Future 50: Emerging Brands
Restaurant Business magazine's annual ranking of the fastest-growing small chains in America
Future 50: Emerging Brands
Jimmy's Egg
In a midscale market that’s hot and cold, this breakfast-and-lunch-only concept in the Midwest has continued to expand with new restaurants. In fact, it...
Future 50: Emerging Brands
Wokcano Asian Restaurant & Lounge
The flagship of the growing Zao Brands group, Wokcano serves up a broad array of Pan-Asian dishes. Aiming to offer something for everyone, its menu features sushi, small plates and happy hour specials...
Straw Hat has long held to its original family-friendly, community-focused, California pizza concept. It’s a strategy that’s served the company well, especially during the recession, says president Jonathan Fornaci, who was brought on in 2006 to kick start growth. He’s taking Straw Hat outside of its West Coast territory to expand nationally and internationally. Within two years, it should reach 150 units and will likely go public within two to three years.
How often does a menu look like the restaurant’s specialty? At Macado’s, the signature items are overstuffed deli sandwiches, and the menu—overstuffed with dozens of sandwiches, salads, quesadillas, nachos, wings and more—conjures them up. A new unit opened in Bristol, Tennessee and more are planned in Staunton and Harrisonburg, Virginia.