monday Night Brewing, emphasizes the importance of storytelling: “One of the greatest ingredients is storytelling—actually connecting with people about what you’re trying to achieve.” A unique approach he uses is “every time that someone on my team wants to create a product, I’m like, cool. Write a press release … If you can’t prove to me or to yourself that it should exist and that it’s exciting, who else is going to believe it?”

When many think of sourcing inspiration for

CUSHER, CULINARY DIRECTOR OF INDIGO ROAD HOSPITALITY, RECEIVES INSPIRATION FROM WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING INTERNATIONALLY.

new dishes, scouring the internet on a popular chef’s or restaurant’s Instagram may come to mind. But the more you can play an active role in trying the food of creative chefs in different cities and tasting how ingredients work together, the better, argues Kiley.

“It’s a luxury to be able to go travel the world and to go source ingredients, but that’s also where you create the credibility of your storytelling because if you’re just taking your point of view without being present, then you just have a recycled opinion,” Kiley notes. “You have to have a genuine opinion based off being an actual participant. And then from there, you have these relationships, you meet these people, you find these beautiful ingredients, and you’re able to essentially create a story that results in a product that people purchase.”

He adds, “That’s when you have a really exciting brand, because I’ve seen so many people just try to approach something as another player, and they will slowly or quickly fade. But the people that actually are part of it, they’re like a main actor in the story of their brand.”

Elliot Cusher, culinary director for The Indigo Road Hospitality Group’s Georgia-based restaurants including Colletta, Indaco, Oak Steakhouse, O-Ku, and Sukoshi, showcases Kiley’s point. After getting his start in the industry as a dishwasher at 17 years old, Cusher worked at downtown Charleston, South Carolina, establishments

ELLIOT CUSHER

PETER KILEY

ELLIOT

S.N.O.B and Charleston Grill, before taking time away to backpack across Europe during his mid-20s. While overseas, Cusher staged at Michelin-starred restaurants Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin; and Le Gavroche and Maze, both located in London. “It got me into a lot of kitchens and exposure to things I had never seen, be it ingredients or ways that kitchens were run, which I still hold with me. It was definitely a growing experience for me,” he says. “Exposure to so many different types of cuisines and how things varied from the U.S. to over there at a very young formative age was very impactful on me.”

Cusher keeps in touch on Instagram with the chef friends he’s made from all over the world, and is inspired by what they’re doing at their restaurants, which influences his approach at Indigo Road. He specifically notes Europe’s approach to sustainable agriculture. “Animals and produce that have been treated with love, just like food, taste wildly better,” says Cusher, who continues to draw inspiration from local farmers and producers. “Being able to interact with people and have relationships with people that feel as passionate as you do … that’s exciting for me.”

PALMITER HAS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN GROWING BRAND AWARENESS AROUND JINYA RAMEN BAR IN THE U.S.

KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE

Even if a brand has a great concept, great food, and great storytelling, if the message isn’t being seen by the right audience, it can still fail. When Cai Palmiter said yes to becoming JINYA’s vice president of marketing in 2022, the upscale ramen concept had 45 locations. Within a year, the emerging brand grew to 60 units. “It was a threemonth buy-in for me to commit. Is this something [worth] taking on the challenge? Specifically, the first thing that was shared to me is that the brand was in existence for 12 years, and it’s still



CAI PALMITER

CAI

not being captured by the U.S. market,” Palmiter recalls. “How do you bridge that gap?”

Founded by Japanese native Kazuya ( Kazu) Takebe, JINYA features six signature broths, prepared with FIJI Water ( because it’s 99.9 percent free from impurities) and whole pork bones that slowly simmer to perfection within 20 hours. The mazesoba noodles are handmade from scratch and then specially aged before cooking and serving. Chicken and vegetables have just the right amount of bonito, dashi, miso, kombu, and other classic Japanese ingredients.

Palmiter, who is now a marketing consultant for JINYA as well as brands including Paris Baguette, Angry Chickz, and more, has played a key role in bringing JINYA’s brand awareness to a new level as it expands across the U.S. and Canada. In the past, the concept has struggled with some people thinking JINYA was targeting an Asian-majority audience when it’s aiming for the greater Western population.

“JINYA in general does not actually try to target the Asian community,” she says. “The CEO wanted to introduce it to the Western palate, and that whole narrative, I knew I had to step it up. I knew I had to craft a different storytelling marketing that will leave a lasting mark in the industry, and it did, I think, because it was the first Asian concept that was a sponsor for NASCAR.”

JINYA partnered up with NASCAR and No. 5 Hendricks Chevrolet Camaro driver Kyle Miyata Larson, whose mother is Japanese. Another driving factor was Palmiter saw that 78 percent of NASCAR fans are loyal to the sponsor of their favorite driver. In fact, NASCAR ranks No. 1 in fan loyalty to sponsors, beating out the NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL, according to independent research conducted by MarketCast.

One of the ways quick-service chicken chain Bojangles is trying to appeal to a younger audience without alienating its core customer base is by “celebrating menu hacks,” says Marshall Scarborough, VP of menu and culinary innova-

tion. One recent successful example is the Bo’s Bird Dog, designed to be an LTO menu item to get Gen Z in the door and marketed as the transportable, on-the-go food that could be eaten with one hand for a long drive in the car, or for a college tailgate party so you can put a drink in the other hand. Bojangles utilized ingredients already available—chicken tenders, thick-cut pickles, and Bo’s Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce, and put it in a toasted potato bun.

“What we found is that the Bird Dogs, it started out as maybe this is just a way for us to deliver an inexpensive menu item to guests,” Scarborough says, “but then once we launched it, we really found that it was overindexing with Gen Z, and they were coming in and our operators started calling us saying, ‘Hey man, we’re getting new people in the door, this is it.’ And it was music to our ears. Not only did it bring in the younger, newer customers, but it also brought in lapsed customers, which is also a win.”

Whether it’s Whataburger and Bojangles tapping into Gen Z’s love for menu hacks and customization, Velvet Taco’s globally inspired weekly features, or the storytelling prowess of brands like Monday Night Brewing and JINYA, the common thread is a commitment to creating memorable experiences for guests and the art of balancing creativity, strategy, and maintaining a clear sense of brand identity.



CALLIE EVERGREEN IS THE EDITOR OF FSR. SHE CAN BE REACHED AT CEVERGREEN@WTWHMEDIA.COM.

 BOJANGLES WANTS TO APPEAL TO YOUNGER GUESTS WITHOUT FORGETTING ABOUT ITS CORE CUSTOMERS.

 MARSHALL SCARBOROUGH

HAVING A LOYALTY PROGRAM IS NOW TABLE STAKES IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY.

Tapping into loyalty means mastering the data, a double-edged sword of opportunity and challenges.

/ BY SAM DANLEY

Building Loyalty ThAT Lasts

The traditional approach to gauging loyalty often relies on RFV—recency, frequency, and lifetime value. While these metrics have their merits, they fail to paint a full picture of a loyalty program’s impact and are not particularly actionable. Sure, boosting all three is a common goal, but they are retrospective measures that are challenging to influence directly.

Many restaurants, even well-established public chains, often rely on flawed metrics to assess their loyalty programs, focusing on surface-level numbers that may sound impressive but don’t necessarily drive meaningful business outcomes, says Zach Goldstein.

“We live in a sea of data, so I break it down into a couple of places,” he says. “One, what’s the reach of your program? How many people can you talk to that you know about them and can personalize your interactions?”

Reach is a cornerstone of any successful loyalty initiative. Even if your program delivers on every promise, its impact will only go so far if it engages just a small fraction of your customer base. So, how do you bring more people into the fold and expand the reach of your program?

