This Week’s Top Foodservice Story: The NRA Show’s New Pecking Order

The 2026 FABI Awards named 28 products and sent a clear signal: protein-forward, globally flavored, and texturally interesting won; plant-based analogs did not. The ten FABI Favorites include Egglife Egg White Wraps (11g protein, 1g carbs), Perfect Kebabs Halal Beef Kefta, Elote Butter, Calabrian Truffle Crunch, and Plum Gochu Syrup — a lineup organized around global flavor and clean-label protein, not novelty for its own sake. The FABI Awards function as a forward indicator for operators and distributors scouting next-cycle menu additions. If your R&D team isn’t already working through this list, that’s the shortlist.

Read More

DoorDash Is Booking Your Table Now, Too

DoorDash Reservations expanded to ten cities this week — Boston, LA, San Francisco, and Las Vegas domestically, plus London through Deliveroo — its largest single push yet. DashPass members get $12 dining credits for on-premise visits, access to prime tables, and a Lyft discount, an incentive stack built to keep diners inside the DoorDash orbit from discovery through the check. The direct competition: Uber Eats’ reservations feature and OpenTable. For full-service operators not yet listed on DoorDash Reservations, that absence is increasingly a missed channel, not just a missed delivery.

Read Article

Two Courts Down, One Stay in Place: Where the Tariff Fight Stands

On May 7, the Court of International Trade struck down the 10% Section 122 global tariffs in a 2-1 ruling. Four days later, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued an administrative stay — meaning the tariffs are still in effect while the government appeals. A separate IEEPA tariff ruling struck down additional duties in February, but no universal injunction has been issued. The legal picture is moving, not resolved. Buyers who renegotiated supply contracts around tariff exposure shouldn’t unwind those positions yet.

Read On

Coco’s and Shari’s File for Bankruptcy After a Payment Processor Froze Their Cash

Lena Brands, parent of the Coco’s and Shari’s diner chains, filed for Chapter 11 on May 21 after Stripe froze $650,000 in operating funds mid-stabilization attempt. The filing reveals $5.16 million in merchant cash advance debt — a structure that becomes a trap when top-line revenue slides. Shari’s has contracted to nine locations with a 72% sales decline; Coco’s is down to two. Operators carrying significant merchant cash advance debt or concentrating working capital through a single payments provider should treat this as a system risk, not a Lena Brands story.

Read Story

Five Flavors the NRA Show Said Are Coming to Your Menu

The NRA Show floor flagged five menu shifts: duck charcuterie moving toward accessible from specialty, real-vegetable burgers filling the gap plant-based analogs are vacating, matcha at 3.6% menu penetration growth per Technomic, functional mood beverages moving from the supplement aisle to mainstream (Osia among the standouts), and lightened Italian spirits pointing toward a quiet evolution in casual cocktail culture. Operators updating beverage menus this summer should shortlist matcha preparations and functional options before competitors lock up supplier exclusives in the back half of the year.

Learn More

Find more of this week’s top foodservice stories every Friday on the Omnivore blog.

The post Weekly Roundup – Week of 5.18.26 appeared first on Omnivore | A Food & Beverage Advertising Agency.

Will Coors Light Score Big with Lollipops?

Just in time for March Madness, Coors Light is offering another way to chill out. Basketball fans and beer lovers can enjoy refreshing beer-flavored lollipops now through the end of the NCAA basketball tournament. You can score a six-pack of Chillollipops for $3.17 here.  Read More.

PepsiCo is Thirsty for Plant-Based Products

Under their PLANeT Partnership endeavor, Beyond Meat and PepsiCo have joined forces with the objective of creating plant-based snacks and beverages. Beyond Meat Jerky is their first product to launch under this joint venture, hitting grocery stores this month. Original, hot and spicy, and teriyaki are the three flavors currently available. Snack On This Article.

Dairy-Free and Dairy-Full Ice Cream Live in “Cosmic” Bliss

The once strictly plant-based brand of frozen desserts, Coconut Bliss, has rebranded under the name Cosmic Bliss to diversify its product offering by adding organic grass-fed dairy ice cream to its lineup. With the majority of the ice cream sold in the U.S. being dairy-based, Cosmic Bliss is broadening its scope to a more all-inclusive audience base – while staying true to its values and maintaining sustainable agricultural practices. Get The Full Scoop.

Visit Decentraland’s First Virtual Brewery

Heineken^® jumps into the metaverse by launching Heineken^® Silver, a virtual brew only available within its brewery on Decentraland. The digital platform not only connects users to a fun, high-tech virtual experience, it also provides an educational opportunity for consumers to learn about the product and Heineken’s culture through non-player characters (NPCs). Experience More.

Instacart Enhances User Experience on TikTok

Instacart launched a Shoppable Recipes feature that allows select food creators on TikTok to add a button to their food prep videos that captures all ingredients used in their recipes and then adds them to their Instacart cart. Powdered by TikTok Jump, Instacart plans to expand to more food creators who can then link to their own Shoppable Recipe content. Find the Delicious Details.

