MONDAY MINUTE: March 14, 2022

Check out our thoughts and views on the world of restaurants, technology, and off-premise food in our round-up of some of last week's hot news stories.

Articles mentioned in the video:

BUYK & Fridge No More SHUT DOWN

Congress has dashed any chance of the RESTAURANT REVITALIZATION FUND restarting

GAS PRICE AFFECTING GIG DRIVERS

The Guardian

ABC7News

Many nay-sayers think healthy food and international cuisine is a coastal elite thing and will never be more than a niche. Restaurants should take note of what’s happening in CPG and Grocery.

A. Variety seekers, sugar avoiders drive sparkling water category. Sparkling water has bubbled over with growth and interest from consumers in recent years. Sales of flavored sparkling water grew 24% between 2020 and 2021, according to data from Nielsen, with the category expected to experience annual growth of nearly 13% through 2028.

B. Consumer interest in probiotics is growing far beyond yogurt, survey finds. Research from Chr. Hansen shows opportunity for food manufacturers to expand the microorganisms to new categories and dayparts — and to educate about their benefits.

C. Major US retailers indicate they will expand seafood space in stores as sales surge. Seafood sales at US supermarkets are being driven by a new super consumer.

D. Weee has raised $425 million in new funding from a group of investors led by Japan’s SoftBank Vision Fund 2, the ethnic e-grocer announced on Monday. The company said the Series E round brings its valuation up to $4.1 billion. Self-described as the leading leading Asian and Hispanic e-grocer in the U.S., Weee said it plans to use the funds to extend into new ethnic cuisines, expand existing categories, scale geographically and bolster innovations in warehouse automation and artificial intelligence.

We were in Spain at the HIP conference last week. What were your top 3 reflections on the trip?

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