Black Rock Coffee Bar’s Post

McDonald's to test a new coffee shop style concept called CosMc’s The firm also has ambitious plans for the core business and wants to open another 10,000 restaurants worldwide in the next four years. McDonald's is testing a coffee shop-style restaurant that puts it in competition with the likes of Starbucks. It's opening the first CosMc's in Illinois this month - with the aim of having 10 in the US by 2024 - mainly in Texas to begin with. CosMc's is described as a "beverage-led concept" that's "inspired by nostalgia" - and is named after a space alien character it introduced in the 1980s. The company already has the McCafe coffee brand within existing McDonald's, but the new stores take that further while also offering a larger menu of specialist drinks. The firm showed off a sample of 13 drinks including a churro frappe, turmeric spiced latte and a blueberry ginger boost. There will also be sweet snacks available and two of the most popular items from mainstream McDonald's - the McFlurry and the Egg McMuffin. McDonald's said it would study the popularity of CosMc's for at least a year before deciding whether to expand. Chief executive Chris Kempczinski said the new concept was intended to fill a sales slump its outlets normally see in the mid-afternoon. "This is a $100bn category that's growing faster than the rest of [casual dining] and with superior margins. And it's a space that we believe we have the right to win," he told an investors' conference on Wednesday. McDonald's also has ambitious plans for the core business and wants to open another 10,000 restaurants worldwide in the next four years - with the aim to hit 50,000 in total. Starbucks meanwhile, has big expansion of its own in the works. Last month, it said it was aiming for 55,000 stores globally by 2030, up from 38,000 today. Do you think it will be a big success? ☕️☕️☕️ #drivethru #coffee #takeaway #hospitalityindustry #growth #diversity #major #in Sky News https://lnkd.in/g89DuZGS

Boston Market, the fast-casual chain known for its rotisserie chicken, potatoes, and mac and cheese, has seen better days. While the food remains popular among consumers, the outdated 90s decor is no longer inviting to customers. One question that arises is whether the company should have stuck with their original name, Boston Chicken. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments. #BostonMarket #FastCasual #businesslessons #Branding #innovation #privateequity #mcdonalds

A recent Nation's Restaurant News article highlighted Gen Korean BBQ's performance amid an interesting year for the restaurant industry. 📰 "The industry itself is expected to surpass the $1 trillion mark in sales for the first time ever this year....We’re seeing a ton of innovative specialty brands generating a ton of interest from consumers – brands like Swig, Hawaiian Bros Island Grill, Cava, Dutch Bros, Gen Korean BBQ...and so on and so forth." We look forward to our continued growth as we continue to bring Korean BBQ to new communities at affordable prices. 🍽 Learn more and read the full #NRN article at the link below! ⤵ #restaurants #food #restaurantindustry #KBBQ #GENK #growth #business #sales #investors #innovation #consumerbrands

Red Lobster, a popular seafood restaurant chain, is facing challenges and has announced the closure of numerous locations across the country. The company, struggling to stay afloat, revealed plans to auction off over 50 locations nationwide. TageX Brands, a restaurant liquidation company, will manage the sale of equipment from these closing locations. This marks TageX's largest restaurant equipment auction to date, although only 48 locations were specifically listed in their catalog. California will see the closure of five Red Lobster locations, while Florida will lose another five. Additionally, Colorado and Maryland will each bid farewell to four locations. TageX is selling these locations in their entirety, emphasizing that each winner of the auction will acquire the complete contents of the Red Lobster establishment they bid on. Earlier this year, reports surfaced about Red Lobster contemplating a bankruptcy filing to alleviate financial strains. According to sources familiar with the matter, discussions about potentially filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy are ongoing. This move could help the company renegotiate leases, address long-term contracts, and manage escalating labor costs. Red Lobster appointed Jonathan Tibus as its new CEO in March. Tibus, known for his expertise in restructuring struggling restaurants, retail, and hospitality businesses, has spearheaded various successful restructuring initiatives in the past. This report includes contributions from Eric Revell of Fox News Digital.

