Domino's Profits Fall as Consumers Curb Spending Based on Rising Costs
Domino's Pizza reported first‑quarter net income of $139.8 million, a 6.6% decline from a year earlier, largely due to a $30 million valuation loss on its Chinese master franchisee. Despite the profit dip, total revenue rose 3.5% to $1.15 billion, helped by higher supply‑chain pricing and a 0.9% rebound in U.S. same‑store sales. The chain added 180 new stores worldwide, bringing its global footprint to 22,322 locations. The board also authorized a $1 billion share repurchase, expanding the total buyback program to $1.29 billion.
Most US Food Service Giants Still Failing on Plant-Based Protein, Annual Scorecard Finds
Humane World for Animals released its 2026 Food Service Industry Protein Sustainability Scorecard, grading the largest U.S. food‑service managers on plant‑forward menus, animal‑protein reductions, and fiber‑rich options. Five firms—Guckenheimer, Elior North America, Metz Culinary Management, HHS LLC, and Fresh Ideas—earned...
Men More Likely than Women to Justify Meat-Eating, Turkish Study Finds
A Turkish study of 520 adults found men justify meat‑eating with direct, masculinity‑linked arguments—health, strength, hierarchy—while women rely on indirect tactics such as dissociation and avoidance. Men reported higher meat consumption and stronger endorsement of speciesism and social dominance orientation...
Reading Food Labels: How to Tell if What You're Eating Is Healthy
An article from a nutrition outlet highlights 14 seemingly healthy foods that can cause rapid blood‑sugar spikes due to high glycemic indexes or hidden sugars. It details the glycemic scores of items such as oat milk, instant oatmeal, sushi rice,...
Remember New Coke?
In 1985 Coca‑Cola introduced New Coke to counter Pepsi’s surge, but the formula change was driven by internal business pressure rather than consumer demand, sparking a public backlash. The author draws a parallel to today’s rapid AI adoption, where many...
Saudi FDA Advances Global Food Safety Cooperation at IHFAF
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) led a high‑profile delegation at the Seventh International Heads of Food Agencies Forum (IHFAF) in Auckland, focusing on risk communication. Dr. Hisham Aljadhey held bilateral meetings with food‑safety agencies from the Netherlands, the...
JBS Faces Another US Strike
Union members at JBS's Denver meat‑packing plant voted 97% to authorize a strike, citing unfair labor practice charges and bad‑faith bargaining. The UFCW Local 7 alleges management retaliation and surface bargaining, while JBS counters with a proposal that includes incremental wage...
Artesano Expands to Include New Potato Hot Dog Buns, Potato Hamburger Buns and Sourdough Bakery Bread
Artesano announced the launch of three new bakery items: Potato Hot Dog Buns, Potato Hamburger Buns, and Sourdough Bakery Bread. The buns feature a soft, pillowy texture with potato flavor and are sold in 8‑ and 16‑piece packs without artificial...
Chef Ángel León Earns Three Michelin Stars for Aponiente’s Marsh‑side Revival
Chef Ángel León has been awarded three Michelin stars for his newly opened Aponiente 2.0, a marsh‑side restaurant in Cádiz that blends haute cuisine with a massive ecological restoration. The accolade crowns a €2.5 million ($2.7 million) investment that revived a derelict...
Shin Ramyun Boosts Sales with Localized Flavors for Japan, Driving 26% Export Surge
South Korea's flagship instant‑noodle brand Shin Ramyun has rolled out Japan‑specific flavors and larger topping packs, helping instant‑noodle exports climb 26% YoY to $435 million in Q1. The move pushed overseas revenue past $670 million, underscoring the power of product localization in...
Dutch Cereal Firm Holie’s Secures UK Supermarket Debut
Dutch cereal start‑up Holie’s has entered the UK mainstream by securing shelf space for six SKUs across more than 490 Morrisons stores. The brand, founded in 2018, positions its products as vegan, protein‑rich and free of added sugar, pricing them...
Angry Chickz VP Tonya McCoy Fuels 63% Sales Surge with Data‑first Marketing
Tonya McCoy, Vice President of Marketing for the Angry Chickz franchise, has leveraged data‑driven tactics to lift territory unit sales by 63% and oversee multi‑million‑dollar marketing budgets. Her 28‑year food‑service marketing career underscores Angry Chickz’s people‑first, performance‑focused culture.