There are essentially two paths to consider, Goldstein says. One is what he refers to as the “Walgreens” approach—forcing

customers to sign up at the register. This method is often seen as impersonal and does not align well with the guest experience most restaurants aim to provide.

Instead, experts highlight a more effective strategy: driving customers to make their first digital purchase and using that moment to seamlessly onboard them into your program.

“First, ask yourself if the loyalty program is providing enough value for the guests to make it worth their time to sign up,” says Olivia Ross, head of CRM, loyalty, and e-commerce at El Pollo Loco. “Second, what is the barrier to entry? Is it really hard to sign up? Can you make that a more simple process? Nobody wants to go through 10 pieces of a long form. That’s super boring, and their time is more valuable.”

A key challenge with loyalty programs is that incomplete data makes it impossible to determine if you were unsuccessful in activating or retaining a customer or if that customer just stopped engaging with loyalty. This is why enrolling customers in the program is essential and why loyalty

A key challenge with loyalty programs is that incomplete data makes it impossible to determine if you were unsuccessful in activating or retaining a customer or if that customer just stopped engaging with loyalty.

initiatives often fail when the barriers to joining are too high. It’s also a major reason why allowing digital consumers to check out anonymously on your website is a misstep that undermines the program’s potential.

“We are doing ourselves a disservice as an industry when we continue to route most of our digital orders through an anonymous guest check-

out mechanism,” Goldstein says. “DoorDash doesn’t do it. Uber doesn’t do it. Amazon doesn’t do it. We are sacrificing data capture and longterm personalization for quote unquote ‘near-term ease of use and hospitality for our guests.’ As it turns out, that’s wrong. You can get a customer into your program and their data captured with no more clicks than it takes to check out as a guest, you just have to be willing to express your brand and give them a reason to participate.”

Too often, restaurants get caught up in feelgood figures that look appealing on paper but fail to deliver tangible value for the business. For example, it’s no surprise that loyalty members typically have higher average checks and visit frequencies compared to non-members. That’s why they joined the program in the first place, making this metric more about selection bias than actual program effectiveness.

One of the most misleading metrics is the total number of loyalty members. While it might seem like a measure of success, this figure is heavily influenced by brand size and provides little insight into how many members are actively engaged. A program with millions of signups might sound like a win, but many of those customers might’ve signed up for a discount and never returned—or at least didn’t identify themselves as members in future transactions.

“You talk to most people that own a loyalty program, and the number that their boss often cares about is how many people are in the loyalty program,” Goldstein says. “That number is a terrible number for you to focus on. If they’re not participating, and you’re capturing no data, and they’re not driving lifetime value, it’s an irrelevant number. Literally, who cares?”

Instead, he points to capture rate—how much of a brand’s revenue is tied to identifiable loyalty members—as a better measure of success. This metric evaluates how effectively a program reaches customers by calculating the percentage of total revenue attributed to tracked loyalty purchases.

“We do transitions from loyalty programs where 85 percent of the people in the program have never made a tracked purchase, and the CEO is like, ‘I’ve got 3 million people in my loyalty program.’ Then they wonder why the same-store sales are down,” Goldstein says. “We’ve got to separate those two things and focus on activation because data is the oil, right? It’s powerful, but it’s actually only powerful if you then go on to use it to drive subsequent purchases.”

VEG’ PREP MACHINES

IS IT WORKING?

After determining a loyalty program’s reach, the next step is assessing whether it’s driving meaningful results. This is where activation, engagement, and retention metrics become essential.

Activation measures how effectively a program converts first-time customers into repeat guests during the early stages of their lifecycle. It’s a key indicator of whether a brand is successfully building customer relationships, says Urvi Patel, SVP of customer experience and engagement at GoTo Foods.

“I think the activation rate is such an important metric because we can spend tons of money to acquire new loyalty members into our programs, but if they don’t come in for the first time, you don’t even have an opportunity to build a relationship,” she says.

By analyzing conversion rates tied to the first, second, and third purchases— and over specific time intervals—brands can refine strategies to turn one-time buyers into loyal patrons.

“All the data shows that the sooner you can get people into the ecosystem again, the impact on customer lifetime value goes exponentially higher,” says Sergio Perez, SVP and head of marketing at Emmy Squared Pizza. “Really focusing on getting that person in the second time makes a meaningful impact on customer value.”

Maximizing activation rates begins with creating reward structures aligned with consumer behavior. Delayed rewards tend to underperform in the restaurant industry, making immediate or near-immediate incentives more effective in driving engagement.

“We are not very good as a nation at deferred gratification,” says Graham Humphreys, president of The Culinary Edge, a consultancy for restaurant and hospitality brands. “Waiting for stuff? Not a strength. Think about that as you’re designing your reward system.”

Humphreys discusses effective loyalty program strategies, such as offering early rewards for upgrades or add-ons that provide perceived value without

heavily impacting margins. Structuring rewards to be earned quickly—such as after just a few purchases—helps customers feel recognized and appreciated promptly in their journey. Visual, realtime point tracking within apps can also create an immediate sense of progress and engagement.

For customers who cross the threshold of three purchases, engagement becomes the next area of focus. Highly engaged guests can be further motivated through challenges, such as earning unique rewards for elevated spending or frequent visits. Gamification techniques like these add excitement to the loyalty experience and encourage continued participation.

Retention, meanwhile, plays a crucial role in preventing customer churn. Loyalty programs can help re-engage at-risk segments by tracking how often known customers return month over month. Brands that analyze when and how to message lapsed customers can strategically boost retention and ensure the program remains effective across different stages of the customer journey.

WHAT’S THE COST?

The primary objectives of loyalty programs are universally recognized: transforming unknown customers into known ones, collecting valuable data, and leveraging that data to drive higher customer lifetime value. When executed effectively, these programs can identify the top 20 percent of customers responsible for 80 percent of revenue.

Historically, restaurant loyalty programs have often relied on discounts, which come with hidden costs.

“The third thing that no one talks about, but everyone should be talking about, is what it’s costing you to do all of this,” says Goldstein. “It doesn’t really matter what results you’re producing if you’re giving away all of your margin to make it happen.”

Understanding and managing your program’s effective discount rate (EDR) a measure that accounts for menu prices,

cost of goods sold, and behavioral changes during reward redemptions—is critical for profitability. For instance, a straightforward buy-10-get-1-free program typically results in an EDR of 5 percent, assuming consistent purchase amounts and a 50 percent gross margin. If only half of the rewards are redeemed, the EDR drops to 2.5 percent. It’s also vital to address the accrued liability of unused rewards with clear expiration policies. Alternatively, programs offering a “2-for-1” reward after 10 purchases, where redemption transactions average double the ticket value of earning transactions, can achieve an even lower EDR of 1.25 percent.

However, simplicity is no longer sufficient in today’s competitive environment, where brands vie not only against direct competitors but also third-party aggregators. Modern loyalty programs leverage bonus points, challenges, gamification, and experiential rewards.

Ultimately, loyalty programs hinge on balancing perceived value with actual cost. The airline industry exemplifies this concept, as customers often prioritize perks like seat upgrades and miles over the cheapest fare.

“Value isn’t about dollars and discounts,” Ross says. “It’s about how you feel. Can you save me time? Can I get exclusive access to something I can’t get anywhere else that makes me feel special? Do I as the consumer feel seen and understood by the brand? There are many ways to create value, and discounts are just one lever in a very, very complex machine that is customer loyalty.”

For example, restaurants are increasingly using secret menus or offering members early access to limited-time offers (LTOs). These tactics encourage user-generated content, with customers showcasing their exclusive items online.

“Instead of a discount, you’re now getting people to brag about your brand on social,” Goldstein says. “You’re actually test-running a product you’re about to launch, so you’re getting operational insights. You’re not spending money on discounts, and you’re burning down loyalty credits. It’s a win-win-win all around. All your customers are not going to do it. Some people just want the discount. But if you can get 20 percent of people to opt into a hidden menu or early access or something like that, now you’re actually separating perceived value and actual cost in a way that can make your program perform for you.”

