Food, drink, and hospitality — the makers, places, and trends worth knowing.

When I have friends visiting Los Angeles and I ask where they’d like to eat, of all the incredible restaurants that the city has to offer — old Hollywood steakhouses, elite sushi counters, taco trucks, bustling Korean barbecue spots — there’s one place that always comes up these

On June 15, the culinary world will descend on Chicago for the James Beard Awards. For the uninitiated, this esteemed ceremony, hosted by the James Beard Foundation, recognizes the country’s best chefs, restaurateurs, authors, and journalists — the people dedicated to cooking, sh

This excerpt was originally published in Pre Shift, our newsletter for the hospitality industry. Subscribe for more first-person accounts, advice, and interviews. Everyone needs a convenient, accessible place to socialize. But maintaining a cafe, bar, restaurant, or hybrid space

A decade after opening beloved Soho bistro King, chef and owner Jess Shadbolt and co-owner Annie Shi just opened a classic British pub right next door. Dean’s serves standout British dishes like stargazy pie, a pot pie with a whole fish head gazing up from crust, as well as class

The story of the London food scene is one that includes dim sum, Sunday roasts, curries, pizza, sinasir, rarebits, banh mi, udon, pepper pot, sweetbread suya, and natural wine. Across cuisines, neighborhoods, and price points, all these dishes and drinks place London among the ve

This excerpt was originally published in Pre Shift, our newsletter for the hospitality industry. Subscribe for more first-person accounts, advice, and interviews. Everyone needs a convenient, accessible place to socialize. But maintaining a cafe, bar, restaurant, or hybrid space

Amid a stretch of red-brick buildings, the Brooklyn restaurant Margot, right at the corner on a busy intersection, stands out. It’s blue: very blue, its two-story exterior painted the color of a pair of Prue Leith’s glasses, a chore coat worn by a server at a trendy natural wine

This excerpt was originally published in Pre Shift, our newsletter for the hospitality industry. Subscribe for more first-person accounts, advice, and interviews. Now Open is a yearlong series celebrating some of 2026’s most exciting new restaurants. Throughout the year, we’ll ch

Restaurant operators need to treat reviews as decision-support assets in order to reduce friction and build guest trust, according to ReputationRiser’s Restaurant Website Review Visibility Analysis. A review of 51 restaurant websites found that more than 80 percent fail to displa

The restaurant operators I worry about most are the ones who built their businesses the hard way, whether they run a single neighborhood spot or a dozen locations grown one at a time. They know every vendor, every shift lead, and most of their regulars by name. They worry about…

Food quality is the strongest loyalty driver at 48 percent, far ahead of discounts or promotions at just six percent,  according to the Summer 2026 Consumer Trends Report from Provoke Insights in collaboration with Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine. Good value (28 perce

Restaurant operators must turn their aligned data into action in order to generate revenue and manage rising costs, according to PAR Technology’s 2026 QSR Operational Index. “The operators pulling away from the field have connected their front-of-house ordering, their loyalty pla

As a restaurant owner, I know success hinges on creating a full, memorable experience that goes beyond the menu In a city like Charlotte, which is seeing its food and beverage scene grow rapidly. Of course, the food has to be consistent and craveable, but it's really about buildi

There’s a growing desire among consumers for nutrient-dense foods that boost energy, improve concentration, and aid health so when eating out, they expect menus to reflect their health-consciousness, according to Tastewise’s Culture Shift 2026.  “Every diner’s wants and needs are

The era of celebrity meal and seasonal menus as LTOs is giving way to something far more immersive — full IP experiences where the food, the packaging, the app, the collectible, and sometimes the movie itself are all one seamless brand moment. Consumers no longer see food as only

Diners want more of a build-their-own experience and are seeking out menus featuring snackable and shareable items.  A big part of this is simply how people are choosing to eat right now, Joe Hannon, Restaurant365’s GM of Inventory and Sales. explained. “You are seeing less struc

Andrew Rea, also known as “Babish,” will be joining the Vox Media Podcast Network with In the Booth with Babish, a new podcast series in collaboration with Eater. Premiering on Tuesday, May 26, with new episodes dropping every other week across platforms, In the Booth with Babish

This year is the 30th anniversary of the National Safety Council’s Safety Month, which specifically focuses on preventable injuries. This year’s weekly themes include “Promoting Holistic Worker Health” (June 14-20) and Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls (June 21-30). This is parti

As competition intensifies across QSR and fast casual segments, financing is becoming a critical tool for operators looking to scale locations, preserve liquidity, and grow sustainably. Expansion remains one of the most effective ways franchise operators can strengthen their busi