Kiitos Brewing Files for Chapter 11 as Craft Beer Market Slumps
Kiitos Brewing, a two‑time Great American Beer Festival gold‑medalist, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 24, 2026. The petition lists assets between $100,000 and $500,000 against liabilities of $1 million to $10 million, highlighting the strain on niche craft breweries in a market...
BJ's Opens First Texas Club, Aims for 30 New Stores by 2026, Challenging Costco
BJ's Wholesale Club launched its inaugural Texas warehouse in Forney, marking its 264th club and entry into the state’s 22nd market. The retailer pledged to add 25‑30 new locations across Texas by the end of 2026, a move that pits...
This Machine Is the only Way to Make Nitro Cold Brew Coffee at Home - and It's on Sale
The Cumulus cold brew coffee machine, priced at $695, is now 20% off at $556 for Mother’s Day. It brews single‑cup cold brew, nitro cold brew, and cold espresso using proprietary pods, cooling water in 15 minutes and delivering a...
Ryoken Instinct Gets a Monochromatic, Personality-Driven Identity
Ryoken Instinct, a premium dog‑food brand, has unveiled a new monochromatic, personality‑driven packaging system designed by Planet People Studio. The redesign features geometric animal icons for each protein source and a streetwear‑inspired wolf badge within a shield. This visual overhaul...
A 1,000-Year-Old Tea Tradition Gets a Neon Yingge Dance-Inspired Makeover
TUSHI Design has launched a collector’s series for Chaozhou Oolong that reimagines the thousand‑year‑old tea tradition through neon‑bright Yingge Dance imagery. The packaging features multi‑flash, long‑exposure photography that renders martial‑arts heroes in vivid pinks, blues, golds and crimsons on kraft...
Coffee and Health Complicated by a Messy Mix of Compounds
A new review in Frontiers in Nutrition synthesizes epidemiological and laboratory findings to map coffee’s most studied compounds—caffeine, trigonelline, chlorogenic acids, cafestol, kahweol and melanoidins—onto four health‑related pathways: metabolic regulation, neuroprotection, oxidative stress and inflammation. The authors highlight the paradox...
5 Signs a Restaurant’s Wine List Is a Rip-Off (and 5 Signs You’re About to Get a Great Deal)
The article breaks down ten cues that reveal whether a restaurant’s wine list is overpriced or offers genuine value. It flags inflated by‑the‑glass prices above $24, lack of creativity, erratic bottle pricing, an over‑reliance on mass‑market wines, and a focus...
Good News for the Hospitality Sector as Restaurants Edge Back Into Growth
Restaurant groups reported a 2.5% rise in sales for March, marking the first quarterly uptick after two years of decline. The gain was driven by restaurants, which posted 0.9% like‑for‑like growth while pubs and bars fell 2.6%. Including new site...
Whitworths Launches the UK’s Biggest Nutrition Campaign
Whitworths is rolling out the United Kingdom’s biggest nutrition campaign in May, backed by a multi‑million‑pound (≈ $2.5 million) investment. The initiative combines a nationwide video‑on‑demand push, PR, outdoor, social media and in‑store sampling from May through September to promote nuts,...
2026 NYIOOC Results Show Shifting Patterns in Global Olive Oil Quality
The 2026 Northern Hemisphere NYIOOC saw 1,021 entries from 29 countries, awarding 464 Gold and 234 Silver medals. Italy remained the top performer with 166 awards, while Croatia surged with 103 Golds, cementing its rising stature. Greece, despite a challenging...
Built to Breakthrough: The Power of One Vision
Kathleen Wood’s latest piece expands the "Built to Breakthrough" playbook, urging restaurant founders to replace generic vision statements with a "Power of One Vision" that defines whether they are building a scalable company or merely adding locations. She outlines three...
Celsius Unites Sports, Music and Culture Ahead of Soccer-Centric Summer
Celsius launched a new ad campaign featuring soccer stars, DJ Diplo and creator Marlon Garcia, promoting its limited‑time Electric Vibe flavor with the tagline “Live. Fit. Goal.” The 30‑second spot, “The Surge,” will run across TV, digital and out‑of‑home channels...
