We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare.
Next up: Carl Howard is the CEO of Fazoli's, an Italian quick serve with 200-plus locations in the U.S. He offers a glimpse at the efforts Fazoli's has made to keep operating in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, and shares how the company is working with its franchisees to ensure they are set up for success in the months ahead.

For more of QSR's coronavirus coverage, visit QSRmagazine.com/coronavirus

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We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare.
Next up: Brandon Solano is CEO of Rave Restaurant Group, parent company to Pizza Inn and Pie Five. He explains how the company is adjusting its buffet business at Pizza Inn to be viable in today's crisis, and shares some encouragement that he picked up from working at Domino's through the Great Recession.

For more of QSR's coronavirus coverage, visit QSRmagazine.com/coronavirus

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We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare.
Next up: Mark Brandau is group manager at Datassential, a food market research company that has been studying consumer sentiment toward restaurants during the coronavirus outbreak. He digs into the data and shares customer attitudes toward restaurants today and what operators can do to win them back.

For free access to Datassential's research, visit Datassential.com/coronavirus
For more of QSR's coronavirus coverage, visit QSRmagazine.com/coronavirus

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We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare.
Next up: Donna Lee and Zach Flanzman are partners in Chicago fast casual Brown Bag Seafood Co. After Illinois's governor mandated that all restaurants and bars shut down their dining rooms, Lee and Flanzman committed to paying their employees 70 percent of any lost hours. They explain why it's so important to commit to your team in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

For more of QSR's coronavirus coverage, visit QSRmagazine.com/coronavirus

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We're continuing with our series of mini episodes helping restaurants through the coronavirus pandemic. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare.
Next up: Don Fox is CEO of Firehouse Subs, a national sandwich franchise with more than 1,100 locations across the U.S. Fox weighs in on how he's communicating with his franchisees and what levers he can pull as a franchisor, and he even offers a few silver linings for operators struggling through this season.

For more of QSR's coronavirus coverage, visit QSRmagazine.com/coronavirus

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We're a week and a half into the coronavirus outbreak, and the restaurant industry is reeling. Sales have taken a dive off a cliff as dining rooms close and operations resort to carryout, delivery, and drive thru only. There is no certain timetable for when the threat of coronavirus fades, and when restaurants can return to some sense of normal.
To help the industry through this challenging time, we're going to publish several mini episodes featuring industry leaders discussing their creative solutions to conquering this difficult season. With input from operators, vendors, consultants, data analysts, and more, these mini episodes will facilitate incredibly important conversation on how we can collectively survive the coronavirus scare.
First up is Stephan Harman, cofounder of FUSIAN, a sushi roll and bowl concept based in Columbus, Ohio. Harman explains how his 10-unit fast casual is helping its communities by adapting its online ordering platform to sell fresh produce and other foods that are sitting in restaurant supply warehouses.

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When Kat and Landon Eckles opened the first Clean Juice outside Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2015, the intention wasn't necessarily to build a thriving franchise. Passionate about healthy, organic foods and with several years of experience serving them to their kids, the husband-and-wife duo were just looking for a change after a season with Landon often on the road and Kat as a stay-at-home mom. But the concept quickly took off, and through franchising has grown to nearly 100 locations serving juices, smoothies, bowls, and foods—all of it 100 percent organic. 
In this conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, the Eckleses discuss how they've positioned Clean Juice to be a wellness-oriented brand, how their faith has informed the core values behind the company, and how they've overcome the challenges of maintaining a completely organic menu.

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Paul Damico originally made a name for himself as the president of Moe's Southwest Grill, scaling the fast-casual Mexican brand from 200 units to around 700 in his eight years with FOCUS Brands. But in 2017, Roark Capital Group—majority owner of FOCUS—asked Damico if he'd be interested in serving as CEO of one of the group's much smaller investments, Naf Naf Grill. Springing at the chance to build something nearly from the ground up, Damico moved to Chicago and took the helm at the fast-casual Middle Eastern concept.
In this conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, Damico shares why he left FOCUS Brands to lead a startup, why he thinks Naf Naf has the potential to become a booming franchise, and how he thinks restaurant brands should navigate the explosion in off-premises business.

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Aside from Krispy Kreme and Dunkin', doughnut brands have mostly failed to gain national notoriety in the U.S., instead remaining niche, regional favorites that stick closely to traditional formats and flavors. But Duck Donuts is looking to change the narrative around doughnuts, rocketing to nearly 100 locations around the country serving a wide variety of innovative flavors that can be customized by guests.
In this conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, Duck Donuts founder Russ DiGilio explains why he left a long career in healthcare to open a doughnut shop in North Carolina's Outer Banks, why the experience of watching the doughnuts being made is critical to the Duck brand, and why he doesn't plan to add yeast doughnuts to the menu anytime soon.

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In just 13 years, Sweetgreen has become a foodservice darling with more than 100 locations. But the salad fast casual—which has leveraged a high-quality supply chain and bleeding-edge approach to restaurant technology to reach a valuation of $1.6 billion—is determined to create a legacy beyond the four walls of its restaurants. That's why it recently pledged $1 million (along with other resources) to the nonprofit FoodCorps, which is working to connect kids to healthy food in what's essentially the largest chain in America: school cafeterias.
In this exclusive Fast Forward feature, QSR editor Sam Oches goes behind the scenes of Sweetgreen's partnership with FoodCorps and how it's leveraging its expertise to enhance the food experience for America's 30 million K–12 students.

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