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Emerging Brands

New brands and soon-to-open concepts worth watching

Emerging Brands

This New Jersey startup wants to disrupt the ice cream truck business

 By Joe Guszkowski on May 15, 2025

Scream Truck allows customers to summon its ice cream trucks via text. The high-tech concept plans to expand nationwide, and into other cuisines like pizza.

Emerging Brands

Forget being the next Chipotle. Koushik Koganti wants dosas to be the next pizza

 By Lisa Jennings on May 13, 2025

The co-founder and CEO of Madras Dosa Co. sees the crepe-like pancakes as the vehicle that could capture the fast-casual flag for Indian cuisine.

Emerging Brands

In challenged food-and-games segment, pickleball offers hope

By Lisa Jennings on May 06, 2025

Buzzworthy Brands: With investors that include Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Chicken N Pickle is juicing the social dining niche with a low-tech focus on community.

Emerging Brands

Currito finds its groove, 20 years in

By Lisa Jennings on Apr. 22, 2025

The healthful, fast-casual concept has struck a chord as a franchise brand that plays in the same space as non-franchised Cava, Sweetgreen and Chipotle.

Emerging Brands

Buona Chicago Italian Beef to get franchising rolling by dual branding with Rainbow Cone

By Lisa Jennings on Apr. 21, 2025

The two iconic Chicago area brands are growing in pairs. The Original Rainbow Cone is already franchising, but the first franchised Buona units are scheduled to open this year as dual-branded locations.

Emerging Brands

Topgolf and Puttshack founders to launch new concept bringing tech to the game of pool

By Lisa Jennings on Apr. 14, 2025

Investors across the food-and-games segment have raised $34 million to create the new Poolhouse. It will open first in the U.K. and is scheduled to debut in the U.S. next year.

Emerging Brands

Forget Ozempic. In the U.S., there's a bakery boom

By Lisa Jennings on Apr. 11, 2025

It's a good time for artisan croissants, pan dulce and bombolone. Bakery concepts big and small see plenty of opportunity for growth.

Emerging Brands

Crisp & Green buys out franchise units and opts for a mostly company-run model

By Lisa Jennings on Apr. 10, 2025

The fast-casual salad chain is still franchising. But founder Steele Smiley wanted to regain brand consistency and operational control.

Emerging Brands

SeoulSpice is fast-casual gateway to Korean culture

By Lisa Jennings on Apr. 09, 2025

South Korean flavors have been trending for years. This fast-casual concept brings from-scratch authenticity and private-equity backing to the race in an attempt to create a nation of "Seoulmates."

Emerging Brands

The owner of Cinnabon creates its first original concept (sort of)

By Lisa Jennings on Apr. 08, 2025

The multi-brand franchisor GoTo Foods will launch its long-awaited Cinnabon Swirl concept next month, bringing together sister brands Cinnabon and Carvel with a menu of its own.

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