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2 weeks ago | 
foodinstitute.com | Kelly Beaton |Tess Owings
Bipartisan representatives recently reintroduced the Hot Foods Act bill, which would allow hot food purchases through SNAP (formerly known as food stamps). Currently, the SNAP program limits purchases to cold food or food that must be prepared at home. For example, a frozen chicken may be purchased, but not a rotisserie chicken. “Millions of American families rely on SNAP daily to put food on the table.
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3 weeks ago | 
foodinstitute.com | George Hajjar |Tess Owings
Home>InnovationThe 10 Most Innovative Restaurants, Dining, Food Services Fast Company recently released its picks for the most innovative companies in restaurants, dining and food services for 2025. Let’s take a look at the top 10, counting down to the number one pick. 10. Oyster Master Guild: This company earned a spot on the list by going all in on their namesake ingredient – oysters.
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1 month ago | 
foodinstitute.com | Tess Owings |George Hajjar
Home>FoodserviceHow McDonald’s Won Over Gen Z Consumers Research firm dcdx recently released The Magnetic 100: Restaurants report, which took a look at the brands that Gen Z is talking about most. In order to make this list, a restaurant chain’s customers need to be doing more than spending money – they need to be truly engaged with the brand.
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1 month ago | 
foodinstitute.com | George Hajjar |Tess Owings
The Kerry Group recently released its 2025 Global Taste Charts – a resource for those in the food industry to stay ahead of trends and consumer interests. The interactive charts help brands examine global and regional trends, helping them develop products that will be successful. “Consumers in 2025 are seeking a balance of adventurous taste profiles and wellness-driven goals,” said Soumya Nair, global research and insights director at Kerry, in a press release.
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Nov 16, 2024 | 
ratchetandwrench.com | Tess Owings
“He was old enough to be her grandfather,” Tonnika Haynes says of the customer that was shouting at one of her service advisors. At first, Haynes, the president of Brown’s Automotive in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, let her service advisor handle it. But, when it reached a point where he began being verbally abusive, she stepped in. The shop was about to close down for the July 4 holiday and had been having a difficult time getting in touch with this customer.
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
fleetmaintenance.com | Tess Owings
In the business world, it’s generally more cost-effective to keep customers than find new ones. According to Harvard Business Review’s article on customer curation, acquiring a new customer can cost five to 25 times more than retaining an existing one depending on your industry. And on the flip side, customer loyalty research by Fred Reichheld, a fellow of Bain & Company, found that customers generate increasing profits the longer they stay with a company.
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Oct 24, 2024 | 
ratchetandwrench.com | Tess Owings
When you’ve just opened a shop and you’re starting from nothing, you need that phone to ring! Nobody understands this more than Samantha Andrews, co-owner of Wright Auto Works. “I tried to figure it out,” Andrews says about attracting customers through Google Ad Words.
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Sep 26, 2024 | 
ratchetandwrench.com | Tess Owings
Walk into Christine Tanner’s office and you’ll find a wooden ampersand symbol with June 25th, 2022 on it. The date is the day that Tanner took over as full-time owner at Bulldog Tire & Auto. The meaning behind the ampersand is both inspirational and heartbreaking. The ampersand, Tanner explains, is a broken infinity symbol, which shows that nothing will last forever. A year prior to Tanner taking over the shop, her husband, Mike, who owned the shop, passed away.
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Aug 20, 2024 | 
foodinstitute.com | Chris Campbell |Tess Owings
Fast food used to be enticing because it offered comfort food at cheap prices. Today, that’s not necessarily the case. Inflation has hit every industry – with restaurant chains being no exception. As a result, the perceived value of fast food has dissipated in the eyes of many consumers. Recent value meals have softened that perception, however. In 2024, many QSRs have gotten creative as they seek to win back customers.
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Aug 19, 2024 | 
ratchetandwrench.com | Tess Owings
Imagine walking out of a shop and into the freezing cold. You sit in the car waiting for it to warm up thinking about all the other ways you would have preferred to spend that money as you shiver. Then, you back your car out and head on your way. Now, imagine: same shop, same bill, but a friendly staff member checks you out and points you to your vehicle, which has been parked in the front and backed into a space. It’s already warmed up and ready to go. It makes a big difference, doesn’t it?