The post Weekly Roundup – Week of 3.21.2022 appeared first on Omnivore | A Food & Beverage Advertising Agency.

Expo West Explores Food Innovation

Functional foods made a healthy impression at the Natural Products Expo West. Snacks and jerky using mushrooms, jackfruit as a plant-based meat alternative, and kelp chips and cubes were just a few notable ingredients that brought flavor and function to the event. Discover all the functional food formats and formulations unveiled at the event here.

Mike Tyson Takes Another Historic Bite

Tyson’s cannabis company, Tyson 2.0, debuts its marijuana gummi candies called Mike Bites – shaped like an ear with an iconic small bite taken out – roughly 25 years after the unforgettable WBA Heavyweight Championship fight against Evander Holyfield. Did Mike bite off more than he can chew with this new consumable? Read more and decide for yourself.

102 Nutritious Foods To Feed Your Soul

March is National Nutrition Month and a healthy reminder to consume more foods that enrich our bodies, minds, and lives. From fermented foods to seafood, seeds, and sweeteners, Greatist highlights 102 most nutritious foods and provides easy ways to prepare them. Get the complete list now.

One Burger With a Side of Sneakers, Please

The fast food chain, White Castle, along with the footwear company, Puma, have partnered to create the PUMA x White Castle RS-X sneaker. While not edible, this limited-edition shoe does offer some interesting design aesthetics such as a grilled onion pattern on the inside, the words “What you Crave” written across the tongue, and a notable orange, tan, and brown color palette in honor of their cheese sliders. Learn More.

Two F&B Companies Receive A Grades For Zero Emissions Progress

As You Sow has released its scorecard on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction progress of 55 of the largest U.S. corporations. Food safety and hygiene solutions provider, Ecolab, and beverage giant, PepsiCo, received A- and A grades respectively. The report grades the progress of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, measuring GHG disclosures, GHG targets, and GHG reductions. Read the Full Story.

The post Weekly Roundup – Week of 3.14.2022 appeared first on Omnivore | A Food & Beverage Advertising Agency.

Winter Fancy Food Show Debuts New Products

For the first time in two years, the Winter Fancy Food Show was held and tens of thousands of specialty food and beverage brands were showcased. A few stand-out new products included Sunday Night Foods Premium Dessert Sauces, Terrapin Ridge Sauces and Jams, and Rhythm Superfoods Mushroom Crisps. See Full List.

CPGs Expand Business with Brand Licensing Agreements

A resurgence in brand licensing agreements has allotted CPG companies an additional revenue stream while building their brands, attracting new customers, and fostering future market relevancy. Learn More.

Robots Flip Burgers at White Castle

To help ease the burden of its staff so they can focus on creating better customer experiences, White Castle announced hiring 100 Miso Robotics’ “Flippy 2” in 100 locations across the Midwest, Southwest, and the New York Area. Read Article.

How Sugarloaf Pineapple’s GI Status Helps African Farmers

This delicious delicacy was awarded geographical indication (GI) status for meeting specific production standards, allowing Benin farmers to benefit from premium pricing as well as sweetened pineapple exports. Typically, foods with GI status receive a 43% price premium which is passed onto farmers directly. Read More. (Signup Required.)

James Beard Foundation Announces Semifinalists

After a two-year gap, the James Beard Foundation announced its list of talented chefs and notable restaurants as semifinalists for its 2022 awards. We’re delighted to share that 9 local Milwaukee establishments, for which our team has frequented, have been selected as semifinalists. Check Out Nominees.

More to come next week!

The post WEEKLY ROUNDUP – WEEK OF 2.21.2022 appeared first on Omnivore | A Food & Beverage Advertising Agency.

Best Brands on Instagram

Instagram has over 200 million businesses that use its platform and 90% of users follow at least one of them. Visual content remains a crucial part of any brand’s marketing strategy. This post highlights standout brands and a snapshot of their strategies. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/best-brands-on-instagram

Amazon Continues to Dominate

Amazon’s path to grocery dominance is taking hold as new Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh locations are opening. With little crossover in the customer bases between them, Amazon has the unique ability to fuel both stores and pass on savings to both customer bases. https://thehustle.co/%f0%9f%a5%ac-amazon-fresh-or-whole-foods/

Text-to-Order Is Here

Smoothie King, through a partnership with HungerRush and its OrderAI solution, is testing a text-to-order platform in Chicago and Jacksonville with the goal of giving customers a more modern experience while increasing digital sales for franchisees. https://chainstoreage.com/smoothie-king-pilots-text-based-ordering

New Luxury In Fine Dining

While versions of vegan caviar have been around for some time, a new wave of this luxurious dish is catching the excitement of chefs and making its way onto fine dining menus. https://www.eater.com/22924366/vegan-caviar-restaurant-trend-tonburi-seaweed-fine-dining

DoorDash Delivers on Automation

Since purchasing Chowbotics and leveraging its automated vending technology, DoorDash is developing two virtual food brands with a nacho-style menu test underway in Dallas called Tex-Mess. (Subscription necessary.) https://www.businessinsider.com/doordash-trademarks-dashbotics-dash2go-tex-mess-queso-your-way-2022-2

More to come next week!