Restaurant loyalty in 2025 requires programs to be more engaging and multifaceted, designed to attract and influence the most valuable cus -

“... You’re now getting people to brag about your brand on social ... You’re actually test-running a product you’re about to launch, so you’re getting operational insights.”

tomers with offerings that go beyond the basics.

Secret menus offering exclusive items are a strong example of non-discount rewards. Other impactful options include a “golden ticket” granting access to a limited-edition branded merchandise store, or perks like a “skip the line pass” or exclusive reservation slots that allow frequent guests to showcase their status and secure a table whenever they choose.

By their nature, most non-discount rewards contribute nothing to the EDR. However, discounts still have their place—it’s about leveraging the right reward for the right moment, rather than relying on discounts alone.

“If you have a guest that is coming in regularly, they’re very activated, they’ve got great frequency and it continues to grow, why give them a discount? Just because they’re a loyalty member doesn’t mean that that’s what they need from that relationship,” Patel says. “They might need something different, or that exclusive treatment, or that recognition.”

At its core, loyalty taps into fundamental human instincts, she added.

“You’re attracted and drawn to a certain brand, and you want to engage with it repetitively,” Patel says. “There are brands that do it so beautifully that you’re willing to pay more. You’re willing to spend more time getting to that hotel because you want to stay at your Hilton property, or taking a longer route to get to where you want to go, maybe taking an extra stop and paying more, because you want your miles or know you’ll get the upgrade, or whatever the case may be. True loyalty drives a different behavior. And it shouldn’t have to be a discount-driven behavior. When you really nail loyalty, people are choosing you and perhaps even going out of their way to engage with you because they like your product. They like the way you make them feel and the way you recognize them.”

SAM DANLEY IS THE ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF QSR. HE CAN BE REACHED AT SDANLEY@WTHWMEDIA.COM.



Digital Signage

BY DREW FILIPSKI

igital signage has evolved from a ﬂashy extra to a critical part of running a modern quick-service restaurant. When used efectively, it simpliﬁes operations, engages customers, and drives higher sales through real-time updates and tailored messaging. But many operators still face hurdles—outdated hardware, poor content strategies, and a lack of long-term planning can hold back results.

Industry leaders from brands like Panasonic, Sony, Peerless-AV, and Coates Group break down the essentials of getting digital signage right. They discuss why content management strategies matter just as much as hardware choices, how to avoid common mistakes, and the importance of future-prooﬁng systems to avoid costly replacements.

From improving order accuracy to creating dynamic promotional displays, explore how digital signage can be a revenue driver when paired with the right tools and partnerships and learn how leading brands are helping QSRs make the most of this evolving technology.

JEFF MILLER Chief Product Officer

JEFFREY STERES Chief Information Officer

What are the biggest challenges for quick-service restaurants with digital signage today?

Digital signage challenges for quick-service restaurants include outdated technology, unreliable service, and managing frequent content updates, all of which require ongoing investment amid rising costs. Further, evolving customer expectations are

driving the need for content personalization at scale and the integration of technology across systems, to leverage multiple platforms and increase ROI. Driving connection between the needs and priorities of diferent proﬁles in the restaurant—including marketing, operations, customer-facing teams, and technology—is also a challenge brands face, so ﬁnding a digital signage partner with experience and expertise is essential.

How are these challenges impacting the industry?

When brands fail to correctly assess priorities, it can lead to fragmented customer experiences, and in turn, negatively impact customer satisfaction and loyalty. As cost pressures continue, QSR brands must balance competing priorities, with the ability to provide valuable, efective solutions to support seamless customer experiences.

What mistakes do operators make with digital signage?

Treating digital signage the same as traditional signage, that is, as a onetime investment. Digital signage requires a capital and operational investment strategy across multiple years for robust content management, maintenance, messaging and delivery. Underestimating an efective content strategy and neglecting data-driven insights can ultimately lead to the loss of

potential sales otherwise enabled by an efcient content management system.

How should operators communicate to consumers that their needs are being met?

During order placement, customers want to know their order is being received correctly and are receptive to tailored suggestions if they are craving more. Using digital signage as an onpremise proof point, operators can communicate order accuracy and identify up-sell suggestions, as well as create further personalization via loyalty integration.

Why is partnering with a trusted brand more crucial now than ever?

The right partner can add value by providing holistic solutions that simplify complexity in a space that is constantly evolving and meet the objectives unique to each brand. By creating a connection between hardware, software, and services, QSR brands can innovate, improve, and ultimately elevate customer experience over time.

How are these challenges impacting the industry?

The impact of downtime, poor content delivery, and maintenance costs reduce operational efciency and customer satisfaction, impacting brand perception and overall customer spending.

How are operators addressing these challenges efectively?

By adopting modular, easily serviceable digital signage mounts, integrating cloud-based content management systems, and focusing on scalable solutions end-users can achieve a successful digital deployment.

What mistakes do operators make with digital signage?

Some of the biggest fails we see are customers failing to prioritize mounting solutions that account for thermal management, visibility, and ease of maintenance for their digital signage.

How should operators communicate to consumers that their needs are being met?

Through clear, visually engaging content, responsiveness to feedback, and integration of features like community information and tailored promotions.

WILL BEAR

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

What are the biggest challenges for quick-service restaurants with digital signage today?

Ensuring durability in high-trafc environments, maintaining consistent content uptime, and achieving seamless integration with existing AV systems are all challenges we see in the space.

What misconceptions exist about digital signage today?

That it’s a “set it and forget it” solution; efective digital signage requires ongoing optimization, reliable hardware, and proactive maintenance. Another is that content just magically appears on the displays. Our partners can help with that, and we can concentrate on creating a seamless experience together.

How have customer expectations for digital signage changed in recent years?

Customers expect more interactive, visually engaging, and personalized experiences that are adaptable in real time. All that, with the quickest, most reliable turnaround time to receive their service.

Why is partnering with a trusted brand more crucial now than ever?

Trusted brands ofer robust solutions, technical expertise, and long-term support, minimizing risks and maximizing ROI in a competitive market.

SHO SHAFIEI

CEO

What are the biggest challenges for quick-service restaurants with digital signage today?

Quick-service restaurants (QSRs) often struggle to justify investments in digital signage due to the fast pace of software advancements. Many become locked into proprietary sys-

tems, which limit their flexibility to adapt as technology evolves. Additionally, access to capital is a significant hurdle, especially in today’s financial climate with high interest rates making it difcult for operators to commit to the high upfront costs of these solutions.

What mistakes do operators make with digital signage?

Operators often focus on software or aesthetics without prioritizing reliable, future-ready hardware, leading to frequent upgrades, compatibility issues, and higher longterm costs. Many also believe going digital requires fully replacing static elements, which can unnecessarily drive up expenses. In reality, a mix of digital and static solutions is often more cost-efective, and choosing the right hardware provider ensures easy, low-cost upgrades to fully digital systems when needed.

What misconceptions exist about digital signage today?

A common misconception is software alone ensures success. In real-

gration and operational simplicity. Digital signage solutions must manage realtime updates, align with existing systems, and perform seamlessly in various environmental conditions. Restaurants often ﬁnd themselves grappling with how to leverage advanced tools while ensuring a smooth and efcient customer experience.

How are these challenges impacting the industry?

When digital signage implementations are not optimized, it can create bottlenecks in service and fail to meet rising consumer expectations. This hesitation or inefciency in adopting modern solutions can directly impact customer satisfaction and loyalty. The restaurants that can navigate these challenges efectively are the ones that will emerge as leaders in an increasingly tech-driven industry.

