Cheetie Kumar, chef-owner of Ajja in Raleigh, N.C., a 2024 James Beard Foundation nominee for Best New Restaurant, sees conversations around food and foodways evolving rapidly. Those conversations, she says, go hand-in-hand with diversity and inclusion.
A few trends continue to remain popular, but flexibility and community are driving a lot of design decisions, per a restaurant development + design pulse survey.
Achieving the 100-site milestone requires businesses to master essential principles and processes to support an extensive network of units. Those that reach the 100-club show that they have achieved scalability and have more room to grow.
