Restaurant Advertising Workshop
February 23, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
Calling all restaurant advertising and marketing visionaries!
If you happen to’ve spent the final 12 months obsessing over visitor information, crafting viral social moments, or constructing the form of model loyalty that retains followers coming again for “only one extra” particular burger or fancy salad, it is time to step into the highlight.
I’m past thrilled to announce that nominations are formally open for our second annual High 30 Movers & Shakers: Restaurant Advertising.
Final 12 months’s inaugural record set the bar excessive, however in 2026, the restaurant panorama is extra data-rich and inventive than ever. We’re on the lookout for the trailblazers who’re redefining what it means to “Eat Glad.”
Are you a Advertising Mover & Shaker?
We aren’t on the lookout for businesses or corporations — this award is a “brand-side” celebration. To be eligible, you need to work immediately for a restaurant model. We need to honor the people driving gross sales from the within, leveraging groundbreaking tech and forging these deep, significant connections that flip informal diners into model evangelists.
The highway to Boston: The way it works
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| Cherryh Cansler, writer of FastCasual, and Founderology founder Kathleen Wooden, welcome one of many 2025 winners, Tom Carr, to the stage through the awards parade in Indianapolis. WMBA mascot Freddy cheers him on. |
We have designed a course of that mixes editorial experience with the facility of the individuals:
- Nominate (Now-March 2): Inform us why you (or a peer) belong on this record. What was your “Scorching Idea” second this 12 months? How did you push the boundaries of creativity?
- The Shortlist (March 9): Our editorial board will slim down the sector and submit the finalists.
- The Final Buzz Check (March 9- March 13): That is the place your advertising and marketing chops actually matter. We’ll open it as much as a spherical of limitless voting. It is time to see who can generate essentially the most buzz and rally their neighborhood!
- The Large Reveal (June 2-3): The 30 entrepreneurs with essentially the most votes shall be topped and celebrated in individual throughout an unique awards ceremony on the Restaurant Advertising Workshop in Boston.
Why you’ll want to be in Boston
The winners shall be honored throughout an awards parade on the Restaurant Advertising Workshop this June. This is not simply an awards present; it is an immersive “playbook” occasion. We’ll be gathering on the Toast Headquarters within the coronary heart of Boston’s Seaport District to dive into all the things from AI-driven GEO (Generative Expertise Optimization) to the “fourth dimension” of experiential eating.
Whether or not you are scaling an rising model or steering a legacy favourite, that is your likelihood to encourage the subsequent technology of entrepreneurs and present the trade what you are made from.
Do not wait — nominations shut March 2! Let’s rejoice the individuals who make this trade so vibrant, scrumptious and melty.
Click on right here to submit your nomination and be part of the motion!
About Cherryh Cansler
