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This month we welcome three new members: manufacturers Texas Pete and California Custom Fruits and Flavors, plus supply chain member Edward Don & Company.
This week’s update focuses on the planned foodservice upgrades coming to the country’s largest convenience retailer.
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.
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.
A pivotal force in forming the United States 250 years ago, the philosopher-farmer also helped American dining break free from Britain’s influence.
The family dining chain said it intends to make further MAHA-driven changes to its recipes and menu later this year.
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.
Ben Wexler sits down with Phil Kafarakis to discuss his career and longstanding service to the industry.
Phil sits down with Herb Ring, Honorary Silver Plate Award recipient and two-time IFMA The Food Away from Home Association Board Chair.
From innovative dishes at the opening reception to chef-led creations at Menu-a-thon, immerse yourself in the flavors that defined IFMA COEX 2026 in Atlanta.
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.
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.
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.
Welcome to a new feature recapping the latest FAFH developments at convenience and grocery stores.
Orders of the products from broadline distributors fell in 2024 after years of growth, the report found.
The former manager of Microsoft’s foodservice operations wants to air solutions to common problems across the six siloed sectors of “everyday foodservice.”
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.
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.
Welcome to a new feature recapping the latest food-away-from-home-related developments at convenience and grocery stores.
The surcharges, imposed after the Supreme Court rejected the Administration’s first round of duties, have been challenged by 24 states.
Kevin Hourican said the added buying power will provide the purchasing leverage to hold the line. That’s not such good news for suppliers.
The dynamics widened the expense gap between cooking at home and frequenting a food-away-from-home establishment.
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.”
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.
The once-vertically-integrated chain is closing three more of its dough manufacturing facilities and increasing its reliance on outside suppliers.
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.
Here’s a roundup of food-away-from-home news that might have slipped past even avid media watchers.
Long before Indian cuisine caught on in the foodservice mainstream, colleges and universities were regularly serving the Asian fare in their dining halls.
Brands roll out pickle cookies, cheddar Pop-Tarts, name changes and more. Just be sure to double-check the date.
Once approved, the $45 billion transaction would bring together brands including McCormick spices and flavorings, Knorr, Hellmann’s and Cholula.
The Silver Plate winner has brought new success to his theater chain by having it function more as a restaurant.
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.
Welcome our newest manufacturer members for March 2026! Discover Aquamar, Bay State Milling, BelGioioso Cheese, Chelten House, Cordillera, Legacy Foods, Mrs. Gerry's Kitchen, Nadura*, Savannah Foods, and Tiger Packaging.
Sodexo and The Princeton Review plan to canvass school administrators about the correlation between foodservices and school loyalty.
The broadliner said the deal will instantly make it the largest player in the cash-and-carry market.
A new study says half of consumers aged 18 to 34 are considering what’s in fryers when choosing a restaurant.
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.
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.
Convenience stores are getting more strategic with bundle deals to compete with QSRs.
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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
Anyone waiting for a mention of Taco Bell or Starbucks might have been surprised by what the teenagers participating in an onstage focus group at COEX revealed as their top dining preferences.
Starbucks on Tuesday announced a major reorganization of its licensed business.
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
Though hailing from different segments, Freddy’s Custard and Steakburgers and Perkins Restaurant & Bakery both offered accounts of how they lost silver-haired patrons through well-intentioned efforts to help the brands and their franchisees. Their ca
Before Texas Roadhouse founder and CEO Kent Taylor died in 2021, he scribbled a name on a legal pad atop his desk: J-e-r-r-y M-o-r-g-a-n. He tore off the strip of paper and set it aside, in effect answering the question he knew every employee of the
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
It’s typical for conferences in the food business to preview menu trends via slides and expert commentary. COEX 2026 opted to use knives and forks instead.
Sales growth for the food-away-from-home industry should accelerate moderately in 2026 from last year’s 0.8% gain, but the war in the Middle East could turn that projection into wishful thinking, according to a business update aired at COEX.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. kept his jeans on during a recent video proving his physical fitness, but he couldn’t avoid a full Monty at COEX. A critical look at his pet MAHA projects suggested the health emperor is wearing no clothes.
Leah Chase, longtime chef-proprietor of New Orleans’ Dooky Chase
IFMA The Food Away from Home Association is pleased to announce the hiring of Heather Lalley as its new Director of Communications.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 ...
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
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.
The Association honors two industry leaders at COEX 2026: Regynald Washington receives the William J. Tobin Award and Herb Ring is presented the Honorary Silver Plate Award.
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.
Her work for the KFC brand and franchise system elevated her to industrywide prominence.
This month we welcome new manufacturer members Bob's Red Mill, Friendlier, G-LINK, The Pink Bakery, and Yellowbird, along with service providers Treehouse Ventures and Zilliant.
Even in the best of times, few food-away-from-home segments are as complicated and demanding as the K-12 market. And these are definitely not the best of times. In addition to the usual budgetary issues, school foodservice directors (FSDs) are facing
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
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
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.
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
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 ...
Any serious student of the restaurant business knows Atlanta, host of COEX 2026, is home to some of the industry’s most intriguing experiments, from Chick-fil-A's new drinks concept, Daybright, to Shake Shack’s Kitchen Innovation Lab.
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
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.
Taking over a business from its founder and driving force for nearly three decades can be a test of fortitude. But that doesn’t begin to capture what Jerry Morgan faced in March of 2021.
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 ...
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’
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
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.
IFMA The Food Away from Home Association announced the nine winners of the 72nd annual Silver Plate Awards today.
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.
From family farms and fourth-generation producers to culinary innovators and AI-powered platforms, meet our newest members shaping the future of food-away-from-home.
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 ...
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.
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.
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.
The suggestions put forth in the new guidelines have prompted more head-scratching from food-away-from-home professionals than hurrahs or hisses.