The post WEEKLY ROUNDUP – WEEK OF 2.14.2022 appeared first on Omnivore | A Food & Beverage Advertising Agency.

Better Beverages

A tide-change is occurring across several beverage subcategories that stems from consumer desire for better and more varied options. Functional beverages have been emerging as consumers become more mindful of the ingredients they consume, and this category will continue to erupt in 2020. Nation’s Restaurant News specifically calls out functional water as a desirable drink for the coming year.

Beverages are also trending toward low or no alcohol content. Kimpton cites coffee spritzes, nitro coffee, sparkling beverages and tea as top nonalcoholic beverages for 2020. Similarly, NRN lists low-proof cocktails as a top trend as consumers look for the experiential aspects of dining out but without the booze. Restaurant Business mirrors this sentiment by naming alcohol-free bars as something to look out for in 2020.

Purposeful Packaging

The same consumer passion that brought about the phasing out and banning of plastic straws in the past 3 years is now spreading to other packing and utensils. Reusable containers, cups and cutlery are an operational trend focus for NRN, who is seeing programs arise to encourage consumers to bring in their own containers or return containers provided by restaurants they frequent. Webstaurant anticipates that the industry can also expect innovative disposable materials and biodegradable take-out containers to contribute to reducing single-use plastics.

Plant-Based Proliferation

The plant-based foods movement incorporates a wide range of products and menu items from prepared meat alternatives, to scratch-made meat substitutes and to plant-forward dishes. Each of these different offerings will grow in its own specific direction in the years to come. As for prepared plant-based foods that are already available on menus – like hamburger, sausage or chicken – NRN expects to see widespread menu growth in 2020. Prepared Foods also expects the trend to extend to plant-based eggs, cheese, sauces, condiments and more. Yet Restaurant Business is thinking small for plant-based in 2020 – specifically small-batch. FSR is making predictions in a similar vein, saying that restaurants will look to make their own plant-based offerings from scratch in the coming year.

Small-Scale Farming

Desire for fresh, local greens is driving the proliferation of operators growing their own greens. But rather than dedicating outdoor space to their own gardens, operators are going even smaller scale by using Controlled Environment Agriculture, as reported in Datassential FoodBytes 2020 Vision. Green growing cabinets also make an appearance on the Webstaurant Store Top Foodservice Trends of 2020 list. This micro-farming equipment gives operators more flexibility in the greens they can offer and eliminates the unpredictability of traditional sourcing of produce that is subject to environmental factors like drought.

The beginning of a new year isn’t the only time it’s important to keep a pulse on burgeoning trends in the industry. That’s why we remain immersed in the market year round — interfacing with operators, attending countless industry events and constantly mining the latest industry data. This depth of market analysis informs everything we do from brand strategy to content creation to culinary development and more. To learn more about how our deep industry connectivity can benefit your business, please contact us.

The post TRENDING NOW – 2020 FRESH PICKS appeared first on Omnivore | A Food & Beverage Advertising Agency.

For C&U operators, understanding consumer demand poses a significant challenge with a profound pay-off. A staggering 79% of C&U decision-makers say that their top business challenge is determining what customers want.² Knowing what entices the current generation of college students can inform menu strategy for the 74% of C&U operators who believe that improving menu options will drive increased sales in the future.³ Furthermore, 46% of these operators say that consumer trend data is important when deciding where to buy products for use in their operation.⁴ The following areas trending amongst Gen Z diners can help manufacturers guide their customers and align their offerings to operator need.

Consumer insights like these hold value for both the manufacturer and the operator. Operators who use consumer trends to drive their menu strategy will be more attracted to manufacturers who draw connections between trends and products. To explore how we use trends and insights to impact your business, contact us.

1 Gen Z is Set to Outnumber Millennials Within a Year, Bloomberg, 2018
2 C&U Pulse Report, Datassential, 2018
3 Datassential, C&U Pulse Report, 2018
4 Datassential, C&U Pulse Report, 2018
5 C&U Census: Diner’s Choice, Foodservice Director, 2017
6 FoodBytes, Datassential, 2018
7 Flavor Consumer Trend Report, Technomic, 2017
8 College & University Consumer Trend Report, Technomic, 2017
9 College & University Consumer Trend Report, Technomic, 2017
10 College & University Consumer Trend Report, Technomic, 2017
11 College & University Consumer Trend Report, Technomic, 2017
12 Global Survey of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Nielsen, 2015
13 Global Survey of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Nielsen, 2015
14 The Gen Z Effect, Cassandra, 2017

The post GEN Z TRENDS INFORM C&U SPEND appeared first on Omnivore | A Food & Beverage Advertising Agency.