What key tasks are being enhanced through digital signage?

ity, durable, commercial-grade hardware is crucial to fully leverage software capabilities, minimize costly upgrades, and withstand long hours or harsh conditions, especially for drive-thru signage.

Why is partnering with a trusted brand more crucial now than ever?

A trusted hardware provider ensures durability, compatibility, and scalability. They help future-proof your investment, ofer access to top-tier software partners, and provide seamless support for a smooth transition into digital operations.

Is there anything else you would like the QSR audience to know?

The foundation of a successful digital signage strategy is dependable, future-ready hardware. By prioritizing hardware ﬁrst, quick-service restaurants can remain agile, adopt the best software solutions as they emerge, and avoid vendor lockin that limits their growth. Ask who some of their other clients are and how long they have been serving them. Then ask yourself if those are brands you look up to and admire. If the answer is yes, you have found your digital signage provider.

Digital signage enhances so many aspects of quick-service operations. It allows restaurants to customize menus in real time based on inventory, drive revenue with targeted promotions, and

ROBERT HEISE

Executive Vice President GDS Inc

What are the biggest challenges for quick-service restaurants with digital signage today?

The most signiﬁcant challenge for quick-service restaurants lies in achieving a balance between technology inte-

streamline operations through analytics. These systems are transforming how operators interact with customers, making every touchpoint more efcient and engaging.

What mistakes do operators make with digital signage?

One of the biggest mistakes is treating digital signage as a static tool rather than a dynamic medium. Failing to optimize content for the customer

journey or choosing technology that isn’t scalable can lead to missed opportunities for engagement and revenue. Restaurants need to think long term and invest in systems that can grow with them—and test, test, test.

What do you think will be the biggest challenges and opportunities for quick-service restaurants in the next 10-20 years?

Over the next couple of decades, quick-service restaurants will face the dual challenge of evolving consumer demands for hyper-personalization and navigating strict data privacy regulations. On the ﬂip side, opportunities abound for operators who can use AI and analytics to craft seamless, tailored dining experiences. Those who embrace predictive technologies and integrate them meaningfully into their operations will have a decisive edge.

KEVIN JONES Vice President of North America Sales

What are the biggest challenges for quick-service restaurants with digital signage today?

The quick-service restaurant industry faces several digital signage challenges, with capital costs at the forefront. Installation, retrofitting, lifecycle management, and dedicated staf for content and system maintenance add up quickly. The specialized expertise needed for digital signage maintenance makes finding qualified service

providers difcult, and any downtime or tech integration issues directly impact daily operations and sales.

How are these challenges impacting the industry?

High maintenance costs are slowing down technology adoption across the industry. When digital screens fail, it creates a domino efect—longer drive-through times, frustrated customers, and immediate drops in sales performance.

How are operators addressing these challenges efectively?

Operators are playing it smart by starting small with pilots and controlled tests instead of diving into big tech investments. They’re also leaning toward turnkey solutions that handle everything from installation to maintenance, which takes a huge burden of their teams.

What mistakes do operators make with digital signage?

Jumping in without a concrete plan. Many operators forget to develop a content strategy ﬁrst, don’t set up proper service agreements with vendors, and skip thorough equipment vetting. Simple things like choosing consumer screens instead of commercial ones or not considering outdoor brightness and lifecycle needs can cause major headaches down the road.

What key tasks are being enhanced through digital signage?

Digital signage is reshaping order taking with suggestive selling that boosts sales while freeing up staf to focus on customer service. LA Famous Fried Chicken shows how it’s done. Their four dynamic menu boards let them update content instantly and keep running even if one screen goes down. Additionally, back-of-house runs

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more smoothly because digital signs streamline employee training and communications, cut paperwork, and bridge the gap between corporate and store teams.

Why is partnering with a trusted brand more crucial now than ever?

The right partner can make all the diference. Operators want someone who can handle everything under one roof and provide a single point of contact for all tech needs. That’s why trusted brands are so valuable—they deliver the unshakeable service that keeps operations running smoothly.

PATRICK MAY

Product Manager, Digital Signage at Panasonic Connect North America

What are the biggest challenges for quick-service restaurants with digital signage today?

Customers rely on up-to-date, accurate, and personalized information from quick-service restaurants. This includes menu items, special deals, order updates, and more. The speed with which the consumer experience is evolving means that digital signage is becoming a staple for quick-service restaurants to provide this information. Poor experiences are costly, so

quick-service restaurants have to prioritize performance with reliability. This can be challenging.

How are these challenges impacting the industry?

Maintaining pace with shifting consumer expectations while also being reliable can be a challenging proposition. Once consumers get used to dynamic, seamless, and personalized quick-service restaurant experiences, it’s critical for all businesses to meet those needs. To answer this demand, quick-service restaurants have—and are continuing to—invest in digital signage solutions across the quick-service restaurant journey.

What mistakes do operators make with digital signage?

Too often, operators take too short of a view when it comes to digital signage deployments. Thinking beyond the initial deployment, and considering the management, service, and support needs will go a long way in avoiding the pitfalls that come with unreliable, inconsistent, or difcult-to-maintain signage applications. Furthermore, digital signage applications are placed in various locations. Outside in the elements, in high foot-trafc areas, close to the heat

of the kitchen, and more. This means that consumer-grade devices often do not hold up to the rigors of quick-service restaurant’s needs. Purpose-built commercial-grade digital signage solutions backed by knowledgeable services and support is the reliable path forward.

How have customer expectations for digital signage changed in recent years?

Digital signage is expected to perform better and have more functionality while simultaneously being more reliable and secure. That’s a tricky balance for technology providers to straddle, and one that requires the right blend of hardware, software, and services over the lifecycle of the deployment.

Why is partnering with a trusted brand more crucial now than ever?

It is more crucial than ever to partner with a trusted brand because successful digital signage requires a connected ecosystem of hardware, software, and services. Furthermore, the cost of poor experiences can add up, and cause distrust with an audience whose expectations are constantly evolving. Trust, and providing a trusted advisor model are key to a successful rollout.

MEGAN ZELLER

Senior Director of Business Development, Peerless-AV

What are the biggest challenges for quick-service restaurants with digital signage today?

The biggest challenges for quickservice restaurants are efcient integration, efective content management, and

maintaining hardware. Quick-service restaurants need to coordinate digital signage across multiple locations, including displaying up-to-date content and real-time updates when needed, making seamless technology crucial. Many operators also deal with high costs when it comes to implementing digital signage and ensuring the technology is reliable, easy to read, and accurate during busy hours to avoid downtime and improve customer experiences at each location.

How are these challenges impacting the industry?

These challenges can result in operational issues, customer dissatisfaction, and ultimately lost revenue. If digital signage is not chosen and implemented properly, quick-service restaurants risk missing out on the operational beneﬁts, ROI, and intended customer experience. If outdated or inaccurate content is displayed, customers will become confused and efciency will be hindered, ultimately

afecting the brand image. Unreliable hardware can lead to frustration, longer wait times, and more money for repairs or upgrades down the line.

What mistakes do operators make with digital signage?

A mistake operators make with digital signage is treating it as a onetime purchase instead of an ongoing strategy for improved operations and successful business practices. Content updates should be frequent, relevant, and reﬂect customer behavior or market trends to fully take advantage of the beneﬁts of the easily adaptable technology of digital signage. Another mistake would be not fully leveraging the data analytics many digital signage solutions ofer. Real-time metrics are extremely helpful in informing decision-making, whether it is adjusting pricing or planning promotions.

How have customer expectations for digital signage changed in recent years?

Today’s consumers expect more

personalized, interactive, and dynamic experiences. For example, they want to see menus that adapt based on time of day and year, promotions, or even suggestions for purchase based on their preferences. Additionally, customers increasingly expect real-time informa-

tion, such as wait times, special ofers, or nutritional information, to be easily accessible through digital screens.

