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Fast Casual Nation

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Join the #1 Restaurant Business Podcast Shaping the Future of The Restaurant Industry!

Hosted by Paul Barron—industry pioneer, investor, and author of The Chipotle Effect—alongside Cherryh Cansler, the editorial force behind Fastcasual.com, this is where restaurant operators get the competitive edge. Every week, this power duo decodes the trends, strategies, and innovations transforming the restaurant business, driven by the Fast Casual mindset, redefining what's possible across all restaurant segments. With over two decades of combined expertise, Paul and Cherryh don't just report on the industry; they've helped build it.

This isn't just a podcast. It's your playbook for what's next.

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Episodes 29

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Yesterday · 28 min
How TAP Is Redefining Fast-Casual: Scaling Brazilian Flavor, AI Strategy, and Wellness Culture
How does a 100% gluten-free Brazilian café scale beyond its core demographic into a high-growth fast-casual powerhouse? In this episode of the Fast Casual Nation Front Runners series, host Paul sits down with Pedro and Cleo Uchôa, the visionaries...
- Transcript
Thursday · 46 min
How To Scale Your Restaurant with Chicken Salad Chick CFO, Drew Travis
Join the hosts fresh off the Fast Casual Executive Summit and Restaurant Catering Workshop as they analyze the latest trends, wild industry rumors, and growth strategies shaping the restaurant world. In this episode, they break down why the rumored...
- Transcript
October 6 · 55 min
Emerging Brand Survival Kit
How Biscuit Belly's CEO Turned a Cracker Barrel Exit Into a Growth Engine What does it take for an emerging restaurant brand to scale without losing its identity? On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down...
- Transcript
September 29 · 47 min
Real Estate Decisions That Can Make or Break a Restaurant
On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler talk with Claudia Lezcano, CEO of Fuku, about how the David Chang chicken brand is growing through stadiums, airports and college campuses before it franchises. Lezcano covers the...
- Transcript
September 22 · 48 min
The $10 Cocktail: Will It Work In Fast Casual?
Bartender and James Beard nominee Ivy Leyenda joins Fast Casual Nation to break down whether cocktails belong on the fast casual menu. She talks batching for consistency, realistic price points ($12–$15), why she's skeptical of automated pour systems...
- Transcript
September 15 · 41 min
How to Get More Guests With Service & Hospitality Using AI
Nékter Juice Bar CTO Jon Asher joins Fast Casual Nation hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler to break down how AI is reshaping guest personalization, loyalty, and data strategy at the 200+ unit juice bar chain — plus why clean first-party data...
- Transcript
September 10 · 39 min
The Culture Wars: Gen Z Takes Over
Penn Station President Lance Vaught and Curion's Thomas Gilbert join Fast Casual Nation to break down how the 40-year-old sandwich brand is winning over Gen Z customers and employees through local authenticity, digital training, AI-driven...
- Transcript
September 1 · 47 min
Why Restaurant Real Estate Is Being Rewritten — And What Operators Need to Know
On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Daniel Ceniceros, Founder & CEO of Connect Media, to unpack how commercial real estate is reshaping the restaurant industry. Daniel breaks down why...
- Transcript
August 25 · 37 min
Dave's Hot Chicken Does Marketing in an AI Age
Dave's Hot Chicken CMO Brandon Rhoten joins Fast Casual Nation to break down how the fast-growing chicken chain uses AI on the back end for customer data and financial analysis while deliberately keeping it out of creative and content production....
- Transcript
August 18 · 51 min
AI Winners in 2026 in Restaurant & Hospitality
Bonchon CEO Suzie Tsai joins Fast Casual Nation hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler to talk candidly about the Korean fried chicken brand's AI journey, from admitting its tech stack needed work to building smarter supply chain forecasting, localized...
- Transcript
August 11 · 37 min
The Secret Strategy Behind L&L Hawaiian Barbecue’s Massive Expansion
What does it take to scale a beloved regional icon into a fast-casual powerhouse with over 240 locations? In this episode, hosts Paul and Cherryh sit down with Elisia Flores, CEO of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, to unpack the strategy, culture, and...
- Transcript
#127
July 30 · 34 min
Mocktails are Winning
On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, host Cherryh Cansler sits down with Kelly O'Rourke, Director of Marketing at FiiZ Drinks, to talk about the explosive growth of the dirty soda category, Gen Z's shift toward non-alcoholic beverages, and what's...
- Transcript
#126
July 21 · 33 min
The "Slutty" Empire: How Pinky Cole Turned a $100M Burger Brand Into a Religion
Slutty Vegan founder and CEO Pinky Cole Hayes joins Fast Casual Nation hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler to share her journey from television producer to restaurant entrepreneur, detailing how she navigated $20 million in debt, bought her company...
- Transcript
#125
July 14 · 1 hr
Winning the Fast-Casual Sandwich Wars
Mendocino Farms CMO Alicia Mowder joins Fast Casual Nation to break down how the fast-casual chain hit its 100th location while staying true to chef-driven quality, elevated hospitality, and a private-equity partnership that hasn't compromised its...
- Transcript
#124
July 7 · 26 min
Growth Strategies: Shared Resources Without Diluting Brand DNA
GoTo Foods CBOs Mike Smith (Moe's Southwest Grill) and Donna Varner (Schlotzsky's) join Fast Casual Nation to discuss how a shared brand platform drives menu innovation, prototype design, loyalty data, and cautious AI adoption without eroding...
- Transcript
#123
June 16 · 52 min
Gamifying the Burrito: The "Rewards on Repeat" Strategy
Chipotle COO Jason Kidd joins Fast Casual Nation hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler to break down how the 4,100-unit brand is winning and retaining the next-generation diner. From the full value equation and menu innovation to AI-powered hiring,...
- Transcript
#122
June 9 · 33 min
The "Anti-Burger" Blueprint: How Teriyaki Madness is Out-Scaling the Giants
In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Jodi Boyce, CMO of Teriyaki Madness, and John Smolen, SVP of Sales at Atmosphere TV, to explore how fast casual brands are evolving beyond burgers and into...
- Transcript
#121
May 26 · 40 min
The "Macro-Centric" Menu: Why 2026 Diners Want Stats, Not Stories
In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, host Paul Barron sits down with Chris Treloar, CEO of PLNT Burger, and Trace Miller, founder of Konala Protein Bowls, to break down what health-forward fast casual actually looks like in 2025 and beyond. From...
- Transcript
#120
May 19 · 36 min
50 Million Views Later: The Brutal Reality of Scaling a "Viral" TikTok Food Trend
In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Peter Yang, co-founder and Head of Development at Pokeworks, to explore how the 85-location poke brand turned a viral social media moment into a disciplined,...
- Transcript
May 5 · 51 min
The Piada Pivot: Can 'Italian Street Food' Save the Fast-Casual Soul
Is fast casual Italian finally having its breakthrough moment? In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Matt Harding, Chief Culinary Officer of The Piada Group, to discuss how the brand has defied the...
- Transcript

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