Fast Casual Insider

The rise of third-party delivery is restructuring restaurant operations across the industry, including in the fast-casual dining space. On this special edition of Fast Casual Insider, Geoff Alexander of Wow Bao and Paul Damico of Naf Naf Grill join Jerry on the floor of the 100th National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago to discuss how delivery is affecting the restaurant experience.

Getting customers to try a new, unfamiliar flavor can be a challenge. On this week’s episode of Fast Casual Insider, Jerry talks to Carl Segal of Roti Modern Mediterranean Grill. In this wide-reaching conversation, Carl discusses everything from helping customers be more adventurous in their palates to how his chain is embracing new technologies.

On this week’s episode of Fast Casual Insider, Helen Jane Hearn, the senior content director for the National Restaurant Association, steps in for host Jerry White for a conversation with Nick Vojnovic, president of Little Greek Fresh Grill. As the leader of a fast-growing chain, Nick knows all about real estate expansion and shares his tips on getting the best deal for your restaurant location.

With technology and delivery becoming a bigger part of the industry, what can we do to keep the human touch in our restaurants? This week on Fast Casual Insider, Jerry speaks with Carin Stutz, former EVP of Red Robin, about the past, present, and future of fast casual dining.

Host Jerry White talks with Don Fox about how changing consumer habits affect the fast casual industry and how to use new technology to keep up and keep growing.

Our guest Don Fox is Chief Executive Officer of Firehouse of America, LLC, in which he leads the strategic growth of Firehouse Subs, one of America’s leading fast casual restaurant brands. Under his leadership, the brand has grown to more than 1,170 restaurants in 46 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, and is recognized as one of the best franchises in the country.

Joining Jerry on the podcast today is Meg Rose, an executive with Firehouse Subs. Meg has been with Firehouse Subs for more than a decade. Jerry and Meg discuss how the current marketplace demands innovation including changes in marketing, delivery and location maintenance.

This week, Jerry sits down with Paul Damico, CEO of the Chicago, IL based Naf Naf Grill. A long time restaurant industry veteran, Paul was tapped to lead Naf Naf Grill in 2017 with the goal of scaling Naf Naf nationally. They walk through what it’s like to scale a middle eastern concept nationally, his relationship with Naf Naf founder Sahar Sander and the rise of ghost restaurants. Don’t miss this enlightening and information packed episode of the Fast Casual Insider, covering a wide range of topics.

Joining Jerry White on the Fast Casual Insider podcast this week is Kathleen Richardson. Kathleen is the founder of urban Farmhouse market & cafe. They cover a wide range of topics from her success at hiring and staffing her locations to embracing and harnessing technology for effective marketing. She brings over 20 years of experience to the conversation and it shows. Don’t miss this in-depth conversation with one of the most innovative Fast Casual operators in the field.

Helen Jane Hearn, from the National Restaurant Association, steps in for Host Jerry White for a conversation with Larry Reinstein, founder of the LJR Hospitality Group to discuss growing up in the restaurant industry, getting into consulting despite a lack of love for restaurant consultants and Larry’s best advice when it comes to raising capital.

In this episode of the Fast Casual Insider podcast, host Jerry White is joined by Blazing Onion Burger Company CEO and co-founder David Jones. David talks with Jerry about labor relations, the hybrid fast-casual concept, and delivery innovation.