Fast Casual Nation: Best Of 2016

Fast Casual Nation acts as your guide as to what makes a successful fast casual concept. Always on the go, today’s consumer is looking for high-quality meals — with just as much speed. This year, we got the chance to see some fast casuals that have found their groove within the segment. Here are Foodable's "Best of" episodes for Fast Casual Nation in 2016.

Spring Chicken

Spring Chicken translates the cuisine of its full-service counterpart, Yard Bird, to a more approachable menu for the fast-casual segment. John Kunkel, CEO of parent company 50 Eggs, explains how they are constantly impressing their customers from serving fresh, quality comfort food to making all their dishes from scratch. Their unique pairing of fresh, minty watermelon and crispy fried chicken has really resonated with their customers.

Marination Ma Kai

A lack of food trucks in Seattle led founders, Roz Edison and Kamala Saxton, to create their own modeled after Roy Choi‘s food truck, Kogi. After only a year-and-a-half on the streets, Ma Kai grew such a following that they decided to open their first brick-and-mortar with the same “Everyday Aloha” motto. Now with five different Marination locations and their original food truck, customers all over Seattle are biting into Hawaiian-Korean fusion dishes, like kimchi fried rice and a spam musubi.

Cava Grill

Cava Grill takes traditional Greek and Mediterranean cuisine and serves it up with a variety of customizable toppings to the modern consumer. The chef-driven fast casual focuses in on community to foster sustainable growth. Creating strong relationships, not only with their consumers but with their producers, Cava Grill has a loyal following. But nothing is more important to the fast-casual champion than their tasty cuisines, such as their spicy lamb meatballs and warm, fresh pitas.

Keep an eye out for all of this year's "Best of" episodes to learn more about which industry professionals changed the game in 2016!