2022: Nancy Luna's year in review

I went to the bank this week and the teller asked me what my occupation was. I said, “journalist.”

Every time I tell someone what I do for a living, they always have the same reaction. “That’s really cool. Or, that's interesting."

Moments like this make me pause and reflect. It is such a privilege to serve you each year. I am not a public servant. But, journalists do serve the public by informing our readers. I strive to tell truthful, insightful, and important stories each day. It’s a tough industry. This year marked my 30th year as journalist. More than half of those years have been spent covering the restaurant industry. It’s a beat I truly love. I feel blessed that a business editor 17 years ago gave me a chance to cover this industry.

Restaurant people are the best people. Hospitality is in your DNA. You serve a hungry public. You are essential – from the server at Chili’s to the drive-thru operator at Taco Bell to the DoorDash delivery driver to the coder developing food tech platforms of the future. My goal is to cover stories that are important to consumers, operators, investors, and?disruptors. I am very proud of the work I’ve done over the past two years here at Insider.?2022 was an especially busy year, marked by economic uncertainty in the food tech sector. We saw ghost kitchens morph and food-tech platforms cut staff amid a meltdown in VC funding. We saw more chains adopt automation to improve margins and cover holes in hiring. ?

Below, I have highlighted some of my top stories over the past 12 months. Thank you for reading my coverage. I know running into the paywall isn’t easy, but I appreciate those who have become Insider subscribers in order to follow my coverage.

That said,?in 2023, most of my stories will be in front of the paywall. ?

Cheers, Nancy?

Ghost Kitchens, Virtual Brands, Delivery:?

• Leaked documents show Reef is abruptly closing about one-third of its more than 300 ghost kitchens. The startup says the closures are temporary
• In leaked memo, SoftBank-backed Reef says it will lay off 5% of its employees, while insiders say it's delaying bonuses and owes $8 million to vendors
• Reef ousts key executive Michael Beacham?
• Meet the 17 DoorDash power players instrumental in the company beating Uber Eats and Grubhub to become the largest US food-delivery app
• The 'Move fast and break things' culture has taken over the food industry – now people are getting undercooked meat from uninspected ghost kitchens?
• Walmart to acquire a gig driver company?
• Leaked docs show Gopuff is cutting driver shifts
• CloudKitchens sending workers back to office
• Why Kitchen United is playing a different playbook than rivals like CloudKitchens?
• How DoorDash and Grubhub are cracking down on virtual brands?
• Kitchen United raises $100 million Series C from new backers, including Kroger and Burger King's parent. Here's the ghost kitchen startup's playbook that won over investors
• Restaurants on?DoorDash, Grubhub, and UberEats aren't always what they seem. Here's how to spot a 'ghost' menu.
• This DoorDash hack used by local food-delivery couriers is saving restaurants big on delivery fees. Here's how it works
• Burger King, Popeyes, and Jack in the Box cut ties with ghost kitchen Reef as the SoftBank-backed startup continues to face operational issues
• Leaked video: Ghost-kitchen startup Reef's CEO calls upon employees to report violations of city health and permitting rules to a company hotline
• Ghost-kitchen startups like CloudKitchens and Reef are pushing into the crowded grocery-delivery space

Food Tech:?

• 29 foodtech power players of 2022 revolutionizing how restaurants operate and deliver amid a looming recession
• Lunchbox cuts 33% of staff. The food tech startup had raised $72 million to give restaurants an alternative to Grubhub and DoorDash.
• QR-code startup cuts staff and pulls out of 4 global markets less than a year after raising over $120 million, as layoffs strike restaurant tech sector
• VC investment is slowing in food tech amid massive layoffs?
• 10 of the most promising foodtech startups, according to top VCs
• This startup just hired a former DoorDash exec to bring robotic restaurant delivery to the masses
• SoftBank-backed food-tech startup Nextbite is cutting staff, restructuring operations
• Toast CEO is 'laser focused' on the $55 billion restaurant-tech space as it scoops up another food tech startup and expands restaurant services
• How EZCater rebuilt its business post-pandemic, and helped restaurants along the way as it prepares for an IPO
• This startup is attracting entrepreneurs and Pinkberry with its automated soft-serve vending
• Coco's food-delivery robots help restaurants in LA avoid using DoorDash and Grubhub and paying their fees. The startup, which has raised $56 million, is now expanding to Texas and Florida.

