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Thinking

Explore The Changing Market

Understanding what is driving market changes for your CPG, foodservice and restaurant brand — from macro to micro data — informs everything we do. Please read these thoughtful perspectives from our insightful team.

Blurred image of people walking between booths at the National Restaurant Association Show

Weekly Roundup — Week of 5.11.26

The foodservice industry walks into the NRA Show this week with 80 million Mother’s Day diners in the rearview and tariff costs finally hitting invoices. Five stories, four lanes, everything operators need heading into show week.

Overhead view of grass-fed beef cattle ranch in the United States

Weekly Roundup — Week of 5.4.26

Q1 made it official: top-of-chain growth is back, but only for operators who built value architecture before the squeeze hit. Inside this week: Burger King’s comeback, Popeyes’ stumble, $9 beef, Wonder’s Spice Robotics buy, the menu trends taking over 2026, and Caribou’s $2 value play.

Doing the margin math: A calculator on a plate with a fork and a knife.

Weekly Roundup — Week of 4.27.26

This week's roundup is about the math — Yum's Q1 shows what disciplined value can do, Subway and White Castle bring fresh entries to the value wars, the OCC moves to kill Illinois' swipe-fee law before it ships, beef costs catch up to Chipotle, and Carlyle closes its KFC Korea deal. Five stories on where the cost side of foodservice is going right now.

Sysco Q3 2026 earnings recap and Restaurant Depot acquisition impact on F&B brands

Sysco Q3 2026 Earnings: The Restaurant Depot Deal Changes Everything

Sysco's Q3 fiscal 2026 earnings were just released. The numbers were solid. But the quarterly print is almost beside the point. What matters for food and beverage brands right now is the seismic deal Sysco announced in March — and what it means for the distribution landscape every F&B marketer depends on.

Chef collaborating on menu and product development

From Kitchen Insight to Market Impact: Translating Culinary Ideas into Scalable Food Products

Great food products don't start with a spec sheet. They start with culinary insight — and the brands that know how to translate that insight into scalable, marketable offerings are the ones building real market impact. Here's the framework for closing that gap. — April 2026 Blog: From Kitchen Insight to Market Impact

Drone delivering food at dusk

Weekly Roundup – Week of 4.20.26

This week’s roundup is full of optimism — Jersey Mike’s is eyeing a potentially historic $12B IPO, Little Caesars just delivered a full family meal by drone for the first time ever, Starbucks is reinventing the mobile order experience, and C-suite leaders at the Restaurant Leadership Conference made the case that getting back to basics is the smartest growth strategy in today’s market.

chicken sandwich on a pedestal

Weekly Roundup – Week of 4.13.26

This week’s roundup covers a lot of ground — from fuel surcharges threatening to drive up food costs across the supply chain, to Chili’s staging a chicken sandwich showdown next to a McDonald’s in New York City, to the growing urgency for foodservice brands to become visible in AI-powered search. Read on for five stories shaping the industry right now.

Weekly Roundup – Week of 4.6.26

This week’s roundup digs into the economic forces reshaping foodservice — from Sysco’s landmark $29B acquisition and McDonald’s value menu overhaul to tariff pressures, falling egg prices, and a shrinking labor force putting new strain on operators already navigating a tough environment.

Overhead shot of an Easter table with ham, veggies, Easter eggs and desserts being served and passed around by hands.

Weekly Roundup – Week of 3.30.26

As we move further into 2026, the industry is balancing a complex mix of economic pressure and consumer enthusiasm. From the tech-driven "workforce reckoning" in foodservice to the gourmet evolution of the local convenience store, we’ve curated five essential insights you need to stay ahead of the curve this quarter.

Enlarged image of a chicken sub sandwich with fries and ketchup in a plastic basket showing ballpark food.

Weekly Roundup – Week of 3.23.26

From the high-stakes world of QSR operational tech to the viral "chicken ice cream" hitting MLB stadiums this season, this week, we’re diving into the caffeine obsession fueling C-stores, the massive growth of bulk-buy retail, and how the GLP-1 era is fundamentally reshaping food-tech innovation.