Nominations close Feb. 1
For many, December signals the start of holiday shopping and wrapping, but at FastCasual, it’s nomination season for the annual Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers. As always, the Top 100 recognizes the top 75 brands as well as 25 executives leading the fast casual restaurant industry, recognizing growth and sales accomplishments and honoring menu trendsetters as well as brands incorporating technology to enhance the customer experience.
How it works
Brands will nominate themselves here by answering a few questions about their businesses in order to help judges narrow down the list. The second set of questions will ask people to nominate the executives they believe best represent the industry. People may nominate themselves or their colleagues.
Nominations will close Feb. 1, and the results will be revealed at an annual awards gala in May in Chicago coinciding with the National Restaurant Association show.
Last year’s winner was Wow Bao, a Chicago-based fast casual brand that showed its innovation by developing a business model that allowed other brands to incorporate its menu into their kitchens. Wow Bao is also the first and only brand to take the top honors more than once, winning in 2019. Other past winners include Sweetgreen, Freshii, Smashburger, Dickey’s Barbecue, Panera Bread and Fazoli’s.
Maybe your brand will be next!
Click here to nominate a brand and/or executive.
Cherryh Cansler is VP of Editorial for Networld Media Group and senior editor of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.