Fried chicken in an old bucket from the ‘60s? Where do we sign up? In what would seem to be an ongoing global quest to conflate Colonel Sanders with Santa Claus, KFC has announced that restaurants in the U.S. will be serving up fried chicken in replicas of its “iconic” holiday-themed buckets from 1966 and… read more
Food & Beverage News
Pizza Hut partners with Beyond Meat on two new Pizzas
Pizza Hut has joined forces with Beyond Meat, Inc. to develop two new pizzas featuring plant-based sausage. The collaboration will make plant-based meat pizzas “more widely available to the masses,” the Yum! Brands, Inc. subsidiary said. New Beyond Pan Pizzas were co-created by the Pizza Hut and Beyond Meat culinary teams to mimic the taste… read more
Starbucks’ Holiday Menu and Red Cups Return Across the US
Red cups are returning to Starbucks. Starbucks announced that its holiday menu returns on Friday, November 6. That means drinks including the Peppermint Mocha, Toasted White Chocolate Mocha, and Eggnog Latte are back on the menu, as well as four new festive “red cup” designs. The chain is also giving away free reusable, collectible holiday… read more
Wendy’s Breakfast Nabs new Customers as Pandemic Pushes Consumers to Break Habits
The coronavirus pandemic has upset consumers’ usual breakfast habits, leading fast-food Wendy’s has become the rare restaurant company to lure customers to its restaurants for breakfast even during the coronavirus pandemic. In the last eight months, consumers broke their old breakfast habits and began eating the early morning meal at home, spurred on by office… read more
Dunkin’ is Going Private in $11.3 Billion Deal
Inspire Brands, a holding company backed by the Roark Capital Group, a private equity firm, is purchasing Dunkin’, which also owns Baskin-Robbins. Inspire already owns 11,000 Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Jimmy John’s, and other restaurants. Inspire, which will take on Dunkin’s debt in the deal, plans to acquire outstanding Dunkin’ shares at $106.50 apiece…. read more
Starbucks is now Officially Testing Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches
Coffee chain Starbucks has launched a plant-based breakfast sandwich at one test location in Issaquah, WA, a city on the outskirts of Seattle. The new Plant-Powered Breakfast Sandwich, retailing at $5.45, is made with a mung bean-based egg, a plant-based sausage patty, dairy-free cheese, and is served on an English muffin. While Starbucks has not… read more
Chick-fil-A to Start Selling its Sauces at Walmart, other National Retailers
It will soon get a lot easier to acquire signature sauces from Chick-fil-A. The fast-food chain announced its Chick-fil-A and Polynesian Sauces will be available to buy at retailers including Walmart, Publix, and Kroger starting in mid-November. The sauces, available in 16-ounce bottles for $3.49 each, will initially appear in stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia,… read more
Nearly 300 Public, Private Sector Groups Launch Digital Campaign Pushing for a Deal on a Coronavirus Relief
A coalition of travel, restaurant, retail, and state and local government groups launched a digital advertising campaign on Wednesday calling for Congress to quickly approve a new coronavirus relief package. The Covid Relief Now Coalition is made up of organizations representing the public and private sector, including the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), International Franchise… read more
Measures aimed at ensuring the most efficient food chain possible
The US Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 18 announced the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at providing temporary relief from enforcement of certain regulations and deadlines to food manufacturers struggling to adjust operations and procedures to ensure food is directed safely and in the quantities and forms required during the coronavirus (COVID-19)… read more
The private Equity Firm Partnered with Management on the Deal for the Fast-Growing Chain
Private equity firm Levine Leichtman on said it has partnered with management to acquire Atlanta-based Tropical Smoothie Café. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition gives the Los Angeles-based Levine one of the industry’s fastest-growing concepts. Tropical Smoothie has averaged 23% system sales growth over the past five years, including 22% in… read more