Fast Casual Nation

Fast Casual Nation goes live for the first time, recorded in front of a studio audience of restaurant operators and suppliers. Hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler start with Britney from Hire Me on hiring Gen Z, flexible scheduling, and why referrals still matter. Then they sit down with Justin Mennen, Chief Information and Technology Officer at Shake Shack, to talk about Project Catalyst, the company’s plan to scale from roughly 400 company-owned U.S. locations to 1,500. Mennen breaks down the four pillars of the initiative (a new POS and KDS, the brand’s first loyalty program, Shack AI, and a data foundation), explains why Shake Shack is keeping AI out of the drive-thru, and shares what the kiosk data is showing about check size. The episode wraps with an audience poll on technology priorities and a lightning round on IoT, cross-department alignment, and loyalty without discounting.#FastCasualNation #ShakeShack #ProjectCatalyst #RestaurantTech #RestaurantAI #HospitalityTech #FastCasual #RestaurantOperations #RestaurantHiring #LoyaltyProgramBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fast-casual-nation--3598490/support.Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

How does a 100% gluten-free Brazilian café scale beyond its core demographic into a high-growth fast-casual powerhouse?In this episode of the Fast Casual Nation Front Runners series, host Paul sits down with Pedro and Cleo Uchôa, the visionaries behind TAP. Fresh off winning The Perfect Pitch at the Fast Casual Executive Summit, the Uchôa brothers share their blueprint for expanding TAP across New York City and South Florida—and how they’re using backend AI to supercharge growth.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fast-casual-nation--3598490/support.Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

Join the hosts fresh off the Fast Casual Executive Summit and Restaurant Catering Workshop as they analyze the latest trends, wild industry rumors, and growth strategies shaping the restaurant world.In this episode, they break down why the rumored Starbucks and Chipotle deal was a false start, discuss how top brands are navigating traffic slumps without gutting margins, and explore bold marketing shifts like Chipotle’s "big ass bag." Plus, they are joined by Drew Travis, the new CFO of Chicken Salad Chick. Drew shares insights from his time at McDonald's, Grubhub, and Bloomin' Brands, explaining how Chicken Salad Chick is scaling past 340+ locations toward 500+ units, using AI to power predictive site selection, and driving positive foot traffic through consistency and pure Southern hospitality.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fast-casual-nation--3598490/support.Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

How Biscuit Belly's CEO Turned a Cracker Barrel Exit Into a Growth EngineWhat does it take for an emerging restaurant brand to scale without losing its identity? On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Chad Coulter, founder and CEO of Biscuit Belly, for a practical survival kit for founders.Coulter shares his unlikely path from pharmacist to paint-and-sip studios to a five-unit wine bar restaurant concept, and the hard lesson that simplicity is what makes a brand scalable. He then breaks down Biscuit Belly's acquisition of Maple Street Biscuit Company from Cracker Barrel: why the real estate made sense, how five-week conversions beat multi-year ground-up builds, how the deal was funded, and what he thinks went wrong at Maple Street. He also covers working alongside his wife, the "founders hire founders" principle, his first three hires if he were starting over, and how he balances value and premium in a K-shaped economy.If you're building, buying, or converting a restaurant brand, this one is for you. Subscribe to Fast Casual Nation so you never miss an episode, and let us know in the comments: what's the best lesson you've learned scaling a brand?This episode is sponsored by Mountaire®It’s time to get cooking with premium chicken from Mountaire® Black Label. Popular primal cuts with real profit potential, like the new hand-selected premium chicken tenderloins and convenient flat pack party wings. Learn more at: www.mountaireblacklabel.com#FastCasualNation #BiscuitBelly #RestaurantGrowthBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fast-casual-nation--3598490/support.Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler talk with Claudia Lezcano, CEO of Fuku, about how the David Chang chicken brand is growing through stadiums, airports and college campuses before it franchises. Lezcano covers the economics of "quick culinary," the lessons from Fuku's corporate restaurants in West Palm Beach and Coral Gables, and how she negotiates with landlords, sports teams and airport operators. She also shares how she was paid $400,000 to exit a lease and lays out the plan for 15 to 20 franchise locations by the back half of 2028. The hosts also discuss why restaurant resales fell in 2026 and preview the Fast Casual Executive Summit, October 4 to 6.#FastCasualNation #Fuku #RestaurantRealEstateBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fast-casual-nation--3598490/support.Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory