Retail Foodservice Roundup: 3 changes coming to 7-Eleven’s prepared foods program

This week’s update focuses on the planned foodservice upgrades coming to the country’s largest convenience retailer.

April 27: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

A lifetime in hospitality earns Richard 'Dick' Marriott the 2026 Legends Award

From the time he was 6, the scion of the famed family has strived to leave his mark on the U.S. hospitality industry through smarts and hard work.

Restaurants launch slew of portable, snackable new items

Chains including Pokeworks, Bojangles, Panera Bread and more are jumping on the latest trends to meet consumer desire for high-protein snacks around the clock.

Steak ‘n Shake appoints a chief MAHA officer

The family dining chain said it intends to make further MAHA-driven changes to its recipes and menu later this year.

What happens at the Gold and Silver Plate gala stays there, at least in picking the winner

Considerable color is added to the event by its adherence to traditions, one of them being a token bet on who’ll win the Gold Plate award. Here’s how to engage in that time-honored custom.

How familiar are you with the Gold and Silver Plate awards? Take our trivia quiz to find out

The 72nd edition of the Gold & Silver Plate Awards are coming up soon. Test your knowledge of the FAFH industry's biggest night and see how you stack up.

U.K. veers from the U.S. in its plan to make school meals healthier

The European nation is updating its student nutrition standards for the first time in more than 10 years, with significant departures from the approach planned for U.S. schools.

April 20: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Retail Foodservice Roundup:C-store foodservice keeps growing, 7-Eleven closures, grocery deli update

Welcome to a new feature recapping the latest FAFH developments at convenience and grocery stores.

Sales of plant-based meat analogs are wilting, new research finds

Orders of the products from broadline distributors fell in 2024 after years of growth, the report found.

Where are they now: Mark Freeman, 2012 Silver Plate winner

The former manager of Microsoft’s foodservice operations wants to air solutions to common problems across the six siloed sectors of “everyday foodservice.”

New university venture aims to avert supply-chain problems

The Supply Chain Resiliency Hub will help U.S. manufacturers find new and alternative suppliers while flagging disruption risks, according to the University of New Haven.

Have the munchies? Here’s how operators are observing 4/20

The annual unofficial celebration of cannabis culture is kicking into high gear, with chains like Jimmy John’s, Wingstop, Insomnia Cookies and more joining with punny marketing and menu items.

Now judges are reviewing the legality of Trump’s 10% tariffs

The surcharges, imposed after the Supreme Court rejected the Administration’s first round of duties, have been challenged by 24 states.

Retail Foodservice Roundup: Amazon grocery growth, Sheetz’ big Indiana debut, Rutter’s taco fiesta

Welcome to a new feature recapping the latest food-away-from-home-related developments at convenience and grocery stores.

April 13: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Menu prices inched upward in March as grocery prices fell

The dynamics widened the expense gap between cooking at home and frequenting a food-away-from-home establishment.

Sysco’s CEO promises no increase in Restaurant Depot’s prices

Kevin Hourican said the added buying power will provide the purchasing leverage to hold the line. That’s not such good news for suppliers.

7-Eleven parent presses pause on North American IPO plans

In The country’s largest convenience-store owner cited ongoing consumer uncertainty in its decision to stall its go-public effort by a year “at the earliest.”

April 6: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Updated dietary guidelines most likely to sway younger consumers

The latest Consumer & Operator Research Group report offers insight into the demographic groups most likely to change the way they eat based on new nutritional information.

News roundup: Restaurant chain sniping, new 'living wage' quest, restaurants give TSA agents a hand

Here’s a roundup of food-away-from-home news that might have slipped past even avid media watchers.

Florida embraces MAHA’s push for more local food purchasing by hospitals

Patterned after a 2-year-old program in Kentucky, the initiative obliges participating facilities to spend 5% of their food budgets on supplies from local farms.

Panera to lay off 300 more bakery workers

The once-vertically-integrated chain is closing three more of its dough manufacturing facilities and increasing its reliance on outside suppliers.

FAFH industry has some April Fool’s fun

Brands roll out pickle cookies, cheddar Pop-Tarts, name changes and more. Just be sure to double-check the date.

Unilever Foods, McCormick to merge in massive food deal

Once approved, the $45 billion transaction would bring together brands including McCormick spices and flavorings, Knorr, Hellmann’s and Cholula.

