Fast Casual Nation Rises

The longest running podcast and research team in Fast Casual now in a focused newsletter and Substack!

After over 25 years of study of this sector, we begin a new era for Fast Casual Nation; what was once just a podcast and documentary will now become its own media platform featuring more deep-dive research and insight in our Fast Casual Power Index plus insider analysis from the Fast Casual OG himself - Paul Barron. As the top industry analyst on Fast Casual and the founder of FastCasual.com, he is often credited with popularizing and coining the term "fast casual" and helping to define the category.

Barron, who founded FastCasual.com in 1996, helped to popularize the term by using it to describe a growing segment of the restaurant industry that was focused on providing high-quality food and a more upscale dining experience than traditional fast food restaurants. He also created the Fast Casual Executive Summit and formed the now NRA-backed Fast Casual Industry Council.

He also used the term to describe the business model of these restaurants, which typically offered limited service and focused on speed and convenience. Today, the term "fast casual" is widely recognized as a distinct category within the restaurant industry, and it continues to grow in popularity among consumers and operators alike.

Wrote The Book

"The Chipotle Effect: The Changing Landscape of the American Social Consumer and How Fast Casual is Impacting the Future of Restaurants" by Paul Barron is a well-regarded book on the fast-casual restaurant category. In the book, Barron analyzes the fast-casual restaurant segment, including its history, growth, and impact on the broader restaurant industry.

Barron draws on his extensive experience in the restaurant industry to provide insights into the key trends and drivers that have fueled the success of fast-casual restaurants like Chipotle. He also explores the industry's challenges and strategies that successful operators have used to overcome them.

In 2010 "The Chipotle Effect" became a valuable resource for anyone interested in the fast-casual restaurant category, whether you are an industry professional or simply a curious consumer. It provides a comprehensive overview of the industry and offers valuable insights into the factors that have made fast casual such a popular and successful restaurant category.

ORDER THE BOOK

The Documentary

The documentary "Fast Casual Nation" explores the rise of the fast-casual restaurant segment and its impact on the broader restaurant industry. Produced and hosted by Paul Barron, the founder of FastCasual.com, the documentary provides an in-depth look at the key trends and drivers that have fueled the success of fast-casual restaurants.

One of the central values of the documentary is that it offers a comprehensive overview of the fast-casual restaurant category, including its history, growth, and current state. By drawing on insights from industry experts and successful operators, the documentary provides valuable insights into the factors that have made fast casual such a popular and successful restaurant category.

To VIEW USE PASSCODE: therealfastcasual

The Future

Now we begin a new journey of decentralized media, which we think is the future of how media and information will be used and consumed by the next generation of entrepreneurs with a combination of discoverable content on Substack, Podcast Platforms, Video, Social Media, and Email. This new property is the vision of where we have been pushing for a very long time, only now the technology and the demographics have come of age. Join the Fast Casual Nation~