LOUISVILLE, Ky. - NetWorld Alliance announced in a news release the launch of Fast Casual magazine and the relaunch of fastcasual.com.

The fast casual restaurant segment has been the most rapidly growing segment of the $400 billion restaurant market for the past several years. Fastcasual.com has remained the longest-running news tracking group of the fast casual market since 2000 and now expands its media coverage with the launch of Fast Casual magazine.

Many analysts view the fast casual market as the next evolution in the fast services segment of the restaurant industry. As the quick-service restaurant industry faces new consumer challenges, the morphing of the restaurant industry is in full stride. Paul Barron, restaurant innovator and publisher of Fast Casual magazine, identified the trend in the late 1990s and began tracking its momentum with industry-leading coverage on the flourishing market and the development of fastcasual.com.

"Over the past seven years there has been strategic concept development in the restaurant industry, which is propelled by a new age of consumer demand. When you consider the growth of the fast casual restaurant market, it parallels the savvy growth of the online and empowered consumer in many ways," Barron said. Icon brands like Starbucks, Panera, Chipotle, Qdoba, Pei Wei and Cold Stone have proven that consumers are expanding their expectations of the fast services sector of restaurants.

Fast Casual magazine is the only dedicated source focused on the transformation of the fast services restaurant in the iPod era. "Ten years ago, brand-building was a slow and tedious process. Today, like many Internet and tech companies, fast casual concepts can embed themselves into the mainstream consumer radar in just a few short years," Barron said. "They offer a blend of menu, quality, experience and price not available previously in the restaurant industry. Consumers have created an unparalleled demand for fast casual restaurants."

Barron has several compelling reasons why fast casual is so important in the development of the restaurant industry, which he refers to as "the emergence of channel mixing." Consider these facts: Quick service is in a state of flux as it continues to build new menus and new concepts and improve the in-store ambiance at a record pace. The casual dining sector discovered something very unique in `98 and '99 - takeout convenience.

The move to takeout convenience has contributed to large incremental sales numbers based on the out-of-restaurant experience. A domino effect began as major chains such as Outback, Chili's, Ruby Tuesday, Applebee's and many more offered curbside to-go service. The convenience factor has now spanned across three major segments of the restaurant industry with fast casual blending the best of both markets and holding the position in the middle.

Quick service is ramping up to fast casual offerings, and casual dining is blending convenience with their offering, which is literally … fast casual. Growth of the fast casual segment is expected to exceed $70 billion in 2006 with contribution from more than 150 key brands.

In addition to Fast Casual magazine and fastcasual.com, the NetWorld Alliance food service media division also consists of PizzaMarketplace.com, QSRweb.com, the Pizzeria Operators Summary and the Quick Service Restaurant Report. NetWorld Alliance also publishes Self-Service World magazine, KioskMarketplace.com, ATMmarketplace.com and an array of self-service business publications. NetWorld is also the founder of the Self-Service & Kiosk Association and the operator of The Self-Service & Kiosk Show.