Cinemark’s Sean Gamble is redefining 'dinner and a movie’

The Silver Plate winner has brought new success to his theater chain by having it function more as a restaurant.

Hospital food purchases will have to abide by MAHA guidelines

Procurement policies and practices will need to be brought in line with the nutritional guidelines set out in the new DGAs for hospitals to continue receiving federal funding, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced.

New study aims to show how dining options influence student retention

Sodexo and The Princeton Review plan to canvass school administrators about the correlation between foodservices and school loyalty.

Sysco to buy Restaurant Depot for $29.1B

The broadliner said the deal will instantly make it the largest player in the cash-and-carry market.

Younger diners are getting pickier about how their food is fried

A new study says half of consumers aged 18 to 34 are considering what’s in fryers when choosing a restaurant.

March 30: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Authenticity is on Jeff Palmer’s mind at UC San Diego

Jeff Palmer, exec director of dining at UC San Diego and this year's College & University Silver Plate winner, is using data, sustainability, and a passion for culinary authenticity to redefine what campus dining can be.

Don’t tell Leisa Bryant her job is only about serving hospital food

Leisa Bryant, executive director of Food and Nutrition Services at MD Anderson Cancer Center and this year's Healthcare Silver Plate winner, is redefining hospital food — one act of compassionate leadership at a time.

Check out these books from the industry’s elite

15 books by Silver Plate award winners, the food-away-from-home industry's elite. Learn their secrets to success, from building iconic brands like Wendy's and Popeyes to pioneering hospitality, offering invaluable insights for aspiring leaders.

Danielle Bock doesn’t hesitate to stir the pot for her students and staff

Danielle Bock, director of nutrition services for Greeley-Evans School District and this year's K-12 Silver Plate winner, has spent her career fighting for students and staff — and she's not done yet.

C-stores find success stealing from the fast-food value playbook

Convenience stores are getting more strategic with bundle deals to compete with QSRs.

Jerry Morgan is more than a caretaker of what he inherited at Texas Roadhouse

Jerry Morgan, CEO of Texas Roadhouse and this year’s Silver Plate winner in the Chain Full Service category, is widely known as Kent Taylor’s successor. But that doesn’t reflect all he’s doing for the company and brand.

Grocer Stop & Shop gives its hot bars a makeover

Regional grocer Stop & Shop this week announced a major upgrade of its in-store hot bars. The refreshed self-serve dinners and sides feature comfort food options and globally inspired proteins, which will be served from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Before Bourdain or Child, there was the food writer Clementine Paddleford

A name like Clementine Paddleford isn’t easy to forget. Nor is a long professional life of piloting her own Piper Cub from one backwater location to another, looking for local dishes that were as enticing as anything the swells of New York City.

Starbucks shakes up its licensed business

Starbucks on Tuesday announced a major reorganization of its licensed business.

March 23: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Executive Summary COEX 2026

It’s clear that the way customers make their dining choices is changing. How they decide whether a brand has earned their next visit, or their next dollar, can be complicated. As an industry, we need to understand, and anticipate, our consumers like

Catching up with past winners of Silver and Gold Plates

Longtime attendees of the annual Gold and Silver Plate Awards ceremony will see some familiar faces accompanying the 2026 winners at this year’s gala. It’s now a tradition for the current honorees to be escorted to the dais by a mentor of their choos

Leah Chase did far more than change New Orleans’ dining scene

Leah Chase, longtime chef-proprietor of New Orleans’ Dooky Chase

March 17: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Here’s how the government plans to issue tariff refunds

Moving with court-ordered haste, the Trump Administration has drafted a detailed plan for dispersing more than $165 billion it collected under the protective tariffs that were struck down last month by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Casey’s Brad Haga proves c-stores can go toe to toe with QSRs

Anyone in chef’s whites might feel at home inside the buzzing kitchens that landed a Silver Plate this year for Brad Haga, SVP of Prepared Foods and Dispensed Beverages for the Casey’s General Store convenience-store chain.

America may run on Dunkin’, but it’s Scott Murphy who sets the pace

If Scott Murphy’s business card listed all the roles he fills for Dunkin’ and its multi-brand parent, it’d have to be some sort of fold-out model to fit everything.

