Menu trends, chains, and foodservice news.
Smoked maple — barrel-aged or cold-smoked over hardwood — is the breakout sweetener of 2026, taking shelf and menu space from honey and brown sugar in cocktail bars and brunch chains.
May 27, 2026
After Mediterranean, the bowl-format playbook has found its next cuisine — and unit economics look strong.
May 21, 2026
Return-to-office is reshaping foodservice — and the contract caterer model is the casualty.
May 20, 2026
Pure-play ghost kitchen operators are collapsing, but big-brand licensed virtual restaurants (Wingstop, Chick-fil-A test, MrBeast Burger 2.0) are quietly working.
May 20, 2026
"Tipflation" hit a wall, and a growing cohort of restaurants is going tip-free, service-charge, or hospitality-included.
May 20, 2026
The pandemic-era pickup-only coffee shop turned out to be a permanent format, not a stopgap.
May 13, 2026
After the 2023 ghost-kitchen bust, the model is returning as a tool for established restaurants to launch virtual brands without new real estate.
May 13, 2026
Labor cost pressure and a structural cook shortage are pushing chains past pilot fatigue. The new wave of kitchen automation is built around assembly, not theater.
May 13, 2026
After ten years of every chain copying Starbucks Rewards, the loyalty arms race is producing diminishing returns.
May 10, 2026
The cafe that sells coffee and croissants has been the format for a century — but the version with serious bakery is finally taking over.
May 9, 2026
GLP-1 medications are reshaping how millions of Americans eat out. Restaurant chains are adapting menus to match.
May 7, 2026