Foodservice Industry

Industry Roundup

Coffee

John Lewis, Waitrose stores offer free coffee, discounts on hot food to police to deter thieves; news comes as British Retail Consortium says retailers lost £1B to theft last year, with number of thefts rising 26% in Britain's 10 largest cities
Fortune (08/21)

Cold Cuts / Processed Meats

Perdue Farms subsidiary Alexander & Hornung announces plans to close its processed meat plant in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, by the end of the year
Industry Intelligence Inc. (08/18)

Cold Drinks

Carl's Jr. offering limited-time Big Char Chile Burger in four versions and Salted Caramel Pretzel Shake from August 30 through October 31; burger orders to start August 23 via the Carl’s Jr. app
QSR Web (08/21)

Cold Sandwiches & Wraps

Sale of Subway to Roark Capital for US$9.6B could close this week reports Wall Street Journal, although another firm could outbid Roark for the sandwich chain; Subway has about 20,000 stores in US, 37,000 stores worldwide
QSR Web (08/21)

McAlister's Deli announces the following limited-time menu items available exclusively for loyalty program members: Chicken BLT+A, Turkey Club Croissant, Taco Salad, Chili Cheese Dip and Spud Ole
Nation's Restaurant News (08/18)

Confectionery & Sweet Snacks

Entenmann's announces launch of new Refrigerated Ready-To-Bake Cookie Dough, available at Albertsons stores; product comes in four flavors: Glazed Donut Cookie, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate Brownie Cookie and Cinnamon Toffee Cookie
PR Newswire (08/18)

Fried & Cooked Chicken

Arby's offering Buffalo or Hot Honey BBQ boneless wings combos for US$5 for a limited time starting August 21; offer includes six wings and small order of fries
Chew Boom (08/21)

Tims China launches nationwide expansion of Popeyes in China with grand opening of first flagship restaurant in Shanghai; Tims China plants to open at least 10 Popeyes restaurants in Shanghai in the coming quarter, 1,700 across China over next decade
GlobeNewswire (08/21)

Fries & Hot Sides

Del Taco announces limited-time offering of its new Honey Chipotle BBQ Brisket, available in three menu items: Honey Chipotle BBQ Brisket Quesadilla, Epic Honey Chipotle BBQ Brisket & Bacon Burrito, and Honey Chipotle BBQ Brisket & Bacon Fries
Globe Newswire (08/18)

Fruits, Vegetables & Salads

Healthy food restaurant firm Sweetgreen names former Burger King exec Chad Brauze as Head of Culinary and former Chipotle Sr. Marketing Director Michael Kotick as VP, Head of Marketing
Associated Press (08/21)

Study reviews use of lycopene in active film packaging, emulsion, microcapsules, composite coatings, as food preservative; natural phytochemical compound provides antioxidant activity to food products such as meat, seafood, oil, dairy, fruits, vegetables
MDPI Journal: Foods (08/21)

Hot Sandwiches, Wraps & Burgers

Sonic rolls out Bacon Peppercorn Ranch Grilled Cheese Burger featuring seasoned beef patty and hickory-smoked bacon; burger to be available nationwide from August 21, 2203, for a limited time
Chew Boom (08/21)

Pizzas

Jet's Pizza announces special offer to celebrate its 45th anniversary; from August 21-27, all 4 Corner and 8 Corner pizzas ordered online 45% off using special promo code
Chew Boom (08/21)

Coffee Shops & Juice Bars

Cornell University says it is ending its partnership with Starbucks after the coffee chain punished unionization efforts in Ithaca, New York
Syracuse Media Group (NY) (08/18)

Coalition of campaigners fighting to end environmental and human rights abuses in the cocoa sector targeting Starbucks to come clean on where it sources the ingredients for its chocolate products
FoodNavigator.com (08/18)

Quick Service Restaurants (QSR)

Applebee's announces offering of new Chicken Quesadilla Salad as a permanent menu item; the item features grilled chicken over fresh greens tossed with Mexi-ranch dressing, black bean corn salsa, cheddar cheeses and cheese quesadillas
Industry Intelligence Inc. (08/18)

Executive Perspective: Popeyes will open 10 stores in the Chinese market this year and add no fewer than 1,700 branches in the next 10 years, says Lu Yongchen, CEO of Tim Hortons China
Xinhua News Agency (China) (08/18)

Casual Dining Restaurants

Denny's announces that President John Dillon is no longer with the company; Kelli Valade will take on both the roles of CEO and president
Nation's Restaurant News (08/18)

Red Lobster announces offering of new Crispy Dragon Shrimp, a permanent menu offering featuring battered and fried shrimp in a sweet and mildly spicy chile sauce
Nation's Restaurant News (08/18)

Foodservice Packaging

Uber Eats in Mexico is evaluating changing food orders so that consumers can differentiate restaurants that use packaging with a smaller environmental footprint; CEO says consumers are willing to pay more for packaging with a smaller footprint
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (08/21)

Foodservice Packaging Assn. calls for a UK Defra information campaign to ensure small independent foodservice providers are aware of single-use plastics ban, requests for a delay of at least three months to allow operators to use up existing stocks
Packaging News (08/18)

Food & Beverage Distributors

United Natural Foods breaks ground on new state-of-the-art distribution center just north of Sarasota, Florida; the facility will increase efficiency and decrease cost-per-case, company says
United Natural Foods Inc. (08/18)

SpartanNash's Q2 net earnings nearly quadruple to US$19.5M year-over-year, with net sales rising 1.7% to US$2.31B
Grocery Dive (08/18)

Restaurants

Activist investor Starboard Value acquires a nearly 10% stake in Bloomin' Brands, shares of which rose more than 7% in midday trading on Aug. 18
Associated Press (08/18)

BJ's Restaurants announces limited-time offering of BJ’s Tropical Hopstorm IPA, a variation on the existing Hopstorm IPA with accents of citrus, melon, pineapple, mango, stone fruit and coconut
Nation's Restaurant News (08/18)

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