Brace yourself for some MAHA bombshells

The Trump Administration plans to release its first stab next month at a definition of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). The release would mark a major step toward codifying tenets of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement into a new ...

How Chip Wade is putting his own stamp on Union Square Hospitality

Running a company while its founder is still actively involved can be a challenge. If that founder happens to be Danny Meyer, the Yoda of fine dining, a successor would have to be dumber than a rock to shun the input. And Chip Wade, CEO of Meyer’s U

Not in the picture, but a big part of Marriott’s soul: Allie Marriott

Without the daily involvement of Alice “Allie” Marriott, Willard’s wife and Bill’s mom, there might never have been the hospitality behemoth every traveler knows today.

Sally Minier baked up a different sort of career in B&I

Jane Street, a young investment firm, had to wait a year before Sally Minier agreed to be interviewed for the facilities management position it was struggling to fill. Even then, Minier recalls, she said yes largely to see if a newcomer to the starch

March 9: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Refund picture is even cloudier than the tariff situation

A federal judge has ordered the Trump Administration to refund the estimated $175 billion it collected under President Donald Trump’s protectionist tariffs, but the food-away-from-home industry may have to wait years before seeing any of the money.

KFC had another secret ingredient: Jackie Trujillo

Her work for the KFC brand and franchise system elevated her to industrywide prominence.

March 2: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Making sense of the tariff mess

The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the President doesn’t have the authority to set the nation’s tariff policies. “Oh, yes I do,” retorts a livid President Trump, who immediately imposes a new duty on imports and declares he could halt all incoming go

February 23: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Trump says he won’t end tariffs despite Supreme Court ruling

Blasting the U.S. Supreme Court’s disallowance of his tariffs as “ridiculous” and possibly traitorous, President Trump said he will keep the surcharges in place and raise them an additional 10% under his authority as the ultimate defender of national

Supreme Court kills Trump’s tariffs as White House contemplates what’s next

The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down President Trump’s protectionist tariffs, easing fears within the food-away-from-home business that food and beverage costs would soar as the steep import duties took full effect.

Meet the Jackie Robinson of the restaurant industry, Ernie Royal

An underprivileged youngster lands the humblest of restaurant jobs at an age that would make his employment a crime today. The kid has a special spark and plenty of ambition, enabling him to navigate past one obstacle after another until he’s the own

McDonald’s is getting ready for a possible GLP-1 boom

If the public embraces the new GLP-1 weight-loss pill as eagerly as many experts predict, McDonald’s intends to be ready. In a little-noticed aside during a call last week with financial analysts ...

Meet McDonald’s first Black franchisee, Chicago’s Herman Petty

Enter the barber who ran a busy shop down the street. Herman Petty saw the potential of the Golden Arches and came forward with an overture to become the store’s franchisee. He was sure he could turn the store into a standout operation and a positive

FAFH operators are about to descend on Atlanta

At least 24 of the nation’s restaurant chains are located in Atlanta. A sizeable portion of the rest will be joining them in a few weeks when COEX returns to the southern capital for the first time since 1978.

February 16: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Trump takes action to bring down food costs

President Trump made two moves in rapid succession with the intention of bringing down protein costs. Acknowledging that ground beef prices are at an historic high, the President okayed an 80,000-metric-ton increase in the import ...

Meet the woman who may have been America’s first celebrity chef

About a half-century before Emeril Lagasse exclaimed his first televised “Bam!”, a now largely forgotten New Orleans chef and restaurateur named Lena Richard was showing those fortunate enough to own a tv in 1949 how to prepare the Creole dishes she’

Our 2025 Year in Review

Despite all the chaos and uncertainly in 2025, we are proud of what we were able to accomplish in serving you, our members. Bringing our new branding to life across everything we do, launching a new in-person event, and creating stronger communicatio

February 9: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

FDA broadens the scope of ‘contains no artificial dyes’

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is easing its labeling policies to allow foods made with natural color additives to be tagged as products containing no artificial dyes.

February 2: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

2026 Silver Plate Award Winners Represent the Food-Away-from-Home Industry

IFMA The Food Away from Home Association announced the nine winners of the 72nd annual Silver Plate Awards today.

