As part of its commitment to spotlighting up-and-coming fast casual brands, FastCasual is hosting its ninth annual Perfect Pitch contest Oct. 8 and is accepting nominations until June 30, said FastCasual Editor Cherryh Cansler. (Nominate your brand here.)
“We’ll choose five brands to pitch their concepts to potential investors and franchisees during our annual Fast Casual Executive Summit, Oct. 9-10 in Charlotte. It’s a lot like ‘Shark Tank’ but nicer. After hearing short pitches from each brand, attendees will vote for the winner, who receives bragging rights, a $3,500 cash prize and one year of free service from Ovation, a guest feedback platform,” said Cansler.
A panel of advisers will also quiz each contestant as well as offer advice.
For a chance to be one of the five finalists chosen to pitch their concepts, fast casual brands must nominate themselves here by June 30 and meet the following three guidelines:
- Have at least one store open but no more than 10.
- Must be no less than 6 months old and no more than 5 years old.
- Share revenue and average sales data.
By Aug.15, FastCasual will notify the five finalists, who will receive two free passes to attend this year’s summit. Finalists must cover their own costs for travel and accommodations.
“It’s important to us as publishers to help the people from the industries we cover to connect with one another,” said Kathy Doyle, CEO of Networld Media Group, the parent company of FastCasual. “We strongly believe those attending the Perfect Pitch will have the first chance to see and even invest in tomorrow’s fast casual leaders.”
Last year’s Perfect Pitch winner was Flake Pie Co., and Wichita-based Chick N Max took top honors in 2021. Louisville, Kentucky-based Biscuit Belly and Royals Hot Chicken won in 2020 and 2019, respectively, and the 2018 winner was GoPoke, a Seattle-based fast casual serving Hawaiian poke and desserts. Street Shak Caribbean Kitchen of Toronto won in 2017; Los Angeles-based Rockfire Grill won in 2016, and the 2015 (inaugural) winner was Pincho, based in Miami.
About Networld Media Group
Founded in 2000, Networld Media Group is a leading business-to-business (B2B) media communications company specializing in digital media, associations and events in the tech, banking, retail, and food service industries. Online business sites include ATMmarketplace.com, AutomationandSelfService.com, DigitalSignageToday.com, FastCasual.com, KioskMarketplace.com, FoodTruckOperator.com, QSRweb.com, PizzaMarketplace.com, RetailCustomerExperience.com, VendingTimes.com and BiblicalLeadership.com. Annual events include the Fast Casual Executive Summit, the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit, the Bank Customer Experience Summit (BCX), the Interactive Customer Experience Summit (ICX) and the Self-Service Innovation Summit. Annual executive events also include The Fast Casual Top 100 and Pizza Top 100 Award Galas.
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