FastCasual.com, the daily news and information portal devoted to the $28 billion fast casual restaurant industry segment, has just released its seventh annual Top 100 Movers & Shakers report. The 2012 report ranks the top 50 concepts, 20 people, 10 menu trends and 10 technology trends in the fast-growing restaurant industry segment.
Report highlights:
- Smashburger is the top concept and the company’s president Dave Prokupek takes the number one spot among people driving the greatest innovation and growth in the fast casual segment.
- Leading menu trends include: gluten-free foods, banh mi sandwiches, and back-to-scratch cooking.
- And Coca-Cola’s Freestyle beverage dispenser takes top spot among fast casual technology trends.
“This year’s Top 100 takes a 360-degree view of the concepts, people and trends shaping the fast casual segment of the restaurant industry,” said Valerie Killifer, senior editor of FastCasual.com. “We could not be happier with the rankings as they are a true reflection of what makes the fast casual segment unique. We look forward to hearing from many of these brands and people at our 2012 Fast Casual Executive Summit as we continue to help operators run their businesses better.”
This year’s Fast Casual Executive Summit will convene on October 21-23 at The US Grant Hotel in San Diego. The exclusive event, reserved for top-level fast casual executives, will feature keynotes by futurist David Houle, who helped to launch MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1 and CNN Headline News; Jim Sullivan, CEO of Sullivision.com and former brand builder for such companies as the Walt Disney Company, Starbucks, Chipotle and Apple Retail; and Denise Lee Yohn, who has been helping such brands as Jack in the Box, Jamba Juice and Elevation Burger to position their brands for more than 20 years.
ABOUT FASTCASUAL.COM
Since 1997, FastCasual.com has reported on news, events, trends and people in the $28 billion fast casual restaurant industry segment. With a core editorial mission of helping fast casual restaurant executives to operate profitably while also delivering outstanding customer experiences, FastCasual.com covers all of the latest innovations in food & beverage, restaurant technology & equipment, restaurant design & layout, operations management, staffing & training, food safety, health & nutrition, and much more.
ABOUT NETWORLD MEDIA GROUP
Networld Media Group is a leading business-to-business (B2B) media communications company specializing digital media, associations and events in the mobile, self-service, digital signage, retail, food service and financial services industries. Media properties published by Networld Media Group include: ATMmarketplace.com, DigitalSignageToday.com, FastCasual.com, KioskMarketplace.com, PizzaMarketplace.com, QSRweb.com, RetailCustomerExperience.com, SelfServiceWorld.com and ChurchCentral.com.
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