McDonald’s, Just Salad, and the sandwich segment
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July 2, 2026
McDonald’s has a new chief development officer in the U.S. The fast-food giant has named Bryan Brown its new chief development officer. He takes over for Tabassum Zalotrawala, who recently was named SVP of global restaurant development and restaurant design. Brown was most recently a consultant but spent more than a decade guiding development for the fast-casual chicken chain Raising Cane’s. He is now tasked with helping McDonald’s expand its store count in the U.S.
Just Salad scored a slam dunk this week. The New York-based salad chain has won an equity investment from the Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, who is fresh off the 2026 NBA Championship and was Finals MVP. It’s the first restaurant investment for Brunson, sometimes called Captain Clutch or Big Body Brunson, who said he has long been a fan of the 125-unit chain. It will no doubt be a boost for Just Salad, which is accelerating growth. The chain expects to add 30 restaurants this year, up from 20 that opened in 2025.
Fast-food sandwich chains are losing ground to fast-casual rivals. Sales at quick-service sandwich chains have declined slightly over the past five years, according to data from the Technomic top 1,500. But sales at fast-casual sandwich brands have grown 24.5% over that period. Many chains in the two sectors compete with one another, providing evidence that consumers frustrated with menu price inflation have traded up to brands they consider higher quality. Quick-service sandwich chains, including brands like Subway, Quiznos and Blimpie, frequently operate with lower unit volumes, which makes it tougher for individual restaurants to survive difficult periods, making such brands prone to steep declines.
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About the Authors
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister
Managing Editor
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservice Media, with brands including Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, and Foodservice Director. Leigh Anne works on all of the brands’ special reports, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Technomic Top 500 report. She also manages the group’s digital engagement team.
Leigh Anne lives in New York City, but also claims Phoenix, Dallas and Cleveland as hometowns. Leigh Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she also studied European history.
Email Leigh Anne at [email protected]
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister’s experience:
Group Managing Editor, Foodservice Media (June 2026-present)
Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-June 2026)
Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)
Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)
Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)
Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)
Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)
Group Managing Editor, Foodservice Media (June 2026-present)
Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-June 2026)
Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)
Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)
Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)
Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)
Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)
Lisa Jennings
Executive Editor, Restaurant Business
Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts. Her experience includes other industry publications as well as the daily newspaper The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., where she was Food Editor. Her work has been cited in the Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, FoodBeast, The Huffington Post, Time.com and more.
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