More than 240 quick service executives graced the festivity to discover their standings.
Acquired by Shaquille O’Neal, Large Chicken had many reasons to rejoice on Sunday as it garnered the top accolades at the Quick Service Top 100 Influencers & Innovators awards celebration in Chicago at the LondonHouse.
Josh Halpern, CEO, received the recognition for the 40-unit label, which was established in 2018 and has over 340 sites in progress.
The franchise is also aiming to be the pioneer restaurant in space, forming an alliance last year with Blue Origin, established by Jeff Bezos, to craft an educational program that motivates upcoming generations about careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The educational schemes encouraged students to think innovatively about what a fresh menu item might resemble in space. Patrons in-store brought their finalized postcards to the Large Chicken checkout to acquire a complimentary child’s sundae. In the latest New Shepard expedition, Blue Origin carried these postcards, labeled them “flown to space,” and returned them to the creators.
“2023 marked a momentous year for Large Chicken,” noted Halpern, who was part of this year’s roster of Top 25 Quick Service Executives, also declared at the celebration. “We augmented our operating units from 10 to 28, making appearances in terminals, gambling establishments, sports arenas, cruise liners, and even our initial corporate headquarters. Furthermore, we are extremely thrilled to keep establishing partnerships with remarkable enterprises such as Amazon, Blue Origin, Hyperlocology, Opus Training, Marqii, Ovation, and numerous others in the upcoming year. Our franchisees have already sealed over 20 leases for 2024, and we are scheduled to explore at least two new global markets before the year concludes. There is already so much to rejoice about, but none of it would have been conceivable without our outstanding team members and franchisees.”
The era of the poultry
Large Chicken, who was in third place in last year’s ranking, was not the solitary poultry brand that seized attention. In actuality, Dave’s Hot Chicken, which secured top recognition in 2023, secured the second spot, while the Georgia-based Chicken Salad Chick concluded the top three, establishing that poultry brands are more popular than ever, proclaimed Cherryh Cansler, editor of FastCasual.com and co-emcee of the celebration. Alexis Marrero, senior account executive at Loop, joined Cansler on stage as co-emcee.
“These brands are back in the top three this year, verifying that they are deeply committed to the quick service industry,” she stated. “We are eager to witness their endeavors in the coming year but will be observant to see if another food genre emerges as the industry frontrunner.”
Ingeniousness, flexibility, and ingenuity
Earning a place on the Top 100 listing entails substantial effort, and every brand that clinched the recognition possesses a few common traits: Innovation, flexibility, and ingenuity. These three aspects were principal considerations as the judges evaluated the many nominations submitted over an eight-week period. After prolonged deliberations, the panel settled on 75 brands and 25 executives to complete the 2024 Quick Service Top 100 Influencers & Innovators listing.
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| Stacey Kane and Zack Oates receive their Most Stylish awards at the Top 100 celebration. |
FastCasual also granted four “distinct awards” at the celebration in partnership with a few suppliers. They included:
- Most Admired Delivery Brand in conjunction with Loop: Nekter Juice Bar
- Distinction in Customer Experience in partnership with Ovation: Taziki’s Mediterranean Café
- Top Kiosk Experience in collaboration with Bite: Original ChopShop
- 2024 Third-Party Operational Excellency Award teamed up with SuperOrder: L&L Hawaiian BBQ
Who Flaunted it Best?
Gala attendees also cast their votes for the best-dressed individuals, with Stacey Kane, interim CMO, and Zack Oates, creator of Ovation, clinching the top accolades.