Sysco intends to add more value options to its product array

Sysco will be focusing in the months to come on expanding the array of value-priced products it can offer restaurants as they hunt for ways to preserve margins, the distribution giant stressed during a call with financial analysts this week.

What kind of FAFH market is COEX’s host city of Atlanta?

Even with 40,000 outlets feeding more than 42 million residents and visitors annually, Atlanta's food-away-from-home industry is sometimes denied the recognition it’s due as one of the nation’s foodservice powerhouses.

Amazon is making another brick-and-mortar run at the FAFH market

Amazon is overhauling its strategy for taking a bigger bite of convenience stores’ ready-to-eat food business. The e-commerce giant announced Tuesday that it will close its high-tech Amazon Go c-stores stores to concentrate on a new grab-and-go ...

FAFH suppliers push for an end to the strife in Minneapolis

The leaders of several major food-away-from-home suppliers in Minnesota have teamed up with the CEOs of neighboring businesses to press for an end to the political tensions that have roiled Minneapolis for weeks.

New dietary guidelines have the FAFH industry scratching its head

The suggestions put forth in the new guidelines have prompted more head-scratching from food-away-from-home professionals than hurrahs or hisses.

Gold and Silver Plate awards by the numbers

For more than 70 years, superstars of the food-away-from-home business have competed for the industry’s highest honors—a Silver Plate for being the best in their segment, and the grand prize for the best among that elite group, the Gold Plate Award.

January 26: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Kelli Valade is named CEO of WFF

The Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) has named Kelli Valade, previously the head of Denny’s, as its new CEO and President.

Imported food packaging is about to get hit with steep new duties

Politics continue to cloud the pricing outlook for imported foods and beverages, but the U.S. food-away-from-home business is about to learn what impact the international trade wars will have on the cost of a widely used form of packaging produced ov

Trump changes course on tariffs—again

Just like that, President Trump has dropped his threat to jack up the tariffs on food-away-from-home supplies from Europe.

January 19: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Trump proposes a new round of tariffs if he’s thwarted internationally

Global politics have plunged the food-away-from-home (FAFH) business back into uncertainty about the effects of President Trump’s aggressive tariffs.

Menu-price inflation accelerated in December

Menu prices rose in December by 0.7%, seven times the rate clocked at the end of the third quarter and more than double the rate of inflation across all categories of U.S. goods and services, according to new data from the federal government.

January 12: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

School cafeterias worry they can’t afford new Dietary Guidelines

A nonprofit group representing the nation’s school cafeterias has greeted the Trump Administration’s recommendation to cut their use of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) with a pointed question: Who’ll pick up the check?

What’s New in the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

HHS Secretary Kennedy, and USDA Secretary Rollins announced the release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, representing an update to federal nutrition policy.

FBI averts suspected terrorist attack on FAFH businesses

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it has arrested an 18-year-old supporter of ISIS for allegedly plotting to attack customers of a supermarket and quick-service restaurant in North Carolina.

White House agrees to lower tariffs on imported pastas

New Year's Day brought good news to U.S. food-away-from-home establishments that use major brands of pasta sourced from Italy: The White House has backed away from a plan to levy tariffs of more than 100% on the imports.

January 5: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

FDA gives the food industry a bad grade on recalls

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration isn’t satisfied with the way manufacturers and other components of the food pipeline are handling product recalls.

Outlook 2026: 5 uncertainties hanging over the FAFH industry

Here’s a look at some of those uncertainties and what they could mean for the food-away-from-home trade.

December 29: The latest on MAHA and related developments

A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

PFG taps Scott McPherson as its new CEO

Performance Food Group (PFG) has tapped current President and COO Scott McPherson to succeed George Holm as CEO as of January 1 as part of what the distribution powerhouse says is a planned leadership transition.

FAFH’s top newsmakers in 2025

Here’s a look at the people (and one non-human) who continually made headlines for the food-away-from-home industry in 2025.

Year’s end brings a flurry of exec changes to FAFH giants

Several of the largest companies in the food-away-from-home business have announced changes this week in their top management.

Food-safety concerns are driving consumers away from c-stores, study finds

Doubt about the freshness of convenience-store food has long been regarded as the key challenge in the sector’s effort to steal business from quick-service restaurants. Now research has revealed a fear of being sickened is prompting ...