RBI Set to Exit Restaurant Holdings by 2025
RBI is on track to sunset its restaurant holdings by the end of next year. $QSR
RBI Targets 1,800 New Restaurants Annually by 2028
RBI is on track to open 1,800 net new restaurants per year by 2028, with 300-400 of that coming in the U.S. and Canada, 300-400 from China and 1,100 international. $QSR
Popeyes $5 Platform Boosts Value Scores Quickly
Popeyes launched a $5 platform and said it is already seeing improvements in its value scores. $QSR
Asian Convenience Stores Wow with Ready‑to‑eat Meat
My fav thing about Asian countries is just the food at c-stores. Like the wall of ready to eat meat products for on the go carnivores. https://t.co/9LW86H4ZB1
Former Tyson CEO Donnie Smith Discusses Leadership Insights
Last week, Donnie Smith, former CEO of Tyson Foods, joined us for a Dean’s Dialogue. Watch the full conversation. ⬇️ https://t.co/7XdQomPD9c
Beef Imports Surge to Record $13.75B, up 28% Yo
"[B]eef imports in total are exploding at $4.5 billion through March, up 28% from a year ago. That comes after record for beef imports at $13.75 billion in 2025, up nearly $2.5 billion from a year earlier." https://t.co/M9mSqQvOq6
Robotics to Make Healthy Food Affordable and Scalable
How do you make the world healthier? Make healthy food convenient and affordable. Rethink restaurants from the ground up with robotics to increase margins. Scale. If this mission excites you, they are currently looking for a Head of Operations to join...
Opportunity Remains to Replicate Bobbie's Formula Market Disruption
There’s still room to do to Bobbie what Bobbie did to the rest of the formula market
Cheap Scales Could End Over‑serving, Save CEOs' Time
CEO rather spend a day of travel away from his family to explain portion sizing than simply spend $25 a location for food scales. 4oz servings - give 4.5oz every time to make the customer feel happy. Delis been doing...
Complex Ranching Economics Drive Today’s High Beef Prices
Why is beef so expensive right now? The complicated economics of cattle ranching create pain points at key stages of production https://t.co/0RQPkADSrY
Inside the Mastermind Behind Vitamin Water and More
This is a great episode with the guy behind Vitamin Water, Poppi, Smartwater, and Vita Coco — insane run of brand building https://t.co/tGRp3UlvNs
Dairy Queen Trials AI Drive‑thru Ordering, Targets 99% Accuracy
JUST IN: Dairy Queen will test AI ordering at drive-thrus, aiming for at least 99% accuracy.
Restaurants Now Thrive on Systems, Not Just Cuisine
Hot take: the most interesting restaurants right now aren’t just focused on food. They’re building systems. Farms. Programs. experiences. This week’s issue breaks that down with an interview with Little Saint Executive Chef Deborah Mullin.
John Oliver Exposes Gas‑station Supplements I Warned About
John Oliver highlighted some of the dangerous "food supplements" available at gas stations (and many other places), something I first wrote about nearly two decades ago. 🔗https://t.co/1HbWwS2scd https://t.co/W5fciCRmaR
Trader Joe’s Frozen Meals Outshine DoorDash Takeout
Unpopular opinion: Trader Joe’s frozen meals are better than most of what you’re ordering on DoorDash and they cost a fraction of the price. I ranked the best ones on the blog and I’m prepared to defend every pick. Link...
Sysco CEO Reveals Surprising Truth About Independent Restaurants
I find this counterintuitive take from the Sysco CEO really interesting. As the largest player in #foodservice distribution, they have a unique perspective on the independent #restaurant, and I want to unpack some of what he says. 1/ https://t.co/hhJ1hqPV6o
Amazon Now Second‑largest Grocery Retailer in the U.S.
"We’re now the second largest grocer in the U.S." - Amazon CEO Andy Jassy (via @TheTranscript_ )
Crafted Drinks Eclipse Soda Fountains in Restaurants
One byproduct of the restaurant industries shift toward more specialty “crafted” beverages (and broader off-premise trends) is that the traditional soda fountain is less relevant.
