Weekly Roundup – Week of 8.29.2022

September 2, 2022

In this week’s roundup you’ll find our top relevant-and-most-interesting food-and-beverage-related stories of the past week curated from our team of strategists and food enthusiasts:

Food Retailers Shifting to Fresh Prepared Foods

FMI’s new State of Fresh Foods report indicates that three-quarters of surveyed food retailers used product differentiating strategies in fresh prepared and food service programs in 2021, and 70% say those efforts were a significant success. Furthermore, 82% of retailers plan to dedicate more space to freshly prepared items such as grab-and-go, made-to-order, and self-service. How are retailers allocating more space for freshly prepared offerings within their same footprint? Many are choosing to reduce their in-store dining areas due to lower-than-expected success with their in-store dining programs in 2021. The report states that only 18% surveyed plan to increase space for in-store dining over the next two years. Read Article.

Blank Street Coffee Differentiates Against Dunkin’ and Starbucks

Blank Street Coffee began as a small, battery-powered coffee cart in 2020, and has grown to 40 units across NYC, Boston, and London. Its mission is to provide great coffee without a premium price and offered in locations accessible to a new generation of coffee drinkers. Blank Street uses automation to help reduce wait time, and along with Eversys espresso makers – which allow for 700 consistent drinks per hour – the small coffee chain can keep its retail operations small and still service hundreds of customers per day. Their mobile app also allows customers to order in advance, streamlining their experience and rewarding customers with points toward future orders. Will Blank Street be able to steal a portion of Starbucks and Dunkin’s roughly 66% share of the retail market? Read More.

The Rise of Climatarian Diets

One new growing consumer eating trend is Climatarianism which is a more holistic way to eat, considering the impact of the carbon footprint on one’s food choices and not the type of food eaten. This new movement includes the group of consumers who want to continue eating meat, in a reduced capacity, but take into consideration other factors when doing so. According to The Food Institute article, Climatarians focus on eating locally produced food to reduce the energy spent on transportation from imported fruits and vegetables, avoid processed food due to high energy and water use, and leverage upcycles by using every part of the food to limit waste. For food manufacturers, indicating locally-sourced ingredients, how you’re reducing carbon footprint and ways you’re supporting the environment helps promote your efforts to consumers considering a Climatarian lifestyle. Learn More.

Panera Tests Voice-Ordering Technology In Drive-Thrus

Two New York Panera Bread locations will start testing OpenCity’s voice-ordering technology platform, called Tori, to take orders at the drive-thru. Tests of this AI technology will assess the accuracy of orders and the ability to decrease service times, hoping to increase customer experiences. Customers will engage with Tori at the drive-thru speaker; however, Panera employees will be on hand to offer assistance and take payments. If these tests are a success, Panera will look to expand to more locations that have drive-thru service. Read On.

Sammie’s, Halloween, and Gummy Bears, Oh My!

Sandwiches are a popular meal, loved nationwide. And Restaurant Hospitality recently conducted a contest to find the best sandwiches in the U.S. Here are three of the editor’s top picks:

• Wild Rice Melt from Tavern on the Hill in Duluth, MN
• Mortadella Melt from The Kitchen American Bistro with locations in Colorado and Chicago
• Blueberry Birthday Suit from the Orlando-based dessert restaurant, Better Than Sex

Find more.

Planning a trip to Disneyland Resorts? In advance of the Halloween season, Disney is dishing out its spooky offerings that will run from September 2nd to October 31st. Here are some festive foods that made their list:

• Ghost Pepper Nachos made with charred ghost pepper-marinated chicken, ghost pepper cheese sauce, and avocado tomatillo salsa
• Mickey Pumpkin Apples featuring green Granny Smith apples dipped in caramel with marshmallow ears and covered in orange-white chocolate
• Pumpkin Spice Churros that are rolled in pumpkin spice flavored sugar

Can gummy bears be made out of composite resins? In an effort to reduce discarded wind turbine blades ending up in landfills, Interesting Engineering created a new turbine material using glass fibers combined with a plant-derived and synthetic polymer. The result was a new composite resin that was durable for turbines, but dissolvable for use in other products. The resin material is dissolved in an alkaline solution, producing potassium lactate, which can be purified and made into candy such as edible gummy bears. Sound gross? Find the story here.

Stop back every Friday to read our weekly picks!