What happens when the fast-casual restaurant industry doubles in size over a decade? It stops just serving food and starts operating like a high-tech powerhouse.

In the latest episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, Cherryh Cansler, publisher of FastCasual.com, sits down with Luke Wilwerding, Vice President of North America Sales at Elo Touch Solutions, to unpack the highly anticipated FastCasual Top 100 Movers & Shakers list. With forward-thinking brands like CAVA leading the charge, the conversation centers on an undeniable truth: tomorrow's industry leaders are winning through intelligent automation and sharp data strategies.

"Restaurants are becoming a data center that serves food," Wilwerding said, emphasizing that surviving the next decade requires operators to truly get their arms around their customer data.

From the blockbuster acquisition of Elo by Zebra Technologies to the deployment of AI-native platforms, this episode offers a masterclass in modern restaurant evolution. Cansler and Wilwerding dive deep into the practicalities of tech adoption for brands of all sizes, tackling the industry's burning questions:

• Where should an operator spend their very first AI dollar?
• Will conversational AI replace the human element, or are we moving toward a "beautiful orchestra of voice and touch"?
• How is Gen Z transforming self-service into a personalization tool?

Whether you are curious about predicting demand or optimizing labor through smart kitchen displays, this episode is your blueprint for the future of hospitality.

Listen to the full episode now on FastCasual.com

Crafting a solid real estate strategy is obviously central to growing any restaurant brand, but there those plans differ dramatically depending on the brand, a lesson I learned firsthand during a podcast during ICSC in Las Vegas.

I sat down with Dannon Shiff, VP of Real Estate for Dave's Hot Chicken, and Abe Nasrallah, SVP of Real Estate at Wonder, to discuss how shifting consumer behavior, off-premise dining and changing market dynamics are shaping site selection.

Wondering about growth

Wonder, launched in 2021, has grown from a food truck concept to more than 120 locations. The company operates a multi-brand model, offering dozens of restaurant concepts under one roof, with roughly half of sales from delivery and half from in-person dining.

Nasrallah told me that Wonder designs sites for two uses: Quick pickup and in-person discovery. Urban locations prioritize high visibility and foot traffic, while suburban sites focus on grocery-anchored centers with strong access and visibility.

Wonder is targeting Texas as its next major growth market, planning about 100 locations across Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston Austin and San Antonio. Long term, the company estimates it could expand to 4,000 to 5,000 locations nationwide.

The Dave's real estate plan

Dave's Hot Chicken, meanwhile, has grown from a 2017 parking lot pop-up to more than 430 locations worldwide.

Shiff said the brand has sold franchise rights in all 50 states and multiple international markets, with further global expansion planned, while also testing nontraditional formats such as airports and food courts, including a recent opening in a New York City food court.

Delivery and off-premise dining have changed site-selection models, with decisions increasingly driven by customer data rather than traditional trade areas. About one-third of sales come from third-party delivery, while most customers still dine in.

To hear more details on both brand's strategies, check out the podcast.

How does an independent pizza brand with zero initial restaurant experience scale to seven — and soon nine — locations while going head-to-head with venture-backed national chains?

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, sits down with Enga Stanfield, co-owner of Texas-based Mattenga's Pizzeria, to uncover the tech stack driving their massive success. Stanfield shared how shifting from a grueling, hands-on survival mode to a tech-forward strategy completely changed the game, specifically highlighting their tech partnership with Owner.com.

Discover how automated SEO, frictionless custom-branded apps featuring 8-second reordering and rapid text-based customer feedback loops helped Mattenga's capture passive local sales and maintain a steady 10% to 15% growth rate — proving that independent operators don't just have to survive against the big chains, they can out-innovate them.

Stanfield said her favorite part of Owner.com is the reviews segment of the software. "Those reviews and those rankings, those are forever," she said. Her team responds to negative reviews quickly, but all of her restaurants have a 4.5 ranking or better.

To learn more about how Owner.com is aiding restaurants compete in today's market listen to the podcast in its entirety.