Espresso Prices Have Skyrocketed, Data Shows
If you think your espresso is getting ridiculously expensive... here's some data to back you up: https://t.co/GbFrhwLLFI
Ultra-Processed Foods Cause Weight Gain Despite Identical Calories
People eating ultra-processed food ate about 500 extra calories a day and gained weight - while the same people LOST weight when fed unprocessed meals matched for calories, sugar, fat, and fiber.
Tipping Culture Shifts Wage Responsibility Onto Customers
Was our acceptance of tipping culture (aka being responsible for making sure a human was paid a liveable wage so their employee was off the hook) the first dominoe?
Oreo's Firecracker Pop: Limited-Edition Triple‑Cream Cookie
Oreo just dropped a Firecracker Pop limited-edition cookie inspired by the classic red, white, and blue popsicle. Three crème flavors, one golden cookie, and here's how to get them before they're gone. https://t.co/czJkz8ySdX
RFK Jr. Pressed to Define Ultraprocessed Foods
MAHA Awaits Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Definition of Ultraprocessed Foods - The New York Times https://t.co/d0pC4ubqTJ
Challenging Experts Unlocked a Billion‑dollar Opportunity
Experts told us our product couldn't be made. We asked why. That question was worth $1 billion. In 2010, my partners and I had an idea for a protein bar that tasted like junk food but wasn't. We were software guys....
Morning Coffee Shown to Protect Brain Health
Your morning coffee is protecting your brain. JAMA just confirmed it with 131,821 people and 43 years of data...
Home Cooks Favor Blogs, Cookbooks over AI, Says Survey
Focus on recipes? Amazing new post from @inspiredtaste based on a survey of 2000+ people from the US. The parts about where home cooks are finding information is super interesting -> Home cooks are 300% more likely to turn to...
Dunkin Coupons Surge as Starbucks Price Backlash Fuels Shift
After the $9 Starbucks Coffee controversy, customers have discovered the power of a new coupon redeemable at Dunkin.
American Airlines Upgrades Coach Food for Sale
American Airlines Improves Coach Food For Sale — A Rare Upgrade Where Most Passengers Sit - View from the Wing https://t.co/vdvv5hBFgN
China Still Dominates US Soybean Exports Despite Low Volumes
🇺🇸🇨🇳Even though China.... ✔️Didn't start buying until late October ✔️Has secured the smallest U.S. tonnage in 19 years .... it's still by FAR the leading destination for U.S. soybean exports so far in 2025/26, a reminder of how hard China is to replace...
Could Pizza Hut’s Book‑It Program Work for Adults?
Can the @pizzahut revamped Book It program be extended for adults? I’ll read more for pizza.
Back-to-Basics Strategy Revives Struggling Hooters Brand
Turning around a struggling restaurant brand is tough in the best of times, but turning Hooters around in this environment will take a small miracle. And yet, there are some signs that the plan is working. Amazing what getting back...
McDonald's Turns Fries Into Recurring Revenue Amid SaaS Decline
In 2025, McDonald’s made $27B with 36% of revenue coming from franchisees paying rent. By adding this new french fry subscription, McDonald’s is now the go-to recurring revenue play since AI has destroyed SaaS stocks.
USDA Sells 148,240 Tons of Corn to Undis
USDA confirms the sale of 148,240 metric tons of U.S. corn for delivery to unknown destinations. 78,240 is for 2025/26 and 70,000 is for 2026/27.
McDonald’s Manhattan Goes Cashless with Outdoor Pickup
After many years in Manhattan, this McDonald’s remodeled. Registers out. Self-ordering terminals in. There’s also now an outdoor pickup window. What’s your biggest takeaway? https://t.co/U9vAFwkrAz
Tsiakkas Winery Redefines Cyprus Hospitality for Next Generation
Tsiakkas Winery: The next generation of Cypriot wines 🍷 A truly enjoyable conversation with a_tsiakkas. He opened the door to his world . The winery, the family’s sacrifices and values, and the evolving path of Tsiakkas Wines as they quietly redefine...