Restaurant and Franchisee Strategies/Analysis:?

• Burger King’s Royal Reset to Cost Franchises millions?
• Menu items can cost customers 40% more at peak hours as restaurants experiment with Uber-like surge pricing on food delivery
• Burger King’s owner, RBI, on the hunt for another brand?
• Meet the 12 Chipotle power players behind the fast casual chain's wildly popular app and $3.4 billion in digital sales
• A wave of restaurant operators and high-profile chains like Chipotle and Burger King are investing millions in innovation amid a slowdown in food-tech funding. Here are 10 investing in ghost kitchens, autonomous cars, and plant-based foods.
• How the CEO of Wingstop plans to boost sales by dropping DoorDash as an exclusive delivery partner and finally entering the chicken sandwich wars
• Panera Bread and Popeyes boost drive-thru sales with a voice bot named Tori
• Sweetgreen is among the 12 chains Taco Bell owner, Yum Brands, could buy as the company's CFO tells investors it's hunting for an acquisition
• This oil and gas VC upended his career to start a plant-based burger chain. Now, he's raised $20 million to open new restaurants with plans to steal market share from McDonald's.
• Starbucks customers may soon give up their afternoon caffeine kick and drop costly drink modifications like extra syrups, analysts warn
• Your next Taco Bell orders could be taken with artificial intelligence as fast food chains from McDonald's to Chipotle test automation to combat the brutal labor shortage still plaguing the industry
• Taco Bell's latest plan to take on McDonald's includes keeping fries on the menu forever and committing to breakfast
• How this 27-year-old entrepreneur built his $8 million dessert empire after leaving Wall Street
• Burger King's owner just opened a delivery-focused food hall where customers can order from Popeyes, Firehouse Subs, and other chains. The company is one of many expanding the ghost kitchen model to reach more diners.
• A Taco Bell franchisee in California is partnering with a fast-charging EV station startup that can provide a 100-mile charge in 20 minutes.
• Checkers & Rally's is rolling out voice-ordering bots to take drive-thru orders at 267 restaurants amid a crippling labor shortage in the industry

Grocery:

• Most Imperfect Foods employees lost money on their stock options after the grocery startup was acquired by Misfits Market. It's a cautionary tale for startup employees.
• As the rapid-delivery segment collapses, Food Rocket is betting on delivering restaurant meals and opening 'dark warehouses' for walk-in customers as a way to survive
• Travis Kalanick's CloudKitchens startup is cutting jobs as a pandemic-era surge in food ordering subsides
• DoorDash's ambitions beyond restaurants could 'strangle Instacart' and protect the delivery giant as the economy slows, analysts say
• DoorDash is making 7 keys moves to dominate retail and grocery delivery after conquering restaurants — and creating new rivals in Instacart and Gopuff
• Reef quietly exits Houston as the SoftBank-backed ghost kitchen continues to face operational issues and loses partnerships
• The warehouse boom turned tiny storefronts into hectic delivery hubs — and neighbors want them gone
• A merger with Albertsons could bring Kroger's tech initiatives, like automated warehouses and smart carts, to over 5,000 locations
• Robotics startup Tortoise is testing mobile vending machines in a Walmart parking lot. "You get what you want and go."
• Grocery delivery startup Farmstead closes operations in 4 US markets and cuts 22% of its operational staff, as demand for online groceries stagnates
• Gopuff just expanded its prepared food offerings by cutting a deal with its first restaurant chain. Here's why analysts say the ultrafast delivery leader has a ways to go before rivaling DoorDash and Uber Eats.
• A Chicago grocery chain rejected 2 acquisition offers from rapid-delivery players in 2021. Its CFO?