Nation's Restaurant News On the Go Newsletter #30
Nation's Restaurant News
The #1 source of news and business intelligence for restaurant and foodservice industry professionals
It’s summer and events are bustling
It’s Bret Thorn, Nation’s Restaurant News’ senior food & beverage editor, with some updates on this busy summer travel season.
There are a lot of events going on and many, many people are going to them in what some trend watchers are calling “revenge attendance.” It’s a slightly weird term: Who are they seeking vengeance against? COVID? It’s a virus; it doesn’t care. COVID-era regulations that have now been lifted? They have, you know, been lifted.
Maybe it’s better to say that people are going to events with a vengeance, and they certainly are, and also with renewed enthusiasm.
I started out my summer by attending the Food & Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen. This was the 40th year of the extremely fun boondoggle involving eating and drinking at high altitude. Now pretty much every city has a food & beverage festival of some sort, but Aspen was possibly the first and for many years the premier event for deep-pocketed consumers, celebrity chefs, normal chefs, alcohol merchants, beverage experts, and restaurateurs to get together and possibly cut deals but definitely party.
If you ever attend, please wear sunscreen, stay hydrated and remember that alcohol works differently at 8,000 feet than it does at sea level.
It rained a lot in Aspen this year, but the mood was exuberant and the food — much of it featuring the robust flavors of Asia and Latin America — was terrific, and showed how a well-established traditional food magazine can be on top of the latest trends.
The trade program sponsored by American Express was also in line with current trends, as panels included discussions around creating positive and safe work environments, the changing definitions of a chef, and how to actually make money running restaurants.
I’ll be reporting on all of that shortly, but until then, you can follow me on Instagram, @foodwriterdiary, to see my initial hot takes, and some gorgeous views from the train and bus I took to get there.
Subway rolls out in-store meat slicers in U.S. with new Deli Heroes
Subway has installed deli meat slicers in about 20,000 U.S. restaurants at an $80 million investment and is expanding its Subway Series menu with four new sandwiches that rely on the new equipment, the company says.
The Milford, Conn.-based quick-service brand, which also has dual offices in Miami, said the slicers were one of the most complex changes it has ever made, entailing changes in store design as well as its supply chain.
How restaurants can pull Threads their way
Restaurant marketers have a new social media platform to contend with, and this one might actually stick around. Meta – parent company of Facebook and Instagram – launched a new app called Threads Wednesday, a day earlier than expected.?
The app has been called the “Twitter killer,” as it’s modeled similarly to the bird-themed social networking platform, first launched in 2006. Those similarities include limited (500) characters, a tagging function using the @ symbol, and reply and “repost” abilities.
Hear from two of Nation’s Restaurant News social-media users who give first impressions, gathered from their own use and that of experts, of the new social-media platform Threads.
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Restaurant hires trend down in June
The U.S. labor market slowed a bit in June, with 209,000 total jobs added versus over 306,000 in May. That said, the unemployment rate remained steady at 3.6% and the job market continues to show resiliency amid continued macroeconomic pressures.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ June report, employment in leisure and hospitality was up by 21,000 positions, marking the third month of relative flatness in the sector. The industry remains below its February 2020 level by 369,000 positions, or 2.2%. Restaurant and bar jobs specifically declined by nearly 1,000 positions, or 0.8%, marking the sector’s first drop in nearly two and a half years. Restaurants and bars remain about 80,000 jobs short of February 2020 numbers.
Chipotle shuts down the last five Pizzeria Locale locations
Pizzeria Locale — the Colorado-based, fast-casual pizza chain backed by Chipotle Mexican Grill — is shutting its last five locations, a Chipotle spokesperson confirmed to Nation’s Restaurant News via email.
Pizzeria Locale first opened its doors in Boulder in 2003 as a Neapolitan-style pizza concept founded by chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and master sommelier Bobby Stuckey. A decade later, Chipotle became involved as a major investor. After investing in the budding concept and striking a deal with the original owners, Chipotle was able to expand Pizzeria Locale to Kansas City, Mo. Although the five remaining locations have now been shuttered, the original Pizzeria Locale is still in existence after it was rebranded in February to Pizzeria Alberico.
City Barbeque named winner of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Barbecue Showdown
City Barbeque has been named the winner of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Barbecue Showdown, in which seven emerging barbecue restaurant chains competed for the title of readers’ favorite.
Barbecue is specifically regional, touching every corner of the country in different ways, and people feel pretty strongly about their barbecue. Whether it’s from the South or a mix of every regional barbecue, each of these chains had something different and unique to offer its customers.
The Top 500 Highlights
Nation's Restaurant News has released it's eagerly awaited Top 500 list featuring the Top 500 restaurant chains in America ranked by sales, units and more. Check out some of our most popular Top 500 coverage below, including our exclusive Top 500 Report.
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1 年Thanks for the updates on, The NRN Weekly Newsletter ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??.