According to Bureau Labor of Statistics numbers released in early October, food services and drinking establishments added 60,000 jobs in September. The hospitality sector now employs 11.8 million people, or about 500,000 jobs shy of pre-COVID levels. Anita Adams, the CEO of Black Bear Diner, echoes a lot of what’s been shared from the front… read more
Food & Beverage News
The newly public coffee chain weathers macroeconomic storm as same-store sales declined 3.3%
Dutch Bros Coffee — which went public for the first time last fall — is optimistic about its development pipeline, despite external inflationary pressures that are affecting the entire restaurant industry. The Oregon-based coffee chain’s same-store sales declined 3.3% for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022, but on the flip side of that, the… read more
Pizza Hut and Darty Farmers of America to Launch Sustainability Project
Pizza Hut and its parent company Yum Brands are partnering with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) to launch a sustainability initiative aimed to help participating farmers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative will allow the DFA and dairy suppliers to engage in annual farm-level greenhouse gas and energy footprinting. The project will use the Farmers… read more
How 3 Fast Casuals are Handling Increased Food Cost
Although the menus at Atomic Wings, Famous Toastery, and Beef O’Bradys have little in common, their leaders are facing the same conundrum: How to raise prices to offset rising food costs without losing customers. Food-away-from-home prices, for example, were up about 7% over 2021 and will climb another 3 to 4% in 2023, according to… read more
McDonald’s Discontinued its Fake Meat Burger the McPlant. Good Riddance.
In this photo illustration, a McDonald’s McPlant Beyond Meat burger is displayed with french fries at a McDonald’s restaurant on Feb. 14, 2022, in San Rafael, Calif. Last week, McDonald’s confirmed to CNBC that its U.S. test of the McPlant burger has ended. Yes, that means the fast food corporation’s first ever meatless burger is no more,… read more
Howard Schultz Gives Some Hints About Starbucks’ Future
Starbucks’ Interim CEO Howard Schultz on Monday hinted at potentially significant changes as part of a strategy to “reinvent” the coffee giant, declaring that “this is the next chapter of Starbucks” while listing several “bold ideas” that will guide the chain’s future going forward. But he was scant on the details, simply promising that they… read more
7 Ways to Improve Your Customers’ Takeout Experience
Restaurant takeout has been around for decades, but it has recently surged in popularity thanks to food delivery apps like DoorDash and the sudden outbreak of COVID-19. More people are ordering meals to go, and restaurants must provide a better takeout experience to maximize their profits and maintain a solid reputation. Here are seven ways… read more
The technology is meant to create a better dining experience
Fast Food Chains May Soon Guess Your Gender When You Order. Here’s Why Not sure what to order at your favorite fast-food chain? That’s okay because a new artificial intelligence software already does — or at least, it thinks it does, based on how you look. As demoed during the 2022 National Restaurant Association Show,… read more
What does the future hold for food and beverage?
Over the past few months, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on how we think and behave when it comes to food and beverage (F&B). When lockdowns were implemented in countries around the world, non-essential retailers were closed, dining-in was prohibited, and supply chains were tested. As a result, buying behaviors and attitudes have changed… read more
Into the mainstream: What’s next for organic foods and beverages?
As a continuation of The Hartman Group’s long-running syndicated research on the organic market stretching back over 25 years, our newest report, Organic 2022: Then, Now, Next, explores the transformation of organic from a niche category based in a social movement to a mainstream marker of quality across food and beverage categories. Organic 2022: Then, Now, Next finds… read more