What mistakes do operators make with digital signage?

Operators often make the mistake of using consumer TVs for digital signage instead of considering professional solutions, underestimating the importance of digital signage as a part of the customer experience.

How are operators addressing these challenges efectively?

Some operators are turning to professional-grade displays designed for commercial use and robust content management systems to address the challenges of durability, visibility, and efective content distribution.

How have customer expectations for digital signage changed in recent years?

Customers now expect digital signage to be interactive and provide realtime information with no downtime.

How should operators communicate to consumers that their needs are being met?

Operators should help ofer great customer experiences using digital signage to display the most up-to-date, accurate information and engage customers with relevant, useful content.

MIKE ROCK

Sales Manager, West, Pro Display Solutions, Sony Electronics

What are the biggest challenges for quick-service restaurants with digital signage today?

Quick-service restaurants often select consumer TVs for their digital signage. This choice can present challenges such as the frequent need to replace consumer-grade TVs that weren’t built for continuous operation, have difculties maintaining visibility in various lighting conditions, and can create complexities in content management.

How are these challenges impacting the industry?

These challenges lead to increased operational costs due to more frequent hardware replacements, downtime, inconsistent customer experiences from poor visibility and outdated content, and potential sales losses resulting from technical issues.

Why is partnering with a trusted brand more crucial now than ever?

Partnering with a trusted brand for digital signage is crucial for reliability, comprehensive support, and access to the latest innovations, ensuring quickservice restaurants can meet the demands of their environment and customers.

Franchise Fees Under Fire

The lack of transparency surrounding undisclosed fees is causing friction in the franchising world.

BY SAM DANLEY

For many aspiring entrepreneurs, franchising has long been heralded as a ladder of opportunity—a chance to own a business while benefiting from the support and brand recognition of an established company. But cracks have emerged in the franchise mod -

el’s polished veneer lately. Concerns about unfair or deceptive practices by franchisors have grown louder, with franchisees increasingly raising red flags about transparency and fairness.

Data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) underscores the mounting tension. The agency has reported a sharp rise in franchise-related complaints in recent years, prompting it to take a closer look. In 2023, it issued a Request for Information (RIF), inviting stakeholders to weigh in on what’s working in franchising, and what’s not.

Industry players flooded the agency with comments. Overall, a third of respondents advocated for more substantive regulations to govern the franchisor-franchisee relationship. Around 15 percent called for changes to the Franchise Rule, the pre-sale disclosure requirement designed to prevent deception and empower prospective franchisees with vital information. Another 10 percent pushed for stricter enforcement of existing laws, while a quarter supported maintaining the status quo.

Unsurprisingly, franchisees were notably more inclined toward regulatory changes than franchisors. Nearly 75 percent of franchisors supported the status quo, compared to just 40 percent of franchisees.

Among the concerns raised by franchisees were supply restrictions, non-compete clauses, franchise renewal challenges, and unilateral changes to operating manuals. But one issue loomed particularly large: high fees and royalties, including undisclosed or “surprise” charges.

Federal officials heard from franchisees about increasing payment processing and technology fees as well as surprise training, marketing, and property improvement fees that weren’t clearly stated by the franchisor. The FTC called these “undisclosed junk fees,” or expenses that inflate costs and may make a difference in profitability and loss.

“Everyone always says to read your disclosure document because it’ll tell you everything about your business,” says Keith Miller, a Subway franchisee and principal at Franchisee Advocacy Consulting. “But if a franchisor can unilaterally add new fees, what good is disclosure? It’s a waste of time if they have a blank checkbook to add fees whenever they want.”

Even when fees are disclosed, transparency may be lacking, and franchisees may not know how their money is being spent.

“If a brand collects $20 million in technology fees and only spends $12 million, that’s really just eight more million dollars of royalties that aren’t called royalties,” Miller says.

And when fees stack up, the financial strain can escalate quickly.

“It’s dying by 1,000 cuts,” Miller explains. “Somebody will say, ‘We’re only charging you this much a month for technology. That’s insignificant.’ Well, if you have enough insignificance, it adds up to real money over time.”

The impact is most severe for brands with tight margins, where franchisees are barely breaking even.

“Twenty years ago, before this became a bigger issue, I used to joke that if we’re making money, you can ask us to spend $10,000 on something, but if money is tight, you can go to hell,” Miller says. “You’ll put up with more if you’re making lots of money. But for franchisees that I talk to who’ve been in the industry for 20 years or more, they all say that margins are tighter than ever, that they keep shrinking, and they’re making less money.”

In response to these concerns, the FTC released new guidance last summer mandating that franchisors cannot impose fees that were not previously disclosed in franchise agreements. The announcement drew criticism from International Franchise Association (IFA) president and CEO Matthew Haller, who expressed concern that the agency’s actions could stifle innovation and ultimately harm franchisees.

“The FTC’s actions are contrary to the reality that the vast majority of franchise relationships are working and that franchising continues to grow each year,” Haller said in a statement at the time.

“You signed a 20-year agreement, but you didn’t have all of these apps 20 or even 10 years ago ... Things change. But the franchisor has to come with the business case to franchisees and get buy-in on it.”

He urged the FTC to consider the IFA’s Responsible Franchising policy recommendations, which focus on enhancing transparency and clarifying obligations in franchise agreements. The IFA has been advocating for these updates since the 2023 RIF, emphasizing the need for targeted adjustments rather than sweeping regulatory changes. Last spring, the organization unveiled a set of policy recommendations developed by franchisors, franchisees, and suppliers to improve transparency during the presale process.

Last summer’s FTC guidance reflects a continuation of the agency’s more proactive stance on franchise industry regulation under the Biden administration. Historically, it took a largely hands-off approach, requiring disclosure but rarely enforcing any violations, leaving most oversight to the states. Under former chair Lina Khan, however, the FTC adopted a more assertive position.

The agency’s approach is likely to shift again under the second Trump administration, with recent appointments giving Republicans a three-member majority on the commission.

“The FTC will become much less aggressive, not only in franchising, but in many other things,” Miller predicts. But he also points to a growing movement among franchisees to advocate for their interests. In 2019, when the FTC sought public comments on the Franchise Rule, it received only a few dozen responses. By 2023, during the RIF process, that number had surged into the thousands.

“Even if they try to roll it back, they’ve kind of let the cat out of the cage,” Miller says. “Franchisees are more engaged than ever.”

For franchisors looking to foster growth and minimize disputes, it’s crucial to take input from franchisee associations or advisory councils seriously, he adds.

“Don’t try and use them as a rubber stamp,” Miller says. “Don’t get a bunch of people who agree with everything. I always say, if you want to form a council, find the person who kisses your ass the most, and find the person who’s your biggest pain in the ass, and put them both on it, so you hear everything. It’s about honestly working with a group of franchisees, not creating a hand-picked, five-person council of yes-men.”

Franchisees, for their part, are not necessarily opposed to new fees—if the franchisor provides a solid business case for them.

“You signed a 20-year agreement, but you didn’t have all of these apps 20 or even 10 years ago,” Miller says. “Things change. But the franchisor has to come with the business case to franchisees and get buy-in on it. Come to me and say, ‘We’re going to charge you $100 a month because we need this, we think it’s going to create this much business, or all of our competition is doing this and we’re going to lose this much business if we don’t do it, too.’ Show us the numbers. We’re all business people, after all.”  SAM DANLEY IS

Funding the Future of Digital Dining

multiple departments.

This isn’t about tug-of-war between marketing and IT, though. It’s about recognizing that websites today are both brand and operational assets. By aligning budgets across departments— and recognizing portions as capital expenditures (capex)—restaurants can support a digital experience that’s not just functional but foundational to accruing value and ROI over time.

