Despite rising costs, 2025 is shaping up to be a fairly strong year for many restaurant chains, with top players like Cava and Chick-fil-A thriving by mastering efficiency, marketing, and customer experience. The smartest brands are pricing strategically and leveraging technology to drive success.
The 2025 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago showcased groundbreaking foodservice innovations, from globally inspired comfort foods to cutting-edge pizza solutions. Business leaders also displayed the latest AI-driven data analytics, revealing a dynamic future in which tech drives growth in the industry.
Comfort food remains a powerful force in the food industry, with brands like Stouffer’s leading the way in reinventing beloved classics to align with evolving consumer tastes. As restaurants lean further into “permissible indulgence,” the opportunity to customize and elevate familiar favorites presents a lucrative avenue for operators.
How do you sustain a business where customers are taken care of every step of the way? How do you deliver an end-to-end seamless and value-added experience for your customers, both direct and via digital …
Join The Food Institute as we interview Joel Kline, Head of Sales for Nestlé Professional Solutions, on the various ways that the company’s beverage sector optimizes on drink trends. Listen in on the insights, from …
From identifying consumer needs to keying in on the latest customer trends, it’s essential to stay vigilant when it comes to providing solutions to foodservice operators. Join The Food Institute as we interview Melissa Henshaw, …
It’s no secret that the plant-based sector has seen its fair share of turbulence the past few years, but some products on display at the 2024 National Restaurant Association Show may buck these current trends.
Join The Food Institute at NRA’s 2024 Restaurant Show as we investigate the innovations of Raydiant, a company that provides digital tools for Restaurants. From digital menu boards to point-of-sale integration and even AI-triggered promotional …
Avocados From Mexico has made itself into a recognizable brand through things like numerous distribution deals to creative marketing. Join The Food Institute – on the ground at the National Restaurant Association’s 2024 restaurant show …
Scrolling through Indeed.com is an eye-opening experience. Every employer is trying to find workers because employees have a ton of options in 2023. I’ve worked with franchises for nearly 30 years, and labor has always …
On a recent earnings call, Yum Brands announced its goal to make 100% of its global system sales digital transactions.
Alcohol to-go has become a permanent fixture around the United States, presenting a massive growth opportunity for businesses.
Vegan indulgences are a hot trend this summer. Here are a few featured products and award winners from the Sweets & Snacks Expo and NRA Show.
Restaurant operators looking to add plant-based options to their menus had no shortage of options at the recent National Restaurant Association Show.
Restaurants are picking up the pace regarding innovation for their offerings. After an era of low-contact transactions due to coronavirus fears, an increasing number of consumers prefer the tech-based service restaurants are now offering. The …
Restaurant owners are scrambling to improve their bottom lines amid pandemic hangover, inflation, and labor challenges—especially in the quick service sector.
You’re sitting at the table in a moderately priced restaurant, and the 9-year-old twins at the next table are throwing rolls at each other, or the 5-year-old behind you is having a melt-down because he …
Experts are predicting chicken sandwiches will dominate menus in 2023. According to a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association, which polled over 500 industry experts, chicken sandwiches – both classic and new variations – …
California’s FAST Recovery Act – the first bill of its kind to take on the fast-food industry – could prove a boon for workers and labor unions but a burden to the mom-and-pop restaurants that …
Middle-tier restaurants would be wise to alter their business models amid raging inflation and predictions of a recession later this year.
CHICAGO – Plant-based protein options were plentiful at the recent National Restaurant Association show, with old timers Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Kellogg’s Morningstar Farms joined by newer companies – such as Daring, Next Gen …
CHICAGO – Members of the restaurant industry gathered in Chicago for the National Restaurant Association Show between in late May to taste the latest in culinary trends. Major themes at the show included automation, marketing …
Third-party delivery firms are making headlines again. A growing number of investors, customers, and workers are fed up as the companies hemorrhage money and relentlessly chase growth— burning cash, customers, and vendors along the way …
Half of all small business owners and nearly three-quarters of restaurateurs fear inflation will drive them out of business this year, the Alignable Small Business Inflation Poll indicates. “It’s the mom-and-pop diners and the small, …
Things are looking up in the world of foodservice. Restaurant industry sales are expected to hit $898 billion this year, up from $864 billion in 2019, according to the National Restaurant Association’s State of the …
The latest National Restaurant Association overview of the industry indicates the pandemic may have changed dining forever, and experts say many of the changes implemented as a survival tool are here to stay. “These external …
Over half of restaurant operators surveyed by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) say that business conditions are worse now than three months ago. At the same time, sales are sagging. Here’s a look at the …
With daily COVID cases up 11% since last week in the U.S., signs of the pandemic’s staying power threaten to disrupt the nascent effort to attain some semblance of normalcy. The Delta variant has turned …
By most accounts, it’s not a matter of if, but when. The minimum wage appears to be headed towards $15 in much of the U.S., if not all, in the near future. And restaurant chains are bracing for that impact. “Restaurants need to engineer …
Foodservices’ latest quarters have seen mixed results as restaurants continue to cope with pandemic-related losses. In 2020, restaurant and foodservice industry sales fell by $240 billion, from an expected level of $899 billion, according to …
Restaurants across the U.S. are resuming operations in accordance with guidelines to ensure health and safety and patrons and employees. However, states, cities, and counties have different requirements for operating during the pandemic. In New …
