In 2015, Chipotle was the fast-casual restaurant industry's gold standard, with double-digit growth quarter after quarter. But with several cases of E. coli and norovirus in the fall of 2015, that all came crashing down. The company's comeback has been a bumpy ride to say the least, but new CEO Brian Niccol, who joined the company from Taco Bell in March 2018, has helped right the ship and get Chipotle back to growing again.
In this exclusive conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, Niccol explains how his experience from Taco Bell has helped inform his decisions at Chipotle, how the digital revolution is making the Chipotle experience easier than ever, and how he's preparing the company for bigger things ahead.

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&pizza is a thriving fast-casual pizza shop that marches to the beat of its own drum. It designs its restaurants to reflect their local communities. Its employees get the company’s signature ampersand logo tattooed on themselves. It hosts free weddings in its shops every Pi Day (3/14).
The beating heart of this 35-unit brand is cofounder and CEO Michael Lastoria. A former advertising professional, Lastoria has carefully constructed a brand and culture that represent far more than its signature pizza options. In this conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, Lastoria explains how he’s rethinking the fast-casual narrative—and inviting other entrepreneurs to steal from his playbook.

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Childhood friends and first-generation Greek Americans Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos, and Dimitri Moshovitis first opened full-service restaurant Cava Mezze in Washington, D.C., in 2006. The fast-casual spinoff, CAVA, opened in nearby Bethesda, Maryland, in 2011 and has since grown to 75 locations across the country, bringing authentic Mediterranean flavors to American consumers in markets big and small.
In this interview with QSR editor Sam Oches, CEO Brett Schulman discusses CAVA's evolution, its big acquisition of Zoes Kitchen, and how the brand is transforming Americans' perceptions of Mediterranean flavors and ingredients.

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In the wake of successful brands like Five Guys and Shake Shack, America fell in love with the better-burger category, which serves high-quality beef and other upscale ingredients in a fast-casual format. Atlanta-based Farm Burger, though, strives to be a better better-burger concept. The 11-unit chain is deeply committed to local sourcing, having been launched as the fast-casual spinoff of full-service farm-to-table restaurant Farm 255 in Athens, Georgia.
In this episode, Farm Burger cofounder George Frangos sits down with QSR editor Sam Oches to talk about this upscale concept and how it's stayed true to its farm-to-table mentality while scaling operations across the country.

Dog Haus has carved its own niche within the fast-casual restaurant industry. With a sports-bar vibe and a chef-designed menu, this brand has created an upscale, laid-back experience that's packaged in a franchise format. And while Dog Haus is expected to double in size in 2019, it's not all been smooth sailing since day one. 
The three founders of Dog Haus—Quasim Riaz, Hagop Giragossian, and Andre Vener—sit down for a conversation with QSR editor Sam Oches, discussing the genesis of the business and the learning curve they've experienced while growing Dog Haus to more than 30 locations across the U.S.

Blaze Pizza started as a business plan scribbled on a Chipotle napkin back in 2011. At the time, Rick and Elise Wetzel were founders of the successful snack brand Wetzel's Pretzels, but they recognized an opportunity in the booming fast-casual model to turn pizza into a more personalized, lunch-driven category. Eight years later, Blaze Pizza has more than 300 locations and has been called the fastest-growing restaurant chain ever. 
In this conversation with QSR magazine editor Sam Oches, the Wetzels explain the genesis of Blaze Pizza, the ongoing competition among fast-casual pizza brands, and how they are positioning the company for future success. 

Learn more about QSR Magazine's Fast Forward, the new podcast from the leading voice in quick-service and fast-casual restaurant news and insights. We explain what to expect from this new show, which will feature a series of conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, and innovators from the fast-casual restaurant industry.