FROM BROCHUREWARE TO COMMERCE PLATFORM

For a long time, a restaurant brand’s website was basically a digital calling card. It listed hours, locations, and images of hero dishes with links out to directions, phone numbers, and possibly ordering. It was informational and promotional, and marketing owned it lock, stock, and barrel.

BY JOSEPH SZALA QSR FSR

Restaurant websites are no longer just marketing touchpoints—they’re storefronts, customer service desks, and loyalty hubs, all rolled into one.

For midmarket and enterprise restaurant brands, the website now operates as a fully functional commerce platform that drives revenue, captures guest data, and integrates seamlessly with both operations and marketing efforts. In other words, this isn’t “just marketing” anymore.

With this transformation, the old approach of sticking website responsibilities and budgets solely within the marketing budgets no longer cuts it. The modern restaurant website requires a shared, collaborative strategy and financial commitment from

Fast forward to today. Restaurant brands that intend to stay competitive have realized that websites can no longer be a static collection of pretty images, contact details, and links out to other platforms. It must be a full-service experience that lets guests browse menu items, customize orders, schedule pickups or delivery, make reservations, engage with loyalty programs, and so much more. Successful digital experience ensures customers can move effortlessly from browsing to ordering, from loyalty sign-up to review submissions. When these systems work in harmony, you’ve got a streamlined revenue-generating platform that holds a significant spot as a revenue driver. WHY

MARKETING CAN’T FOOT THE

Marketing’s

design, brand messaging, and engagement metrics is as important as ever. But the tech demands of these platforms have evolved far beyond marketing’s typical domain. Building, and iteratively innovating on, a digital platform that’s fast, secure, mobile-optimized, and commerce-ready? That’s a job for IT.

Take the online ordering function, for example. What used to be a simple add-on has now become a critical integration that involves multiple deeper integrations—inventory, POS, thirdparty delivery, loyalty programs, and customer service channels. It’s a technical juggernaut that requires regular upkeep, software updates, and cybersecurity. While most of those integrations happen inside of a third party software partner, tapping into it requires advanced knowledge and support. Asking marketing to take this on alone is not only impractical; it’s a recipe for a disastrous outcome.

A NEW SHARED MODEL FOR BUDGET ALLOCATION

If we’re going to get real about building seamless, scalable digital experiences, it’s time to look at a shared budget model where both marketing and IT invest in the design, development, and upkeep through a consultative partner.

A digital experience agency comes to the table to help bridge the gap between the strategies crafted by each department to activate them across the digital experience ecosystem. In short, the departments think it, and the agency makes it happen while being a liaison ensuring collaboration.

HERE’S HOW THAT SHOULD BREAK DOWN:

MARKETING RESPONSIBILITIES:

Branding & Content Strategy: Marketing still leads the charge on storytelling, content, and engagement strategies, making sure that every visual, word, and layout aligns with the brand.

User Experience (UX ) Design: Market-

ing owns the look and feel, ensuring that the website’s design is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and aligned with brand standards.

Analytics & Conversion Tracking: From SEO tools to customer engagement metrics, marketing needs data to measure the impact of their strategies and refine content as needed.

IT RESPONSIBILITIES:

Infrastructure & Security: IT ensures the site is stable, fast, and secure. This includes everything from hosting and load times to handling cybersecurity and PCI compliance for secure transactions.

System Integrations: IT manages the integrations alongside a digital agency partner with POS, CRM, inventory, and third-party platforms, as well as maintaining APIs and managing software updates.

Performance Optimization: IT’s role here is ongoing, from backend optimizations to load time monitoring, all of which enhance the customer experience and prevent digital drop-offs.

MAKING THE CASE FOR CAPEX’ING THE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE

A website that serves as both a commerce and brand platform isn’t a one-time line item; it’s an ongoing investment. To be frank, building and overhauling this kind of digital infrastructure should be treated as a capital expenditure (capex). Just as you’d budget for a new location or an equipment overhaul, a robust digital experience is an asset that provides long-term value.

With this approach, the initial investment in core components— platform selection, CMS systems, integrated POS solutions, and loyalty program integrations—are seen as long-term assets that deliver value well beyond the initial launch. Of course, annual updates, content refreshes, and promotional activities still fall under operating expenses (opex), but the infrastructure, the bones of the platform,

should be accounted for as capex. Capex isn’t just a budgeting formality; it’s a strategic shift. Treating the website as capex brings gravity to the project. It encourages thoughtful investment in the right platforms, partners, and technologies that will be durable, scalable, and revenue-generating. When leaders invest in these digital assets with a long-term vision, they’re building a foundation for continuous growth rather than just scrambling to keep up with trends.

WHY THIS APPROACH WORKS

When the budget for a digital experience is shared across departments, each team brings its expertise to the table and, crucially, its accountability. Marketing remains the voice of the brand, ensuring everything reflects your values and engages guests. IT, on the other hand, secures the technical framework that keeps everything running smoothly. This combined effort creates a robust digital experience that isn’t just pretty—it’s functional, secure, and geared for growth.

Sharing the budget also reinforces that the website isn’t just another project; it’s a business-critical asset. It’s a storefront, a service portal, a loyalty hub, and a brand touchpoint. When you build it right and treat it as a capex-worthy investment, you’re not just putting up a digital “open” sign—you’re creating a sustainable platform that serves your business today and sets you up for the digital demands of tomorrow.

So let’s move beyond outdated budgeting silos. In today’s competitive landscape, a website built to perform is everyone’s responsibility. When it’s time to invest, get marketing, IT, and finance aligned at the same table, share the load, and get serious about building the digital infrastructure your brand deserves. This isn’t just spending. It’s a true investment in your brand’s future. 

JOSEPH SZALA SERVES AS VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL EXPERIENCE FOR RAPTUROUS,

Black Tap Crafts a Fast-Casual Journey

The award-winning casual chain dives into quick service with new burger and chicken concepts.

BY BEN COLEY QSR FSR

New York-based Black Tap was founded in 2015 with the purpose of providing a differentiated full-service experience with its flavor-filled burgers and over-the-top CrazyShakes.

That vision has flourished into 20-plus locations across the world.

But the benefits of offering fast-casual service weren’t lost on cofounders Julie Mulligan and Chris Barish. Years before opening a unit at Disneyland in 2019,

Black Tap and Disney spoke about needing more burgers and beer, but in a quick-service manner because too many people were waiting to be served.

“It’s really the beginning of when we started asking ourselves the question of, OK, well, Black Tap’s been done this one way,” Mulligan says. “How do we do it differently? What keeps it still Black Tap? Where is it something different? And at the end of the day for Disney, we ended up doing the same food menu, same presentation, China glass and silver, all of that, but we did a little bit of a hybrid service style. So people stand in line to order at a counter, and then everything still gets brought out to you.”

The idea of a quick-service model gained momentum when COVID hit, especially with Black Tap facing

New York City’s strict dining mandates. The chain pivoted by opening a pop-up experience with Singles and Doubles burgers at its 35th Street and SoHo restaurants. The goal was to maintain high-quality hospitality but make it flexible.

So Black Tap began offering burgers with one or two 4-ounce patties instead of its typical 8-ounce patties. The smaller patties don’t have to be cooked to temperature, come out faster, and can be served la carte.

“It gives people the ability to get it fast,” Mulligan says. “Obviously you can linger with it because you don’t have that structure of a full-service dining model. You can spend less, you can control a little bit more how much you want to eat. So we felt it almost ups our hospitality because it’s really able to deliver to a lot of different people for a lot of different needs where they’re at.”

