QSR Uncut

Mary Jane Riva has been an entrepreneur for 20-plus years, starting out as a Pizza Factory restaurant owner and then transitioning into the head of the organization. Under her guidance and expertise,…

El Pollo Loco CMO Andy Rebhun has led the charge of the chicken chain's lean into digital in recent years. He joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to chat about his unique marketing strategy a…

Kevin Rice, the EVP of Bounteous, a company that works with brands like Domino’s, Panda Express, and Wingstop, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to talk about the state of restaurant technology, what’s to…

A dream of opening an authentic Lebanese restaurant brought Nour Rabai to Atlanta, and he’s been a trailblazer opening new restaurants and sharing his family’s recipes ever since. Rabai joins QSR edi…

Conceptualized in 2015, Pokeworks was created after the founders returned from one of many trips to Hawaii. Now, it’s taking aim at global growth, and it’s no great mystery why. The fast casual has s…

Sweetfin’s culinary philosophy, “Pole to Bowl,” has brought to the doorstep of major growth. Brand president and co-founder Seth Cohen joins QSR editor Danny Klein to discuss the concept's rise,  how…

Steele Smiley, CEO and founder of Crisp & Green—one of the category’s fastest-growing franchises—has a new plant-based brand with major potential. Creating, growing, and disrupting the market is noth…

Mijo Alanis, co-founder of Beyond Juicery + Eatery, has been in the restaurant industry most of his life, starting as a busboy. But he always had bigger aspirations. He started Beyond Juicery + Eater…

Clean Juice founder Kat Eckles is the driving force behind a multi-million dollar empire that continues to expand across the country.  The nation's only USDA-certified organic juice and food bar fran…

From a purpose-driven menu revamp to a subscription platform, Smoothie King CMO Rebecca Miller is taking the classic restaurant chain back to its wellness roots. Miller joined QSR editors Danny Klein…

The fast-casual  pioneer is surging out of the pandemic, with growth, tech, and a host of other evolutions fueling its future. Thirty-year industry vet Dave McDougall chats with QSR editorial directo…

John Ramsay, VP of Franchise Sales at Noodles & Company, has spent more than three decades in the restaurant industry. He's not only found a home at the national fast casual; he's ready to turn a mul…

CEO Trey Kessler, of rising fast casual Grain & Berry, fills the QSR team in on what it takes to launch and grow a franchising concept in the rapidly growing world of better-for-you brands. From infl…

Thirty-year industry vet Tim Hackbardt joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to talk about the past, present, and future of restaurant marketing, and how the 600-unit Mexican chain is offering …

John Dyer, Togo’s VP of franchise sales and real estate, joins the QSR team to discuss how the nearly 200-unit California-based sandwich brand is looking to the future, from nontraditional growth to …

Paris Baguette has a massive global footprint, but its U.S. expansion is just gearing up. Where does it plan to go exactly? How will it get there? And what is the state of real estate and fast-food e…

Robin Gagnon, CEO and co-founder of We Sell Restaurants and wesellrestaurants.com, the nation's largest restaurant brokerage firm (and the only business broker franchise specializing in restaurant sa…

Sanjiv Razdan, president of the Americas and India for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, chats with the QSR team about innovation and the java industry coming out of COVID-19. From the “third-place” shift …

Meet Sunday, a platform that raised $100 million in September and is looking to create the world's fastest and easiest way to pay at restaurants. CEO and co-founder Christine de Wendel joins the QSR …

QSR editors Danny Klein and Nicole Duncan return to count down the rest of America's 40 Hottest Fast Casuals. From bowl concepts to chicken served in a cone, the future of fast food has never looked …