QSR Uncut

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 it got started, the red-hot category's future, and why sustainability should play a role in all of the above.

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 nothing new for Smiley, however, who went from a fitness empire to the business of healthy eating, and has zero plans of letting up.

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 + Eatery with his wife, Pam, after noticing customers' needs were changing, specifically that people began to trade fries for salads and knew there was a void for healthy food options in Michigan. And no...

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 franchise has grown past 170 locations, with plenty more ahead. Learn how Eckles balances being a mother of 5 with running a restaurant rocket ship, and how intuitive entrepreneurship can create a hea...

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 and Ben Coley for a wide-ranging chat on the message behind the brand, and why this 1,300-unit icon shows no signs of slowing down.

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 director Danny Klein about the comeback, where pizza goes from here, and why the sector's prospects have never looked better.

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 multi-year sales surge into significant expansion.

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 inflation to development to market share and curbside, there's a lot on the table in this post-COVID landscape, and plenty of opportunity ahead.

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 value to customers in a world where everything is becoming more expensive.

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 navigating today's chaotic real estate market.

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 expansion in general these days? Chief Development Officer Mark Mele joins the QSR team to discuss all those things, and much more.

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 sales), joins the QSR team to talk through one of the most dynamic markets in industry history. Is fast food suddenly the hottest ticket in town?

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 to the bring-it-to me culture we live in, how do you meet customers where they want to be? And when? There's a lot at stake.

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 team to chat about the company's future, and where the industry is headed as a whole coming out of the pandemic.

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 brighter, or more diverse. Meet the brands setting the stage for a new generation.

Vitality Bowls exec Tara Gilad joins QSR editor Danny Klein to discuss standing out in one of the industry's fastest-growing (and crowded) categories, surviving COVID, and why the future is full of expansion potential for the 10-year-old fast casual.

On a special, bonus episode of QSR Uncut, the entire QSR magazine editorial team breaks down one of our biggest reports of the year: The 40/40 List, which recognizes the country's hottest fast casuals with 40 of fewer locations. Now in its sixth year, the list has become of the industry's most-anticipated features, and the perfect place to find the next big thing in foodservice. Plus, Sh...

A new category has emerged for restaurants, one that promises to challenge everyone from the biggest fast-food chains to the most polished sit-down concepts. And Finney's Crafthouse out of California is the perfect poster child. Executive Brad Finefrock joins the QSR team to chat about the emerging restaurant chain's history, future, and how the category as a whole has changed for good.

Fred Minnick, best-selling author, bourbon curator, and taster, and one of the country’s leading voices on America’s native spirit, joins QSR Editorial Director Danny Klein for a wide-ranging chat that covers everything from restaurant menus to rebottling fraud to tasting 101 for bourbon drinkers. Why is it so hard to find Buffalo Trace? Is it worth it? What’s it really like to write and talk abou...

Restaurants are battling shortages and rocketing prices across the supply chain as 2022 kicks into gear. Avanti CEO Mark Rossi joins the QSR team to talk about best practices and tactics, what's coming next, and how to manage one of the greatest disruptions in recent operating history.

Dr. James Pogue joins the QSR team to share tips and advice for executives and restaurant professionals on how to keep the conversation around unconscious bias, diversity and inclusion, and multigenerational intelligence going.

The owner of Fatburger, Fazoli's, and 15 other restaurant brands, spent nearly a $1 billion on acquisitions in 2021. And it could have been more. From bidding on Del Taco to an inside look at last year's deals, CEO Andy Wiederhorn chats with the QSR team about arguably the biggest storyline of this past year, and what an encore looks like.

The Culinary Edge, visionaries behind fast-growing Starbird Chicken, chat with the QSR team on concept creation, trends, and how to tell fact from fiction when it comes to the next big thing in restaurants. 

CEO Zaid Ayoub is an electrical engineer turned restaurateur. And it shows in the continued evolution of SaJJ Mediterranean, a 15-unit fast casual from the Bay Area ready to hit its stride coming out of COVID. Ayoub joins the QSR team to discuss the concept’s innovative growth and how it hopes to go mainstream.

On a special Thanksgiving week episode of QSR uncut , the team chats with Smashburger president Carl Bachmann for an inside look at what’s made the fast casual thrive over the years and during COVID-19, from menu innovation to technology to store design, and more. Also, what Thanksgiving foods are overrated, and what’s the best way to cook a turkey? Let's dive in.