QSR Uncut

Paytronix CEO Andrew Robbins joins QSR Editorial Director Danny Klein to discuss the changing face of loyalty and engagement as the restaurant industry continues to emerge from the pandemic. How should brands think differently about how they keep guests happy and engaged? Let’s ask the company that pioneered restaurant loyalty more than 20 years ago.

Amir Mostafavi was a D.C. pioneer when it came to cold-pressed juice, smoothies, and acai bowls. But now, regional cult-favorite fast casual South Block has its sights set on big-time growth. The brand’s 15th location will open in summer 2023 at the East Coast Amazon HQ2 in Arlington. The unit will mark South Block’s fourth opening within a 12-month period. Yet this mission-driven journey is just...

The category icon isn't letting off the throttle, from a growth or innovation angle, as the froyo segment evolves into its next act. From development best practices to rules to run a company by, brand president Sam Yoon joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to discuss entrepreneurship, the chain's future, and what it takes to thrive amid constantly changing restaurant conditions.

Sprinkles, creators of the famed Cupcake ATM, just opened its first U.S. franchise. Is this the start of a major growth push? CEO Dan Mesches joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to discuss what promises to be a category-shaking stretch for the brand, and why its menu innovation and approach to marketing continue to drive results.

Sam Caucci, founder and CEO of 1Huddle, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to address what’s really causing the labor shortage for restaurants, and where the path to a better solution begins. Is mobile gamification the answer? Does the retention problem go deeper? We get into that and much more. Happy holidays from the QSR Uncut team!

Bankrupt to bankrolling: One of America’s oldest fast-food chains is back on the offensive with a new marketing direction, double-digit sales growth, and plans to hit 500 locations by 2027. And it all starts with the message. CMO Casey Terrell and Jon Greenlee, SVP of sales and marketing at Sparkfly, join QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley for a wide-ranging and freewheeling talk about how Krys...

Noah Hayes, general manager, U.S. and Canada at Deliverect, a global scale-up company that simplifies digital orders for more than 27,000 locations across 40 markets, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to break down some proprietary—and perhaps surprising—research on the state of the delivery consumer amid record-high inflation. As it turns out, there’s one piece of good news every operator needs to cir...

How do you take a legendary brand and bring it into the future? QSR editor Danny Klein catches up with Wienerschnitzel COO Rusty Bills, a 15-year Galardi Group vet who has helped the nearly 350-unit brand emerge from COVID-19 with more optimism than ever. And that’s coming from a concept that serves more than 120 million hot dogs annually.

Nick Patrick, the CEO of Radar, a company that’s helped brands like Panera Bread leverage technology to meet customers’ needs, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to talk about one of the hottest topics of the space. How can location deliver experiences that keep guests coming back? How does it provide benefits on the operational side? Nick and Danny get into that and a whole lot more. 

Entrepreneur Thomas Nieto stumbled upon Main Squeeze after a friend introduced him to the founders and they offered him a juice. The rest is history. From partnering with NFL players to a major capital investment, the Louisiana-based concept is primed for take-off in 2023 and beyond.

Are these buzzy topics just headline-grabbers or something far more for restaurants?  Savneet Singh, president and CEO of PAR Technology Corp., joins QSR editor Danny Klein to chat about crypto, NFTs, what Starbucks is doing with Web3, and much more. Let's peer into the future of one of the most disruptive categories to hit the sector in recent memory.

Our first NextGen Casual episode, featuring industry icon Chris Artinian, explores what the future of full-service dining will look like in a post-COVID world, why it matters to quick-service chains, and why Condado Tacos is the perfect example of why it’s a brighter and more exciting landscape than ever.

Marcus Crawford, the award-winning founder of Bro-Ritos, a food truck business that serves the NYC/New Jersey metro area, joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to discuss his brand’s journey—what food truck companies often get wrong; how to get it right; and how you hit the road from one truck to two, and beyond.

What's one restaurant topic operators can't live without but seldom grabs headlines? Packaging. And it's never been as critical as it is today given the delivery, takeout, and digital revolution taking place industry-wide.  Ian Jacobson, president of Eco-Products, joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to talk about compostable packaging, sustainability, and how to navigate som...

Noodles & Company's chief marketing officer, Stacey Pool, joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to dive into the fast casual's industry-leading benefits program and unique culture. From inflation tactics to winning the talent war, the fast casual is setting the bar in a post-COVID restaurant world.

Industry veteran Clifton Rutledge has helped reface the iconic chain since joining in 2021, including the launch of Shipley’s first advertising and marketing campaign and the introduction of a high-quality coffee beverage program. Even though the company has been around since the 1930s, there are still ways to adapt and grow, and Shipley's is just getting started.

With a lengthy and storied restaurant resume, from Red Robin to Applebee’s to McAlister’s Deli, Carin Stutz, the president and CEO of vegan fast casual Native Foods, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to dish on flexitarians, indulgence, and making a booming category work for everybody. Where can the brand and plant-based movement go from here? The consumer is going to lead the way.

Lee Schulman, president of Panacea Management Group Consulting and owner of Atlanta’s famed Old Vinings Inn, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to dive into the current and future state of things. From supply chain challenges to the labor crisis to inflation, Schulman offers his insider look at how to navigate the present and prepare for a post-COVID economy.

Zhong Xu, who created the first iPad POS in EMEA in 2012, is on a mission to simplify what’s long been one of the restaurant world’s biggest friction points. Operating in over 40 markets around the world, Deliverect is helping brands like Taco Bell and Burger King do just that.

Shawn Lalehzarian went from working as a dishwasher who didn’t speak English to the founder and CEO of The Red Chickz, a Nashville hot chicken fast casual that’s erupted onto the scene. The brand’s massive social media presence rivals some of the sector’s largest brands. How did Red Chickz get there and what’s next? Lalehzarian joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to offer a glimpse into th...

The outspoken and always candid CEO and cofounder of digital ordering and marketing platform Lunchbox joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to reveal an exciting new innovation for the company, as well as his uncut thoughts on third-party delivery, the state of restaurant tech, and why he needs to escape White Plains, New York.

Mici Italian CEO Elliot Schiffer and Chief Growth Officer Matt Stanton join QSR Editor Danny Klein to discuss the brand’s franchise journey, challenges and successes, on the heels of a pandemic. The upstart has plenty of history, but franchise growth is a new frontier; and Mici started off hot—striking a 30-unit deal right out of the gate.

Del Taco chief marketing officer Tim Hackbardt returns to QSR Uncut for a special episode to announce a new multi-faceted brand initiative that's launching on September 1, and the menu lineup that's going to kick it all off.

Elliot Schiffer and Kim Miceli from Mici Italian join QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to discuss rebranding a legacy restaurant chain after 18 years. How do you pick an agency to work with? What are the keys to balancing heritage traits with modern twists, especially as major growth knocks? We get into that and much more in Part 1 of a two-part series on the brand’s fast-evolving future.

In the second part of QSR Uncut's two-part series with Velvet Taco, QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley chat with the fast casual's director of supply chain, Colby Wilson. Few topics today loom larger on the minds of operators, whether its supply itself or the roller coaster of costs over the past few months. Will inflation continue to surge? How can you navigate the adversity and stil...