Walmart Bets Big on Fermented Foods and Cleveland Kitchen Is Leading the Charge
Walmart is expanding its fresh, functional‑fermentation category by introducing four Cleveland Kitchen products in more than 500 stores nationwide. The lineup includes a mayo‑free Classic Coleslaw, Korean‑inspired Coleslaw, Hot Honey Jalapeños and Pickled Red Onions, all refrigerated and packed with...
India Busts Massive Counterfeit Food and Drug Operation
🚨 INDIA EATING POISON 🚨 Delhi - Fake toothpaste factory: 1,800 filled tubes, 10,000 empty tubes, 1,200 packed units and 130kg of raw material of Sensodyne toothpaste. - Fake Eno sachets: 1 lakh. - Fake Nescafé sachets: 50,000. Ayodhya - 500 cartons of fake Fortune oil...
From Ambient to Plant-Based: Where Danone Is Taking Protein Next
Danone is broadening its protein portfolio beyond refrigerated dairy by launching Oikos ambient protein shakes, introducing Silk high‑protein plant‑based milk, and acquiring meal‑replacement brand Huel. The Oikos shake entered the $7 bn+ ambient market and helped the brand exceed €1 bn (≈$1.1 bn)...
The Seafood Celebration You Can’t Miss at Nipotina
Nipotina, Samyukta Nair’s upscale Italian restaurant in Mayfair, is launching a Southern Coast Seafood Feast from May 18 to May 24 as part of its weekly Roots & Regions series. The menu, crafted by Head Chef Somaia Hammad, showcases shareable...
Baladna Works with World Bank Financing Arm in Syria Dairy Project
Qatar’s Baladna Food Industries has partnered with the World Bank’s International Finance Corp (IFC) to assess and potentially rebuild Syria’s dairy value chain, focusing on production capacity, consolidation, logistics and compliance. The joint study will determine if a sustainable, investment‑ready...
Beetroot Juice Gains May Be Placebo, Not Performance
Beetroot juice for virtual cycling - placebo, performance or powerless This new study recruited 67 trained cyclists to perform a 20-min virtual cycling time trial after taking either… Beetroot juice (550 mg nitrate) 🥤 Placebo (nitrate-free beetroot juice) To investigate potential placebo effects...
Diet Diversity Spans From 20 to 86 Foods, Women Lead
We’re told to “eat a diverse diet”—but how diverse is it in reality? Over 2 weeks: • Lowest 10% consume ~20 unique items • Highest (novelty seekers) reach ~86 Interesting twist: women tend to sample more unique foods than men. Where do you fall? @NatMetabolism https://t.co/08GlVexklU
The Reason Texas Roadhouse Steaks Are So Cheap
Texas Roadhouse keeps steak prices low by using USDA Choice beef, on‑site butchering, and skipping weekday lunch, allowing it to undercut rivals like Outback. A New York Strip sells for $23.99 versus $26.49 at Outback, roughly a 10% discount. In‑house butchers...
Discounts Exacerbate Competitors' Thin Store Margins, Says Domino's
Domino's view on competitors' financial weakness on a per-store basis and the impact of heavy discount marketing on that weakness is probably correct. When you layer more discounts onto already-thin margins that's really tough.
Domino's Sees Growth Despite Macro Pressures, Doubts Rivals' Pace
"Significant macro and competitive pressures" starting in March, per Domino's on this earnings call. They say that the QSR pizza category grew. But they don't believe their competitors can keep up. $DPZ
AI and Grocery - the UK's Leading Supermarkets Put AI Top of the Shopping List. The CEOs of Sainsbury's and...
UK grocery giants Sainsbury's and Tesco are accelerating AI adoption to sharpen competitive advantage. Sainsbury's, now in year three of its Next Level transformation, has launched an AI Centre of Excellence and reports over 200 live AI use cases, from...