Beyond Thanks: Operators Must Boost Frontline Pay
Following up on my earlier post. Thanking frontliners is the easy part. The harder question is what we, as operators, actually do about it. We talk about minimum wage hikes like a threat. Like the industry won’t survive. Margins are thin, costs...
Ending Tariffs Seems Ill‑timed Amid Bourbon Boycott
As a rule, I support the end of all tariffs, but this is a rather strange thing to do right as the Kentucky bourbon and Tennessee whiskey industries are getting devastated by international retaliatory boycotts.
AI Turns Menu Text Into Realistic Dish Images Instantly
karpathy just admitted that his own app got oneshotted and he thinks yours is next. he built menu gen. where you take a photo of a restaurant menu and it shows you pictures of what the food actually looks like (because 30-50% of...
Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp Worth Just 23 Pieces
Apparently, you only need to eat 23 shrimp to make Red Lobster’s revamped ‘Endless Shrimp’ deal worth the price. That's easy. I can eat 23 shrimp in my sleep. The real question: how many do I need to eat to bankrupt...
Skip Paper Cups—Choose Stainless Steel or Instant Coffee
DO NOT drink out of paper coffee cups. I recommend using a stainless steel coffee cup if you're going to a cafe, but if you want high-quality coffee anytime without stopping, try @dangercoffeeofficial Instant coffee. Just add hot water in...
Barron Trump's Mate Brand Whitewashes Indigenous Roots
Barron Trump's canned yerba mate co-opts the pre-Columbian beverage without any reference to the rightful Indigenous purveyors. Instead, the drink degrades the ingredient and contributes to on-going whitewashing of mate. My report for @thekitchn: https://t.co/oytf5oPRWi
Independent Restaurants Facing Alarming Closure Rates, Data Shows
I've been posting on the plight of the independent restaurant for a while, & our @Technomic data paints a pretty dire picture of challenges facing these operators based on overall closure rates. Thanks to my Informa colleague @livetodineout for including...
Starbucks Turns Refreshers Into $2B Energy Boost
Starbucks has quietly built Refreshers into a $2 billion business and has now added energy, which has boosted sales. So no, it's not worried that everybody is doing them now, too. https://t.co/9gjBmTQ0fG
Record Beef Prices Trigger Shift to Other Meats
The biggest food price problem has nothing to do with the US-Iran war. Beef prices are rising higher, today setting a new all-time high above $2.55 per lb. The rise in beef is prompting demand switch to other meat forms, putting...
U.S. Export Sales Meet Expectations; Corn, Beans, Wheat Strong
🇺🇸Last week's U.S. export sales met trade expectations. Corn stayed above average for the time of year, led by Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela & unknown. China led in net bean sales (though most were switched from unknown), Egypt was 2nd. Old-crop...
Cascading Agrifood Shocks Demand Predictive Modeling for Resilience
Agrifood crises aren’t linear. Risks cascade over time. Example: @FAO's Hormuz analysis shows how energy shocks ripple through fertilizer, productivity and food security. Modeling can predict crises and identify policy combinations that boost resilience. https://t.co/xeHzPqdSuB
Nov Soybeans Reach Record High, Rare April Spike
📈Nov CBOT soybeans inked a new yearly high of $11.78 per bushel in overnight trade on Thursday, replacing the old high from March 12. They have since eased. Setting annual highs in April is rare for new-crop soybeans. May is a...
KKR Restarts Flora Food Sale at $10 B Valuation
KKR revives Flora Food Group sale process with $10bn price tag Read more here: https://t.co/yGF3OTrNBY https://t.co/Fu6a3q9jGj
Users Want Zomato Web App for Desktop Ordering
I wish Zomata had a web app. Let me order food from my desk on a big screen without needing to pick up my phone and stare into a tiny screen @zomato @albinder
Ozempic Cuts Snack Demand, Forces Industry Reformulation
ozempic has also forced snack companies to reformulate their packaging, ingredients, and add limited drops. companies know people are snacking less so they have to play into either nostalgia or specialty runs like pickle ranch flavors.