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AI Winners in 2026 in Restaurant & Hospitality
Bonchon CEO Suzie Tsai joins Fast Casual Nation hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler to talk candidly about the Korean fried chicken brand's AI jour…
1 day, 15 hours ago
The Secret Strategy Behind L&L Hawaiian Barbecue’s Massive Expansion
What does it take to scale a beloved regional icon into a fast-casual powerhouse with over 240 locations?
In this episode, hosts Paul and Cherryh sit …
1 week, 1 day ago
Mocktails are Winning
Episode 127
On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, host Cherryh Cansler sits down with Kelly O'Rourke, Director of Marketing at FiiZ Drinks, to talk about the ex…
2 weeks, 6 days ago
The "Slutty" Empire: How Pinky Cole Turned a $100M Burger Brand Into a Religion
Episode 126
Slutty Vegan founder and CEO Pinky Cole Hayes joins Fast Casual Nation hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler to share her journey from television pro…
4 weeks, 1 day ago
Winning the Fast-Casual Sandwich Wars
Episode 125
Mendocino Farms CMO Alicia Mowder joins Fast Casual Nation to break down how the fast-casual chain hit its 100th location while staying true to chef-…
1 month ago
Growth Strategies: Shared Resources Without Diluting Brand DNA
Episode 124
GoTo Foods CBOs Mike Smith (Moe's Southwest Grill) and Donna Varner (Schlotzsky's) join Fast Casual Nation to discuss how a shared brand platform dri…
1 month, 1 week ago
Gamifying the Burrito: The "Rewards on Repeat" Strategy
Episode 123
Chipotle COO Jason Kidd joins Fast Casual Nation hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler to break down how the 4,100-unit brand is winning and retainin…
2 months ago
The "Anti-Burger" Blueprint: How Teriyaki Madness is Out-Scaling the Giants
Episode 122
In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Jodi Boyce, CMO of Teriyaki Madness, and John Smolen, SVP …
2 months, 1 week ago
The "Macro-Centric" Menu: Why 2026 Diners Want Stats, Not Stories
Episode 121
In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, host Paul Barron sits down with Chris Treloar, CEO of PLNT Burger, and Trace Miller, founder of Konala Protein…
2 months, 3 weeks ago
50 Million Views Later: The Brutal Reality of Scaling a "Viral" TikTok Food Trend
Episode 120
In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Peter Yang, co-founder and Head of Development at Pokework…
3 months ago