The plan is to open an official fast-casual spinoff, called Black Tap Singles and Doubles, at John F. Kennedy International Airport and in Atlanta. Both should debut in 2025. The company’s operating partner in Switzerland already has three of these quick-service locations.

“At the end of the day, it’s still a lot of the same of all the great pieces of Black Tap but done in this slightly different way,” Mulligan says. “So the Singles and Doubles is really to just call attention to that core difference, which is how we do the burger.”

During COVID, Mulligan and Barish were also approached by several ghost kitchen operators. The duo considered it as a potential opportunity to elevate its chicken products—chicken

BLACK TAP’S GOAL WAS TO MAINTAIN HIGH-QUALITY HOSPITALITY, BUT MAKE IT FLEXIBLE.

tenders, crispy chicken sandwiches, and Korean barbecue wings—which have been a big hit with customers and have garnered awards.

So, similar to other chains that launched proprietary ghost kitchen menus, Black Tap was prepared to roll out virtual concept Tender Crush. However, as the brand approached reality, New York lifted its restrictions to allow indoor dining and so Tender Crush was pushed to the side. But only temporarily.

Mulligan and Barish talked with partners interested enough to help get the chicken concept off the ground and bring it to life. One unit is open in Las Vegas. Another restaurant is open in SoHo right beside Black Tap. An additional location is planned for the JFK airport.

“I think New York is a big part of our brand, both with Black Tap and with Tender Crush,” Mulligan says. “So with Tender Crush, we saw an opportunity just between how popular the chicken offering has been at Black Tap, the melting pot that is New York, and nobody’s really doing New York chicken. There’s Southern fried chicken or Korean fried chicken, and we thought there was an opportunity to bring it together and have fun with different flavors.”

Tender Crush’s main attraction is three crispy tenders tossed in a signature sauce, like the K-Town Hot ( house chili oil, hot kimchi dry rub, and kosher pickles with buttermilk dill ) or Jackson Heights Heat ( bird pepper, chives, kosher pickles, and white BBQ ).

The new concept debuted as chicken continues to soar in popularity among Gen Z and millennials.

“I think chicken is very universal,” Mulligan says. “We’ve opened Black Tap in some different countries and through that we’re able to visit even more countries. I think McDonald’s has introduced the burger to pretty much the whole world at this point, but the chicken is definitely a part of a

lot of different cultures and it’s something that appeals to a lot of people. For us, we’ve got both crispy tenders and grilled tenders, and so I feel that you are just able to serve so many people. I think it’s something that people can eat again and again. It’s so neutral that you can really have fun by doing it in different ways and pairing it with different flavors.”

Unlike Black Tap —which requires executive chefs, high-volume sites, and carefully assembled teams—Tender Crush is designed for streamlined growth. There are more potential locations and ways to expand quickly compared to Black Tap.

The quick-service model is all about simplification, Mulligan says. There have been efforts to pre-make spice blends and reduce the number of steps in preparation but still deliver

the scratch-made quality Black Tap is known for.

“I guess it started even with Black Tap through COVID and learning these last five years of all the delivery in and outs of third party and all the technology,” says Mulligan, discussing the shift to quick service. “But now with the fast-casual concept, it’s even that much more important. So I think we’re still continuing our learning journey to refine the best practices for us for all of those technology pieces. But at the end of the day, the goal is to in some sense offer better hospitality because you’re meeting people where they are because we’re seeing such a demand for food with that convenience factor.”

The original Black Tap is experiencing growth as well. Around Thanksgiving, the chain opened its first restaurant in London. A second U.K.-based restaurant is scheduled for later this year. The brand also recently opened in Miami and is looking for opportunities in Asia.

“At the end of the day, the goal is to provide great food in a way that excites people and meets them where they’re at, so we’re excited about the new opportunities to continue to do that,” Mulligan says. 

BLACK TAP’S VIRTUAL CONCEPT, TENDER CRUSH, DEBUTED AS CHICKEN CONTINUES TO SOAR IN POPULARITY AMONG YOUNGER GENERATIONS.

Underground Robots Aim to Fix Pickup

PIPEDREAM’S INSTANT PICKUP SYSTEM IS MODELED AFTER THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT DELIVERS UTILITIES LIKE WATER AND ELECTRICITY TO BUILDINGS AND USES A MODULAR, TRAIN-LIKE SETUP.

Pipedream is building a system that could make app-based pickup as effortless as grabbing food from a drive-thru—without the wait.

BY SAM DANLEY

After placing their order on an app ahead of time, the customer drives to the restaurant, finds a parking spot, and heads inside. They scan the space. Is it crowded with delivery drivers standing by and people ordering at the register? Is their food ready? Will they need to grab it from an employee? Is there a designated pickup shelf? If so, is it packed with bags, leaving them to scan each receipt for their name?

For all the advancements in digital ordering and the growing demand for pickup in recent years, the experience

often falls short of seamless. But what if customers could simply pull up, grab their food from the car, and be on their way in a matter of seconds—without the addition of another drive-thru lane for orders placed through the app? That’s the vision behind Pipedream.

Founded in 2021 by Garrett McCurrach, the Austin-based startup has found a new way to get food into the customer’s hand with its Instant Pickup system, which uses underground robots to facilitate high-speed order handoffs. Pipedream’s broader ambition

extends beyond just improving food delivery. The company is working toward connecting entire cities with underground delivery networks. In late 2023, it began testing longer deliveries in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, where it successfully connected an office building to a retail store via a 0.7-mile tunnel.

“I don’t know why, but for my whole life, making it easier to get things has been something that I’ve been obsessed with,” McCurrach says. “How do you make moving something from point A to point B as fast and as cheap and as easy as possible?”

While this larger-scale vision of underground citywide delivery networks will likely take years to come to fruition, Pipedream is currently focused on the fast-food sector with its Instant Pickup system. It is modeled after the infrastructure that delivers utilities like water and electricity to buildings and uses a modular, train-like setup.

The process begins with the input portal, a compact unit that can be installed flexibly within the kitchen, ideally situated near the end of the food prep line where items are being finished. This allows for quick and easy loading of orders into the system. From the input portal, the order is transferred to a temperature-controlled storage station, typically located in close proximity to minimize the distance the order has to travel.

If Pipedream is able to install its location software development kit on the restaurant’s app, the system will automatically move the items from storage to the output portal—a receiving station similar to a bank tube system—when the customer arrives. If

QSR FSR

not, there’s a verification process that uses tools like voice AI or QR codes for quick confirmation. The output portal adjusts to align with the height of the car’s window. Then, the customer simply grabs their food and is on their way.

The company has designed the system to accommodate different restaurant layouts. If the only available space for the input portal is near the front of the restaurant, while the only location for the outdoor storage station is behind the building, that flexibility is built in.

“We realized that the system had to work everywhere, and that’s why it works just like utilities,” McCurrach says. “It’s really easy to plug it in and move it around wherever it needs to go. You can put that input portal anywhere in the kitchen that you need. And then, similarly, if you want to put 10 portals in the parking lot, you can do that. If you want one portal a quarter of a mile away, you can do that.”

The goal when creating the system was to make pickup as frictionless and easy—perhaps even easier—than the drive-thru. The entire interaction is designed to take just 15 seconds.

“That’s a magical experience, and we have all of the pieces to do it,” McCurrach says. “And not just do it, but make it really easy to retrofit that technology into current existing buildings, to do that really cheaply and really quickly, and to allow flexibility.”

Some quick-serves have inquired about using Pipedream’s system for their drive-thrus, but McCurrach is not entirely sold on this idea. While he isn’t against the concept, he believes there’s a significant opportunity in refining the pickup experience first.

“So many people love pickup, but it is really a bad experience right now,” he says. “If people love it that much with it being a bad experience, how much more will they love it when it’s even better than the drive-thru? I think that’s the opportunity that people are missing.”

