Weekly Roundup – Week of 2.13.2023
February 17, 2023
Read this week’s trending topics and notable news stories curated by our team of strategists and food enthusiasts:
Dating Apps Focus On Meatless Matchups
According to a study by Faunalytics.org, 10% of the U.S. population used to be vegans or vegetarians but no longer follow that lifestyle with 63% feeling like their diet made them stick out too much. Lewis Foster, CEO of Grazer, a dating app catered to vegan dieters, found that over half of vegans don’t mention their diet on their profile for fear of rejection. He decided to build a meat-free space for like-minded people to connect and express their similar lifestyles. How do retail brands and foodservice collaborate? Foster explains, “We’re open to offline collaborations with vegan-friendly, cool brands and food service companies for special events or restaurant meet-ups.” Find More.
Steward’s Shops Makes Big Investments in Foodservice Operations
As the c-store segment continues to see the value of expanding foodservice business, Steward’s Shops announces its plan to grow its to-go and made-to-order foodservice programs. The retailer will hire more foodservice-focused employees and increase its commercial kitchen footprint from roughly 3,500 square feet to around 9,500 square. New offerings will include fresh breakfast sandwiches, burgers and chicken tenders, subs and sandwiches, pizza, and more. Read Article.
CloudChef’s Kitchen Technology Heats Up The Culinary Side of Restaurant Business
CloudChef, a culinary technology company, combines smart sensor kitchen tech with food delivery service. Here is how it works: A chef uploads an exact recipe of a menu item to the cloud and with CloudChef’s smart technology, a chef in a ghost kitchen or even a restaurant on the other side of the world, can prepare the same recipe and have it ready for delivery service. Participating chefs receive a royalty every time a person orders one of their recipes. “You cannot consume food in the same way that you consume content,” Nikhil Abraham, cofounder and CEO of CloudChef said. “You only have access to food that’s close by. We want to change that. We want consumers to order food on our app or website from any chef in the world.” Learn More.
From Big Screen To Phone Screens, F&B Brands Share the Spotlight
Advertisers paid big bucks for commercials during last week’s “big game” – upwards of $6 to $7 million depending on the length and when the commercial aired. In addition, brands began pushing their ads on social channels to engage consumers well before kickoff. In fact, Sprinklr’s research showed that the social media volume of conversation regarding Super Bowl ads was up 200% compared to last year. For further digital engagement, we saw snack brands partnering with celebs on TikTok with mini-series videos, product teasers, and full-on campaigns. Read More.
Sip On This
With soda consumption declining, beverage giants attempt to refresh the category with innovative limited-time offers. Coca-Cola has partnered with Grammy-award-winning singer Rosalía to launch Coca-Cola Move under its Coca-Cola Creations platform. This LTO offering promotes a mood, not a flavor, that the brand says will resonate with today’s generation through music. Rosalía will release a new single and video to go along with the soda’s launch, and each can will include a QR code for fans to access special content related to the singer. Coca-Cola competitor, PepsiCo, is teaming up with adorable Peeps once again with its latest LTO, PEPSI x PEEPS marshmallow flavored cola. Hopping in retailers nationwide this spring and in celebration of the launch, fans will utilize SnapChat’s augmented reality technology to take a virtual egg hunt for a chance to unlock prizes, including a trip for two, along with exclusive merchandise.
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