Domino's Predicts Competitor Closures Amid Discount War
Domino's believes that the intense value environment could lead to more closures by competitors as more discounts will pressure already weak profitability at Pizza Hut and Papa Johns. $DPZ
Domino's Same-Store Sales Miss Forecast Amid Weak Demand
After a strong start to 2026, Domino's same-store sales "did not meet our expectations," citing weather, low consumer confidence and heavy discount marketing by competitors. $DPZ
Stopping Profit Leaks with Real-Time Course Correction
Restaurant operators face profit leaks because data from POS, scheduling and payroll systems remains siloed, forcing decisions based on lagging reports. Miso Robotics, led by CEO Rich Hull, has acquired AI operating system Zignyl and is integrating its real‑time intelligence...
What People Actually Eat Every Two Hours, Revealed
We analyzed 2.6M food & beverage logs from ~20,000 people to uncover (among other insights) what’s consumed every 2 hours across a 24h day. Some usual suspects… and a few surprises. Take a guess—then check the list 👇 https://t.co/ifqEyMnIEp @NatMetabolism https://t.co/AEQgConEUz
Domino's Misses Comps, Shares Slide 5%
Domino’s US comps 0.9%. International down 0.4%. Both lower than expected. Revenue up 3.5% EPS -4.6%. Shares down 5% premarket. $DPZ
Killer Burger Growing Texas Footprint
Killer Burger, the Portland‑based fast‑casual chain famed for bold toppings, opened its first Houston restaurant at 1909 Taylor St., marking its third Texas location after two San Antonio sites. The outlet is operated by a local franchise group and is...
Domino’s Tests Submarine Pizza Delivery in UK
Pizza Goes Underwater: Domino’s UK Trials Submarine Delivery by @IntEngineering #Innovation #EmergingTech #Tech #Technology #TechForGood https://t.co/Wh2oL2EwiP
Açaí Republic Selects Square Platform to Support Franchise Growth
California‑based Açaí Republic has chosen Square’s commerce platform to power its franchise network. The brand will deploy Square for Franchises, Register and Terminal across its 36 existing locations in Arizona, California, Florida and Hawaii, plus eight planned stores. Square’s open...
Over 400 Nestlé UK Jobs at Risk
Nestlé announced that up to 450 jobs in the United Kingdom could be eliminated as part of its 2025 plan to cut 16,000 positions worldwide. The cuts would primarily affect staff at the company's York confectionery plant, which employs about...
Nestlé Confirms Blue Bottle Coffee Sale as Restructuring Accelerates
Nestlé announced during its Q1 briefing that it has agreed to sell Blue Bottle Coffee’s café and consumer‑packaged‑goods (CPG) operations to China‑based private‑equity firm Centurium Capital. The Swiss giant will keep the rights to Blue Bottle’s single‑serve Nespresso‑compatible pods, allowing...
Malaysia's Durian Season Starts Early with Stronger-Tasting, Creamier Fruits
Malaysia’s durian harvest kicked off early this year, delivering creamier, more intensely flavored fruit across Penang’s street stalls. The drier weather has boosted taste quality, but a tight supply has pushed prices up roughly 20%, with the D604 hybrid selling...
India’s Newest Entrant to the Plant Protein Category Is Dubbed Its ‘Lightest’ Powder Yet
Indian wellness brand Immunosciences has unveiled Pure Plant Protein, a clean‑label vegan powder it touts as the country’s lightest and most digestible plant‑based supplement. The product delivers 24 g of complete protein per 30 g scoop, fortified with a DigeZyme multi‑enzyme complex,...
In a Rapidly Changing Market, Innovation Is the Strategy that Drives Profit
The restaurant sector is rapidly shifting as diners favor delivery platforms and demand fresh, exciting menu options. Operators that position innovation at the core of their strategy saw a 7.5% sales lift in 2024, while 80% of independent restaurants plan...
Packaging Under Pressure: European Investment Bank’s Deputy Ops Chief on War Shocks and Alt Plastics
European Investment Bank deputy director Elina Roine highlighted the fragility of Europe’s packaging supply chain, noting that while recycling rates have risen to about 42%, high energy costs and geopolitical tensions undermine competitiveness. She emphasized the bank’s role in financing sustainable...
Lidl Reveals ‘Hit List’ of New UK Store Locations as £600m Rollout Ramps Up
Lidl GB unveiled a £600 million (~$760 million) expansion plan to open more than 50 new stores across Britain within the next year, targeting high‑footfall sites from Aberdeen to London. The rollout, part of a broader investment in logistics including a new...