The Americas
Thompson Hospitality unveils new restaurant group brand
Thompson Hospitality, the largest minority-owned foodservice management company in the U.S., has unveiled a new restaurant group brand, Thompson Restaurants. The company, led by president and founder Warren Thompson, is set to further solidify its position as a leader in the industry with the official launch of Thompson Restaurants. With a portfolio encompassing more than 70 locations across 14 unique brands, Thompson Restaurants is set to strengthen its presence in the DMV, South Florida, and Columbus, Ohio, while expanding into new markets.
“It is a favorable moment to focus on the restaurant industry, despite the unprecedented challenges it faces,” said Warren Thompson (below). “While many might view this as an inopportune time to invest in the industry, we see it as a unique opportunity. These challenges necessitate leadership from seasoned companies. With 32 years of experience and a diverse portfolio, Thompson Restaurants is uniquely positioned to navigate and capitalize on this landscape.”
Restaurants Canada moves to safeguard industry from supply chain disruptions as rail strikes loom
A potential rail strike from two of Canada’s main railways poses a serious risk to the restaurant industry, which “relies on timely deliveries of essential food and beverage products,” says industry body Restaurants Canada. With 47% of restaurants operating at a loss or just breaking even in Canada, “any disruption to supply chains could significantly worsen an already challenging situation. Given that food costs have risen by 25% over the past two years, further strain could be devastating,” it says.
“Stability is crucial for restaurants to continue serving their communities and supporting the livelihoods of those who depend on them. At a time when affordability is a concern for all Canadians, the impact of a rail strike would extend beyond businesses, affecting consumers and local economies alike. The looming disruption is a concern for everyone. We urge all parties involved to prioritize reaching a fair and swift resolution that minimizes this disruption.” Restaurants Canada urged the Canadian Federal Government “to act now and prevent this from happening”.
Asia Pacific
Starbucks Korea’s Gana Art Park art collaboration store launches
Starbucks Korea, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024, has launched an innovative ‘Gana Art Park’ store in the northern Gyeonggi region of Korea. The store, a collaboration with Print Bakery, Korea’s largest art platform, features unique artworks, “creating a vibrant cultural experience” says the chain. As Starbucks Korea’s ninth destination store, Gana Art Park offers customers a distinctive blend of art and coffee.
On its opening day, the store attracted over 2,000 visitors, setting a new record for destination store attendance. “The 187-seat venue was bustling with both locals and tourists, eager to explore the new art-integrated concept. As an art collaboration specialized store, visitors showed great interest in the artworks, moving around the store to appreciate them, taking photos in the designated photo zones with family and friends,” Starbucks Korea said in a statement.
Vietnam’s coffee export value rises 31% in last seven months
Vietnam exported 964,000 tonnes of coffee – worth nearly US$3.54 billion – in the first seven months of 2024, according to RetailNews.Asia. The figures were down 13.8% in volume, it says, but up 30.9% in value compared to the same period last year.
“The Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnam Industry and Trade Information Center forecast that Vietnam’s coffee exports in the remaining months of the third quarter would decrease due to low supply,” reported the site. “Supply will not increase until October, when the 2024-25 coffee harvest begins.” Coffee output in the 2024-25 crop year is forecasted to continue to decrease due to unfavorable weather factors, the report concluded.
Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA)
Parisian hotels see post-Olympics bookings boost
Despite the French capital experiencing a slower start to summer in June and July terms of hotel bookings, as tourists feared a overcrowded city with jacked-up room rates as Paris geared up to host the Olympic Games, bookings rebounded strongly during and immediately after the Olympic Games, which concluded on 11 August. Hotel occupancy during the Games reached 84% in Paris, according to euronews.com, “up about 10% on the same time last year and the recent increase in occupancy and bookings was helped by hotel owners offering discounts and incentives to tourists.” Many hotels are also predicting an increased demand during the Paralympics, which commence on 28 August.
National Burger Day finds Brits devour 2.5 billion burgers annually
New research, published on National Burger Day (August 22), has revealed that Brits consume more than 2.5 billion burgers every single year. The research, by Paddy Power Games asked the UK about their love of burgers, how many they eat, and where they’d eat one – finding that the average person eats 37 per year, equating to almost 7 million a day. Other key stats found that barbeques are the best place to eat a burger according to 51% of Britain and the nation’s dream burger should be cooked well-done, in a brioche bun with cheddar cheese. The research was carried out by Research Without Barriers (RWB) between 9– 13 August 2024.
Michael Jones
