Food & Beverage News

Denny’s Corp. is giving its loyalty-program members a chance to get free delivery for the rest of the year through the Denny’s on Demand platform, the company said. The Spartanburg, S.C.-based family-dining chain said Denny’s Rewards members can place an order via Denny’s on Demand between July 27 and Aug. 9, and then they will…

Hoping to avert further shutdowns, the National Restaurant Association on Monday urged the nation’s governors and mayors not to reclose restaurant dining rooms that are operating within current guidelines. In a letter to the National Governors Association and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Lawrence Lynch, the NRA’s senior vice president, science and industry, wrote that…

McDonald’s will require customers at its 14,000 U.S. restaurants to wear face masks starting Aug. 1—while Chipotle’s policy went into effect today—making the fast food chains the latest corporations to implement mandatory mask policies.  Chipotle said that all patrons and employees are now required to wear a mask at the chain’s 2,630 restaurants. McDonald’s said in…

Fast-growing food delivery company Chowbus raised $33 million in a Series A funding round, the company announced. The funding was led by venture capital firms Altos Ventures, based in Silicon Valley, and Left Lane Capital, based in New York City. Other contributors were Hyde Park Angels, Fika Ventures, FJ Labs and Silicon Valley Bank. Founded…

The quirky, oft maligned “quick response” barcodes have found a niche in restaurants amid the coronavirus, when social distance is the name of the game and human contact is best kept to a minimum. Operators are placing the codes at the hostess stand, on table tents or outside the door, allowing guests to scan them with…

When restaurants were forced to close dine-in operations at the start of the coronavirus crisis, a number converted their spaces into grocery stores. Since supermarkets were deemed essential businesses, a storefront selling food and other staples for housebound consumers fell under the same umbrella. In the beginning, most operators offered a limited selection of produce, meat,…

Startup restaurant matchmaker Franklin Junction finds restaurants with spare kitchen space, and marries them with brands that want to expand their delivery-only reach. Ruby Tuesday, which has permanently closed several restaurants in recent months, has found a new way to generate revenue during the pandemic: sell hot dogs from Nathan’s Famous. Dozens of Ruby Tuesday restaurants…

Starbucks announced it will expedite the rollout of its new “Pickup” store concept, powered by mobile ordering, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It will also expand access to curbside pickup, drive-thru and walk-up counters in less dense, suburban markets, the company said. These changes aren’t going to arrive as new additions to Starbucks’ existing…

Starbucks announced that starting July 15, customers will be required to wear face masks in all company-owned café locations in the U.S. Customers, however, will not be required to wear facial coverings in the drive-thru or picking up curbside “unless locally mandated,” Starbucks clarified in a tweet announcing the news. Customers who prefer to not…

Sales of plant-based meat alternatives increased by 23% when merchandised in the meat department at grocery stores, according to new research from the Plant Based Foods Association and the Kroger Co. The placement of plant-based proteins was tested during a 12-week period prior to the coronavirus pandemic at 60 stores in Colorado, Indiana and Illinois.…