This week on Nation's Restaurant News the top story was Is there more to Panera’s menu overhaul than meets the eye? From shuttering a fresh dough manufacturing plant, to quietly stepping back from antibiotics-free, animal welfare-focused messaging, Panera has been changing more than just menu additions
In other news, one of the hottest beverage trends at the moment originated in Utah and spread with the help of social media.
“Dirty soda” is a sparkling beverage with something creamy added to it — often milk or half-and-half, but also non-dairy options such as coconut cream.
In its current form, the menu platform gained traction with the help of Swig, a 63-unit beverage concept based in Lehi, Utah, and now larger chains are getting in on the action — particularly as interest in nonalcoholic beverages takes off.
Also, when the new CEO at The Wendy’s Co. explained on an earnings call two weeks ago that a $30 million menuboard investment through 2025 would allow the company to test dynamic pricing at some of its company-owned restaurants, little could we have known it would create a tsunami of consumer outrage.
See what else was trending on NRN.com this week.