Meet the 6 brands taking the stage at the 2026 Perfect Pitch

September 18, 2026

Fast Casual Executive Summit

Bronx Burger Co., Dizzy Bird, PLOMO Quesadillas, Griller Bros, Redhead Burger and Tiki Bagel will compete in the 2026 competition.

Photo: Connect

September 18, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Six emerging restaurant brands. Three rounds. One winner.

That’s the setup for this year’s Perfect Pitch at the Fast Casual Executive Summit, Oct. 4-6 in Arlington, Texas.

Now in its 12th year, the Perfect Pitch gives emerging fast casual brands a chance to put their concepts in front of restaurant executives, investors and industry advisers — and, perhaps more importantly, an audience that understands what it takes to turn a good restaurant idea into a scalable business.

The six finalists come from very different corners of the restaurant world, from halal smash burgers and rotisserie chicken to quesadillas, flame-grilled food and Hawaiian-inspired bagel sandwiches.

Here’s a look at the brands that will be taking the stage.

Bronx Burger Co.

Omar Bah, managing partner, Bronx Burger Co.

Based in: The Bronx, New York
Locations: Four
Concept: Halal smash burgers

Bronx Burger Co. is bringing a New York take on one of fast casual’s hottest categories: the smash burger.

The brand specializes in halal smash burgers, using a brisket-and-chuck blend that’s smashed for crispy edges and a juicy center. The menu includes the Bx Cheeseburger, Jalapeno Smash, Boogie Down Bacon Cheeseburger and Caramelized Onions Burger, along with loaded and specialty fries.

The brand has four locations across the Bronx and Manhattan, including units inside food halls and a Food Bazaar supermarket. That mix of traditional and nontraditional locations makes its growth story particularly interesting.

Pitching: Omar Bah, managing partner
“Bronx Burger Co. should win because we have already proven that the concept works,” Bah said in an interview with FastCasual. “We started at street fairs in 2018, grew into four locations doing approximately $3.5 million in annual sales, and recently signed a lease for our fifth location. We built this brand from the ground up, created jobs, and continued investing in the communities we serve. Winning would help us successfully open our fifth location, strengthen the foundation of the company, create more opportunities, and take a brand born in the Bronx to the next level.”

Dizzy Bird

Based in: Southern California
Locations: Two
Concept: Rotisserie chicken

Dizzy Bird is betting on something pretty straightforward: chicken cooked really well.

The Mission Viejo, California-based brand describes itself as a neighborhood rotisserie chicken shop, built around spatchcocked birds that are marinated for 24 hours with garlic, lemon, herbs and a house spice blend before being slow-roasted. The birds are halal certified, and the menu also includes char-grilled wraps and other chicken-focused dishes.

Rashad Moumneh, founder, Dizzy Bird

Dizzy Bird currently has two locations — one at Irvine Spectrum and another at the Shops at Mission Viejo.

It’s a concept that takes a familiar protein and builds the brand around preparation, flavor and a focused menu rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

Pitching: Rashad Moumneh, founder

“Our early success is compelling and a strong signal of the brand’s long term potential. Our two restaurants are projected to do close to $8M in 2026. With our Irvine store averaging close to $4500 / square feet and leading all the popular national brands neighboring it,” Moumneh said. “Our Mission Viejo Store is in a food court and is the top selling brand there. Both stores combined are growing at approximately 55% YOY.

“Dizzy Bird offers something distinctive: crave-able fire-grilled rotisserie chicken, that delivers real satisfaction but also allows customers to feel good about what they eat, becoming a regular habit for many. ‘Spun Not Fried’ our moto is a symbol to the clear contrast we offer.

America does not need another fried chicken brand. It needs is a craveable rotisserie chicken brand that hits on many customer needs states such as an easy family dinner, a quality quick lunch, or a protein forward meal and that allow it to become a regular habit.

PLOMO Quesadillas

Omar Kasim, founder, Plomo

Based in: Fayetteville, Arkansas
Locations: Three
Concept: Quesadillas

PLOMO Quesadillas has built an entire restaurant concept around something most restaurants treat as a menu item: the quesadilla.

The brand has three locations across Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Dallas, Texas, serving specialty and classic quesadillas made in a scratch kitchen. Each comes with four slices, pico de gallo and a choice of signature crema. And then there’s the option to “Make it Dirty” — adding a crispy cheese crust to the outside.

Founder Omar Kasim originally got the idea after noticing how well a chicken quesadilla sold at another restaurant he operated. What started as a late-night experiment eventually became its own concept. PLOMO has since expanded beyond its Fayetteville roots into Dallas and is positioning itself as a late-night destination as much as a quesadilla shop.

Pitching: Omar Kasim, founder, and Brooke Perry, fractional CMO
“I’d like to learn what strategic hires I should consider and at what stage of growth, Kasim said. “Advisers have certainly seen the challenge of balancing preparation for growth with preventing corporate overhead from dragging down profitability, and they can assist with this.

“When guests enter our business, it’s apparent to them that PLOMO is something special. We truly believe we serve the best Quesadillas on the planet and our guests do too. That belief has led me to make it my

Brooke Perry, CMO, Plomo

mission to build a scalable business with staying power. There’s a saying: ‘You cannot beat someone who will never quit.’ From overcoming a hostile takeover early in my career to growing a business during the COVID era, my founder journey has demonstrated that I am someone worth betting on to persevere through any obstacle.

