TL;DR
Mendocino Farms has hit its 100th location while staying true to its chef-driven quality and elevated hospitality, thanks in part to a private-equity partnership. The chain's CMO, Alicia Mowder, discusses its strategies, including its sandwich-versus-salad menu and intentional slow adoption of kiosks and AI ordering tech.
Test Link CONTINUE TO SITE » or wait 15 seconds Operations How Mendocino Farms is winning the 'Sandwich Wars' Mendocino Farms CMO Alicia Mowder joins Fast Casual Nation to break down how the fast-casual chain hit its 100th location while staying true to chef-driven quality, elevated hospitality, and a private-equity partnership that hasn't compromised its brand. presented by [](
com/companies/loopai/media/) July 16, 2026 Winning the Fast-Casual Sandwich Wars - Fast Casual Nation Restaurant Podcast | Spotify Play on Spotify Winning the Fast-Casual Sandwich Wars Jul 14· Fast Casual Nation Restaurant Podcast Save on Spotify Change progress -0:00:001:00:14 Something went wrong - Play on Spotify - Follow on Spotify - Copy link Privacy Policy· Terms & Conditions Mendocino Farms CMO Alicia Mowder joins Fast Casual Nation to break down how the fast-casual chain hit its 100th location while staying true to chef-driven quality, elevated hospitality and a private-equity partnership that hasn't compromised its brand. Hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler dig into the brand's sandwich-versus-salad menu strategy, its guest-survey feedback loop, catering trends and why the chain is intentionally slow-walking kiosks and AI ordering tech. The episode closes with Loop AI's Casey Hilder unpacking how restaurant operators can separate real AI value from industry hype.
Winning the Fast-Casual Sandwich Wars - YouTube Tap to unmute Winning the Fast-Casual Sandwich Wars Savorfm Savorfm488K subscribers Business Strategy and Profitability Operations LoopAI FastCasual.com Mendocino Farms Related Media Podcast\ \ From kitchens to tech hubs: Inside fast casual’s digital revolution\ \ Presented by LoopAI Podcast\ \ How Dig Inn maintains quality at scale: A CMO's Guide to brand, loyalty, AI\ \ Presented by LoopAI Podcast\ \ Fast casual's global growth, innovation, labor shifts: A deep dive\ \ Presented by LoopAI Podcast\ \ Fast casual tech trends: Roam, DoorDash leaders share predictions\ \ Presented by LoopAI Podcast\ \ Multi-brand mastery meets AI innovation: Inside Conscious Hospitality Group's growth strategy\ \ Presented by LoopAI Podcast\ \ The 'anti-burger' blueprint: How Teriyaki Madness is out-scaling the giants\ \ Presented by LoopAI ©2026 Connect Media,
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This story was originally published in FastCasual on July 16, 2026. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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