Tag: Pandemic

BNPL Boom Boosting Holiday Spending

Buy-now-pay-later services are surging in popularity, with Adobe projecting $18.5 billion in holiday purchases this year. While retailers benefit from increased sales and lower fees compared to credit cards, experts warn that BNPL poses risks if not carefully regulated.

Restaurant Industry Faces New Crisis With Surge in Bankruptcies

Restaurants continue to face challenges, including labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and rising inflation, leading to increased bankruptcies. Industry experts predict continued struggles and stress the need for leveraging technology to survive.

The Early Bird Dinner Trend Is Sweeping the Nation

Consumers across the country are going out to dinner more often—and much earlier—than they were before the pandemic. Turns out, being an early bird isn’t all that special anymore. “Our data indicates that fine-dining customers …

How the Pandemic Reshaped Restaurant Real Estate

There has been a sizable population shift to America’s Sun Belt as well as its suburbs and rural areas in recent years. That fact has reshaped the nation’s commercial real estate, experts say.

Latest Customer Demand: Old-school Service

During the pandemic, many Americans did what they could to support their favorite restaurants. Now, however, many of these same consumers who were sympathetic to a struggling industry are fed up with the lack of …

QR Codes: ReliQ or Revolutionary?

How, and why, should some businesses do away with table- or barside QR codes, and what should be expected from both business and consumer? The QR Qonundrum doesn’t have to be an all-in or all-out decision, however – a hybrid approach, using lessons from the business side of the pandemic and the consumer side of hospitality, may be a viable way forward for businesses large and small.

The Future of Food Retail

Grocers continue to be challenged by the emergence of competitive C-stores, inflation, and a looming global recession.

Analysis: Why Dieting is on the Rise

Roughly 52 percent of respondents in The International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) Food & Health Survey 2022 said they followed a diet or eating pattern in the last year — up 13% from the year …

Meal Kit Services Pivot as Pandemic Eases

Despite stronger sales earlier in the pandemic, the meal kit industry still has room to grow, with Statista projecting the U.S. market to reach more than $10 billion by 2024, compared to $6.9 billion in …

Experts Weigh In on Prospects for At-Home Dining

As pandemic concerns ease and consumer mobility returns, how will the dine-at-home category evolve against the backdrop of surging inflation? Last quarter, City National Bank Managing Director Eric Viergutz and RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Nik Modi joined The …

Food Banks Facing Uncommon Burden Ahead of Holidays

U.S. food banks are facing two major struggles at the moment: increased demand from consumers sidelined by the pandemic and surging food prices amid supply chain issues. Many people found themselves facing food insecurity during …

Defending Ultra-Processed Foods

In line with pandemic-inspired gains in snacking, Americans are eating more ultra-processed foods. Yet, the rise in consumption has been trending higher for years. Researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health analyzed dietary …

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Q&A: Kellogg Exec Notes How Pandemic Has Altered Snacking

Nigel Hughes had an uncomfortable thought at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic. The SVP of global research and development at The Kellogg Company feared his company might struggle in the snack space amid pandemic lockdowns, since …

GUEST COLUMN: 5 Predictions for the Wine World

What will the post-pandemic future hold for wine retailers? The global wine sector is large and highly fragmented, so it’ll take some time to fully measure and understand COVID’s impact on the segment. For wine …

Report: Vegan Chocolate Increasingly Popular

The global chocolate confectionery market is anticipated to reach $154.5 billion (USD) by 2025. Its growth has been aided by the pandemic, during which consumers have often turned to comforting, indulgent foods, like milk chocolate …

FI Agriculture Recap: Pandemic Relief for Livestock Producers

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency will begin accepting applications next Tuesday from livestock producers who suffered pandemic losses as a result of their inability to gain sufficient access to processing. Relief will come from the …

Food Industry Financials: Inflation, KR, and more

Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: inflation analysis, food commodities outlook, The Kroger Co. (KR) earnings digest, and more. …

HelloFresh Outpacing Meal Kit Competition

Meal-kit supplier HelloFresh has enjoyed a notable uptick in popularity since the outset of the pandemic. And, even as COVID-19 vaccinations have increased and consumers have started to dine in restaurants more and increase their …