One of the key benefits of the Instant

Pickup system is its ability to build stronger reliance on a restaurant’s app—a central goal for many brands aiming to drive more business through their first-party ordering channels. By facilitating this shift, the system enables restaurants to directly collect customer data, helping them build stronger, more personalized relationships with their guests. Plus, there’s the benefit for customers, who can earn rewards and may have access to special offers and promotions through the app.

“Outside of everything else that the app is good for, Instant Pickup is kind of like an express lane,” McCurrach says. “It’s kind of like what the Fast Pass is for Disney, but for food. You can just skip the line and go right through. This makes it so much better than a drive-thru. This is a real reason to order ahead. We even have a sign that goes on our portal when it’s facing the drive-thru that says, ‘If you had used the app and ordered ahead, you’d already be on your way.’”

In November, Pipedream completed its first installation in Texas. The brand will be announced in the future.

Pipedream focused on minimizing the construction timeline, ensuring that the drive-thru could stay open throughout the process, and keeping costs in check. While the first installation took four nights—allowing for extra buffer time to ensure a thorough job—McCurrach is confident about getting down to two or three nights of construction consistently, and at the same time, reducing the cost along with that.

The construction process is simpler, less costly, and quicker than many might expect, and the same goes for the technology itself.

While the word “automated” in the QSR industry often brings to mind complex, flashy systems like robotic fry cooks or sandwich makers, McCurrach says to think of Instant Pickup more like a self-checkout kiosk. 

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A Sandwich Vision

My personal journey from finance professional to CEO of Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop is a testament to the power of passion and entrepreneurial spirit. As a college student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, I fell in love with Capriotti’s sandwiches, never imagining that one day I would lead the company.

After establishing a career in finance with Wells Fargo, my entrepreneurial instincts kicked in. In 2004, my longtime friend Jason Smylie and I became Capriotti’s franchisees, purchasing our first store. Our success and belief in the brand led us to acquire the entire company in 2008, just before the financial crisis hit.

Despite the challenges of being undercapi-

Capriotti’s CEO Ashley Morris believes his chain can grow hundreds of units by 2032.

talized and lacking franchise experience, Jason and I’s determination and love for the brand propelled Capriotti’s forward. Under my leadership, the company has more than tripled in size, growing from a beloved local sandwich shop to a national brand with nearly 160 stores in operation as of August 2024.

My vision for Capriotti’s is ambitious yet grounded in a commitment to quality and customer experience. We aim to have 750 profitable locations by the end of 2032, focusing on strategic partnerships and methodical growth. My leadership style emphasizes collaboration, open communication, and a family-like culture among franchisees and employees.

As CEO, I have prioritized extensive support systems to ensure the success of our franchisees. We provide comprehensive training programs, ongoing operational guidance, and marketing resources to help franchisees excel. Our dedicated field support team works closely with franchise owners to address challenges and identify opportunities for growth. Additionally, we focus on fostering a strong sense of community among our franchisees through regular meetings, feedback sessions, and shared best practices.

My journey with Capriotti’s showcases the potential for turning a personal passion into a thriving business. I hope my story serves as an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs and a testament to the enduring appeal of quality food and exceptional customer service in the restaurant industry.

What was your first job?

My first job was as a financial advisor.

What’s your favorite menu item at Capriotti’s?

The Cheese Steak with fried onions, mushrooms, and hot peppers is my favorite.

What’s your favorite cuisine aside from what you offer at Capriotti’s?

I enjoy eating Mediterranean food.

What inspires you as a leader?

I’m inspired by the collaborative spirit of our team and franchisees.

What’s the best piece of advice that other restaurant executives should hear?

Get hands-on experience and stay proactive. It’s crucial to understand every aspect of your business and anticipate challenges before they arise.

What are some of your interests outside of work?

I’m a family man who loves spending time with my two boys, cheering them on in their sports, and enjoying moments with friends.

QSR FSR

 ASHLEY MORRIS

DIGITAL READER BOARDS. DRIVE TRAFFIC. INCREASE SALES.

Increase your QSR’s foot traffic and boost sales by promoting new menu items, menu specials, and rewards program perks. Display eye-catching, dynamic brand-approved messages that uphold your QSR’s brand standards.

Maintain message flexibility with our Ignite OPx content management software. Ignite OPx allows users to program messages months in advance or make last-minute changes and streamline your sign messaging for one location or many.

Our reputation is built on your digital reader board looking and performing great, not just for one day but for its lifetime.

QSR 325 MARCH 2025

AN ICONIC PAIRING

Restaurants Must Give More

CONTENTS

Crafting Menus that Resonate

Building Icons, One Bite at a Time

Building Loyalty That Lasts

ONLINE

FEATURED SUPPLEMENT:

SMARTCHAIN

ON THE GO

Mini-Golf Meets Modern Hospitality

Revolutionizing Restaurants Serve Caffeine THE WAY

CREATE SOMETHING BRILLIANT

POWERFRUIT PURPLE NATURAL ENERGY

DRAGON FRUIT PINK*

ENERGY

Chefs & Ingredients

Great Fight at Late Night

Explore Caputo Burrata Tray Packs

take taste buds

on a journey

to global ﬂavor destinations

Make 2025 Your Restaurant’s Highest Proﬁt Year

& Ingredients

Craft Cocktails Go Off-Leash

Gloving Solutions

HOW TO Drive Sales and Connect Faster

The must-have tool for modern restaurants.

EXAMPLE OF HOW IT WORKS:

Trading Finance for Chef’s Knives

chef Vi Nguyen went from crunching numbers to crushing it in the kitchen at Thompson Hospitality Group.

BEING A PART OF A LARGER RESTAURANT GROUP HAS ALLOWED CHEF VI NGUYEN TO EXCEL IN HIS OWN JOURNEY OF MELDING CULINARY EDUCATION WITH HOSPITALITY.

Ispirazione Italiana

SOUTHERN FLAVOR MADE EASY.

Hottest Trend The

Showing No Signs of Slowing

Farmside Kitchen

Breaking Barriers in Restaurant Tech

®

Building Icons, One Bite at a Time

Guy Fieri and Robert Earl’s partnership blends bold flavors and concepts, with the latest vision coming in Times Square with Planet Hollywood and Chicken Guy!

A REVAMPED PLANET

THE FUTURE IS CHICKEN

CULINARY HARMONY

Crafting Menus That Resonate

Resonate

IN 2024, WHATABURGER

EXECUTIVE CHEF

THE POWER OF STORYTELLING IN MENU DEVELOPMENT

CUSHER, CULINARY DIRECTOR OF INDIGO ROAD HOSPITALITY, RECEIVES INSPIRATION FROM WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING INTERNATIONALLY.

PALMITER HAS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN GROWING BRAND AWARENESS AROUND JINYA RAMEN BAR IN THE U.S.

KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE

Building Loyalty ThAT Lasts

VEG’ PREP MACHINES

IS IT WORKING?

WHAT’S THE COST?

Digital Signage

WILL BEAR

SHO SHAFIEI

ROBERT HEISE

Turnkey Solutions from Drive-Thru to Dining Room.

PATRICK MAY

MEGAN ZELLER

MIKE ROCK

Franchise Fees Under Fire

Funding the Future of Digital Dining

FROM BROCHUREWARE TO COMMERCE PLATFORM

MARKETING CAN’T FOOT THE

A NEW SHARED MODEL FOR BUDGET ALLOCATION

IT RESPONSIBILITIES:

MAKING THE CASE FOR CAPEX’ING THE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE

WHY THIS APPROACH WORKS

Black Tap Crafts a Fast-Casual Journey

Underground Robots Aim to Fix Pickup

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A Sandwich Vision

DIGITAL READER BOARDS. DRIVE TRAFFIC. INCREASE SALES.