Nate Hybl is an ex-NFL quarterback-turned CEO of Atlanta-born gusto!, a fresh bowls and wraps brand with 12 restaurants and counting. It’s been one wild journey from funding his dream to growing a fast casual, with no shortage of lessons and revelations along the way. And it’s a story that’s only getting started, with a focus on company culture and running a brand built to last.

Brad Laport, the CEO of WinCup, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the topic of greenwashing and the challenges it creates for restaurant operators. With so many options, from those hotly debated paper straws to more, how can restaurants know they’re making product decisions that are not only good for the planet, but decisions customers will appreciate.

Sherri Kimes, Emeritus Professor at Hotel School at Cornell, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to break down one of the hottest and most-debated topics in the restaurant industry today. Should we even call it dynamic pricing? How do you master pricing and revenue management for your restaurant? We get into all those topics, and a lot more thanks to one of the category's leading minds.

Austin Capoferi, the president of Next Brands, the family-owned strategic manager and growth accelerator of Beef-a-Roo and Blenderz, is charging forward with an innovative modular container location concept. The approach is designed to spearhead rapid franchise expansion by using low-cost shipping containers to help quickly open complete, fully operating restaurant locations, and cut development time by half. All for a price of $200,000.

Darden Coors, heiress of the Miller Coors company, also known as the CEO of Salad Collective, has decided to enter the world of franchising. Recently, she started Salad Collective where she acquired multiple brands, one being MAD Greens. And now, expansion is on the table in a wellness food market projected to reach $1 trillion by 2026.

One of the plant-based category's true pioneers recently had to shut down 12 locations. Cofounder and CEO, T.K. Pillan, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the difficult decision, why it was necessary, and how it allows Veggie Grill to be laser-focused on its founding mission. Also, where the category is headed, and what Veggie Grill's menu-driven plan to separate from the pack will look like.

GroundTruth CMO Brandon Rhoten joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein for a wide-ranging chat on how the job of today’s restaurant marketer has changed. What data matters? Can you turn engagement into visits? And where does it all go from here? Rhoten is a digital marketing veteran who’s led campaigns for some of the industry’s most recognizable brands including CMO positions at Papa Johns and Potbelly. As VP of Marketing, he was also instrumental in developing Wendy's award-winning snarky social media strategy. 

Sisters and mompreneurs, Heather Golden Ray and Jenny Engel, are the authors of two cookbooks (Zooey Deschanel is a fan), and chefs and owners of Spork Foods, a renowned Los Angeles-based vegan food company and cooking school, where they taught vegan cooking classes for more than 15 years. Now, they’re running a fast casual, Hey, Sunshine Kitchen, which just opened in Culver City, California, and has big plans to shake up the food scene. Learn how they got started, what it took to staff the store, and how the early foundations of growth are being laid down.

NFL legend Drew Brees, along with founder Brandon Landry, join QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to discuss the sizzling growth of Smalls Sliders, a rising fast casual that’s building an all-star team ready to scale. We’ll also get into Brees’ history in restaurant franchising, where it all started and where it goes from here, and why Smalls has the potential to hit it big.

Ryan Thorman, founder and CEO of Bango Bowls, joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to talk about how the brand is satisfying demand for healthy food options and building a growth-ready franchise primed for sustained expansion. Founded in 2017 in Long Island, New York, Bango Bowls offers a diverse menu that includes salads, warm grain bowls, poke bowl, acai bowls, flaninis, and avocado toasts.