When Jae Kim launched the Korean barbecue truck Chi'Lantro BBQ in Austin, Texas, in February 2010, he figured serving Korean-Mexican fusion tacos and burritos to the city's late-night crowd would be enough to build a buzz and lead him to his dream of opening a restaurant. But there was one piece missing, and it came to Kim one fateful night as he lamented disposing of an unused batch of kimchi. He heaped the kimchi on french fries and piled it with other ingredients, and the Original Kimchi Fries were born.
Armed with the massively popular Kimchi Fries and a growing national acclaim, Kim scaled Chi'Lantro as a brick-and-mortar concept and got an extra boost from a "Shark Tank" appearance in 2016. In this interview with QSR editor Sam Oches, Kim explains how he evolved the concept from a truck to brick and mortar, why he walked away from his "Shark Tank" investment, and why he's ready to grow Chi'Lantro through franchising.

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Take one look at a P. Terry's restaurant and you might think it's been around for generations. From the Googie architecture to the roadside burger-stand vibe, Austin, Texas–based P. Terry's has created a timeless experience dedicated to quality, value, and customer service. And that's exactly how founder Patrick Terry intended it when he opened the first P. Terry's—in 2005.
Terry sat down with QSR editor Sam Oches to discuss the chain's 15-year success story, how it gets away with selling Black Angus burgers for $4 or less, and why a deep commitment to both customers and employees has helped turn the brand into a cult favorite across Texas.

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Fast-casual chains that have been around for a decade or less have the luxury of easily adapting to new trends and technologies. Legacy chains that have been around for generations? Not so much. But Mark Parmerlee, owner of Dallas-based Golden Chick, a chicken quick serve with nearly 200 locations primarily in the South, has strived to keep the 50-year-old concept rooted in its homestyle authenticity while also keeping up with the times.
In this conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, Parmerlee and Golden Chick president Jim Stevens detail their plan for getting Golden Chick to 500 units, and they discuss how they've evolved the brand over the years to remain competitive.

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Before the off-premises boom, before third-party delivery, and before meal kits, there was the home meal replacement movement. Restaurant concepts like Boston Market promoted the idea of feeding a whole family with freshly prepared, grab-and-go options, not just singular menu items. This was the environment in 1996 when Phil Romano launched Eatzi's in Dallas, and while the market concept's initial growth sputtered after just a few years, today it's enjoying a renaissance and growing once again.
CEO Adam Romo sat down with QSR editor Sam Oches to discuss Eatzi's unique business model, the lessons he and the team learned from their early struggles, and how the business is adapting to today's foodservice climate.

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Some restaurateurs join the industry as teenagers, others jump in as a second career. Mariel and Marco Street were born into it. Their father, Gene Street, is a renowned Dallas restaurateur who started the Black-Eyed Pea concept, and they grew up surrounded by restaurant innovation. That was a big reason why they went on to become partners in Liberty Burger and Street's Fine Chicken, two Dallas-area concepts that aim to provide relaxed neighborhood dining destinations with flexible service formats.
The Streets sat down with QSR editor Sam Oches in one of their Liberty Burger locations to discuss how their iconic father has helped guide them along the way, why some of their restaurants are full service, and how the itch to build something new drives them into the future.

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For its first few years in business, Honeygrow enjoyed the same kind of momentum and accolades as other trendy fast casuals popping up on the East Coast. Its unique stir-fry menu and ahead-of-its-time touchscreen ordering platform helped it earn a loyal following and propelled it out of its home market of Philadelphia and into cities like New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. But in 2018, Honeygrow's momentum came to a screeching halt. The launch of sister concept Minigrow, along with a three-unit expansion into Chicago, proved to be bad bets, and Rosenberg was forced to make some difficult decisions in turning the brand around.
In this conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, Rosenberg details the story of Honeygrow's rise, reveals the red flags that convinced him it was in need of an overhaul, and shares the secret to how the brand successfully righted the ship.

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College campuses can be tough for running a restaurant business. Students are fickle, the hours are late, and come summer time, your key demographic clears out of town. But for Matt Friedman, college campuses have been a perfect real estate opportunity for his fast casual Wing Zone, which he has scaled to nearly 100 units around the world.
Friedman sat down for a conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches to talk about how he mastered college towns, and how his commitment to delivery in the early 1990s is paying dividends for the business today.

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Howard Schultz famously committed to a “third place” mentality when scaling Starbucks into the global icon that it is today, creating a space outside the home and office where consumers could feel comfortable. And Kim Malek now hopes to accomplish the same thing through ice cream. The cofounder of Portland, Oregon–based Salt & Straw—and former Starbucks executive—is working with her cousin and cofounder Tyler Malek to build a national ice cream brand that pairs a dedication to local communities with “deliciously interesting” ice cream.
Kim sat down with QSR editor Sam Oches to share what she learned from Schultz and her newest mentor and investor, Danny Meyer. Plus, she talks about how telling stories through ice cream has helped the company plant roots in the communities it serves.

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There was a time, not so long ago, when fast-casual brands built around one menu item started to gain some traction, whether it was meatball brands or doughnut brands or even avocado brands. Then there was the grilled-cheese trend; a wave of grilled-cheese concepts sprung up in the early 2010s, offering premium takes on the comfort-food sandwich. But while many of those brands faded away, Melt Shop—a fast casual founded in New York City in 2011—managed to evolve into a thriving melted sandwich franchise that is carving its own niche in fast casual.
Spencer Rubin, founder and CEO, sat down with QSR editor Sam Oches to talk about how Melt Shop evolved on the path to success, and how its position within Aurify Brands' portfolio has given it a big advantage.

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Historically, seafood has maintained something of a small corner in the limited-service restaurant industry. Few brands outside of Long John Silver's and Captain D's have managed to expand nationally, and those that have succeeded have largely been known for fried seafood options.
But that's starting to change, thanks to fast casuals like Chicago-based Brown Bag Seafood Co. Founder Donna Lee launched the concept as a way to offer Windy City residents the kind of fresh, healthier, fish-forward fare she preferred for her own diet. In this conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, Lee and business partner Zach Flanzman share how they're building a seafood culture in Chicago while navigating the challenges of running a multiunit restaurant operation.

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