Griller Bros

Based in: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Locations: One, with a second under construction
Concept: Flame-grilled chicken and global grill cuisine

Griller Bros is the international wild card in this year’s Perfect Pitch lineup — and the only finalist coming to Arlington from out of the U.S.

The brand was founded by three brothers and a group of culinary professionals and is built around open-flame cooking, with chicken, peri-peri flavors and steak-inspired dishes at the center of the menu. The concept draws inspiration from grill traditions across Asia, Africa and the Americas rather than trying to fit into one specific cuisine category.

Its flagship location is in Purbachal, Dhaka, while construction is underway on a second location along the Padma River in Dohar. The founders are targeting five stores by the end of 2027 and are looking toward franchising and outside investment as they grow.

Mohammad (Iqbal) Istiaq, co-founder, Griller Bros

In other words, Griller Bros isn’t just pitching a restaurant. It’s pitching what a Bangladeshi fast casual brand could look like on a much bigger stage.

Pitching: Mohammad (Iqbal) Istiaq
“We believe Griller Bros represents more than a restaurant concept,” Istiaq said. “We are building a Bangladesh-born charcoal-grilled QSR/ Fast Casual brand with a clear vision for scalable growth. We have already validated our first outlet, developed our operating systems and franchise model, and are now moving toward multi-unit expansion.

“Winning would give us the opportunity to take Griller Bros to the next level—with the right strategic partners, international expertise and industry connections. More importantly, it would give the world a chance to discover that a great QSR/Fast Casual brand can come from Bangladesh and have ambitions far beyond its home market.”

Redhead Burger

Based in: Miami Beach, Florida
Locations: Three
Concept: Smash burgers and American comfort food

Redhead Burger started on Miami Beach in 2019 and has since expanded to three locations spanning Miami Beach, Doral and Las Vegas.

Sammy Mounayyer and Christian Mounayyer, co-founders, Redhead Burger

The menu is built around indulgent American comfort food, with smash burgers, fresh-cut fries, tater tots, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and milkshakes. Its signature Redhead Burger is a triple house-blend burger with triple American cheese, caramelized onions, pickles and Redhead sauce. There’s also a Hangover Burger topped with an egg, tater tots and bacon.

The brand’s move into Las Vegas is particularly notable. In May, Redhead opened at the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, marking its first location outside South Florida.

Pitching: Sammy Mounayyer, co-founder, and Christian Mounayyer, co-founder

Tiki Bagel

Based in: St. Pete Beach, Florida
Locations: One
Concept: New York-style bagel sandwiches with Hawaiian-inspired flavors

Tiki Bagel is probably the easiest concept to explain in one sentence: New York bagels meet the flavors of Hawaii.

The St. Pete Beach, Florida, concept serves craft bagel sandwiches using authentic New York-style bagels, with Hawaiian-inspired recipes, coffee and pastries. The brand’s own description calls it “authentic NYC bagels” with “big island flavors.”

Karen Powell, CEO, and PJ Powell, founder, Tiki Bagel

Tiki Bagel opened in 2024 at 455 75th Ave., in St. Pete Beach and is in the franchise-development phase. The company formed Tiki Bagel Franchise Systems in January 2026 as it prepares to begin awarding franchises.

That means Tiki Bagel is coming into the Perfect Pitch with a very different growth question than some of the other finalists: How do you take a highly specific, personality-driven concept and turn it into a franchiseable brand?

Pitching: PJ Powell, founder, and Karen Powell, CEO
“We believe Tiki Bagel is pointed in the right direction,” PJ Powell said. “What we need from the advisers is not validation—it is clarity.

We want their honest perspective on what must change before Tiki Bagel is ready to scale responsibly. Specifically, we hope to strengthen our franchise model, simplify operations, identify the right capital strategy, and understand which milestones will make the brand attractive to qualified franchisees and investors.

Most importantly, we want to learn how to build the systems required for growth without turning Tiki Bagel into something generic. Our goal is to become more disciplined as a business while remaining generous, welcoming, and unmistakably Tiki.”

Six brands. Six very different growth stories

That’s what makes this year’s Perfect Pitch particularly interesting.

These aren’t six versions of the same restaurant. They’re founders taking very different approaches to the fast casual market — and all are at a stage where the next decisions around growth, capital, operations and brand development could have a major impact on where they go next.

How it works

The first three brands — Bronx Burger Co., Dizzy Bird and PLOMO Quesadillas — will take the stage in Round 1 on Oct. 4.

Griller Bros, Redhead Burger and Tiki Bagel will compete in Round 2 on Oct. 5.

After seeing a 5-minute intro video about each concept and watching each founder being grilled on stage by judges/advisers, the audience will vote for the winner of each round.

The two winners will then face off in the final round Oct. 6, with Summit attendees voting to determine the 2026 Perfect Pitch winner.

The winner takes home $3,500, a year of free service from Ovation and a featured spot on Fast Casual Frontrunners, with a shot at competing for a $200,000 investment from Savor Holdings.

And then the real work begins.

Advisers include lastyear’s winners of the Perfect Pitch, Cleo Uchôa and Pedro Uchôa, co-founders of TAP, as well as Zack Oats, founder of Ovation, and Paul Barron, co-host Fast Casual Nation and the producer of Fast Casual Frontrunners.

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About Cherryh Cansler

Cherryh Cansler is Publisher of FastCasual.com and Vice President of Connect Food. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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