Red Lobster, a popular seafood restaurant chain, is facing challenges and has announced the closure of numerous locations across the country. The company, struggling to stay afloat, revealed plans to auction off over 50 locations nationwide. TageX Brands, a restaurant liquidation company, will manage the sale of equipment from these closing locations. This marks TageX's largest restaurant equipment auction to date, although only 48 locations were specifically listed in their catalog. California will see the closure of five Red Lobster locations, while Florida will lose another five. Additionally, Colorado and Maryland will each bid farewell to four locations. TageX is selling these locations in their entirety, emphasizing that each winner of the auction will acquire the complete contents of the Red Lobster establishment they bid on. Earlier this year, reports surfaced about Red Lobster contemplating a bankruptcy filing to alleviate financial strains. According to sources familiar with the matter, discussions about potentially filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy are ongoing. This move could help the company renegotiate leases, address long-term contracts, and manage escalating labor costs. Red Lobster appointed Jonathan Tibus as its new CEO in March. Tibus, known for his expertise in restructuring struggling restaurants, retail, and hospitality businesses, has spearheaded various successful restructuring initiatives in the past. This report includes contributions from Eric Revell of Fox News Digital.

Great article capturing the progress we have made at Bluestone Lane expanding into #Houston TX. It’s a really well written article and provides some great insights into: 1. Why we went to Houston (size, growth % rate, discrete residential areas) 2. What is 🇦🇺 coffee culture (espresso, independent, sophisticated operators) 3. Our coffee (4x 🏆 Golden Bean winning) 4. Food (healthy, fresh not factory-made, frozen packaged then shipped) 5. What to order (Oat Piccolo and the Magic) Article below ⬇️ In addition to a mom-and-pop coffee shop feel, Stone says Bluestone Lane prioritizes fresh, quality food. "When I go to Starbucks or Dunkin', all the food is of pretty poor nutritional quality and most of it's being made in a central commissary in the Midwest and shipped frozen," he said. "I didn't want to do that—I wanted to do something fresh, made-to-order and more healthy." Bluestone Lane's espresso-based beverages are made with the brand's award-winning Maverick blend, which took home four Golden Bean Awards. The Maverick blend, which Bluestone Lane describes as full-bodied and best for flat whites and iced lattes, won a gold medal in the espresso category at the Golden Bean Awards, the world’s largest coffee-roasting competition. How Bluestone Lane's Australian coffee culture is thriving in Houston https://lnkd.in/gtP4wzJc

Long post, but hear me out folks: Recently, I was contacted by a local tv station inquiring about a handful of restaurant closures - mostly chains and a few locally owned. I provided some insights to provide full context and assure their viewers that the Lafayette economy - and our retail sector - remains strong. I’d like to ensure the full context of my remarks make it to the public since tv segments are comprised of only short sound bites. 1) For starters, Lafayette has experienced record breaking sales tax collections - reaching $7.7 billion cumulative by NOV 2023, on track to reach or exceed 2022’s record breaking $8.2 billion total. 2) The restaurant sector is especially tough terrain because of tight margins - and it’s even harder at a time when supply costs are high, labor costs are up, and labor supply is also tight! Also, national chains are constantly scanning their portfolios to eliminate underperforming stores, older facilities. 3) Lafayette has a very high number of restaurants per capita and a healthy number of LOCAL restaurants (https://lnkd.in/gbi5Ss-N) - a GOOD thing for the consumer, but it makes competition pretty fierce. 4) The collective impact of restaurants in Lafayette is solid - thousands of jobs and on average 40-cents on the dollar remains here in the local economy. 5) For these reasons LEDA invests in programs like Shop Local campaigns to encourage people to shop and dine at local establishments! 6) But, we are grateful for investments from retailers and restaurants both locally owned and nationally owned chains! We have a robust balance of local and nationally owned chain eateries and we LIKE IT that way! 7) While some outlets like to talk about closures, we keep those in mind and on the radar to make certain it isn’t the start of a trend; however, we also choose to look at the glass half full. Below are some of the eateries that have recently decided to open or expand in Lafayette, LA: Five Mile Eatery 🔺 Parc de Oaks 🔺 Ton’s Downtown 🔺 Parish Biscuit Co. 🔺 Rocket87 🔺 BJ’s Pizza (a welcomed comeback) 🔺 Soul Haus 🔺 Gather 🔺 Scooter’s Coffee 🔺 Southern Classic Kitchen 🔺 Chimes 🔺 Superior Grill 🔺 Super Chix 🔺 Small Sliders 🔺 Lucia Bakehouse 🔺The Toasted Yolk 🔺 Let’s keep the momentum going Lafayette! 💪 😋 🍽️ 🎉 #ShopLocal Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) Lafayette Travel

As price-conscious Americans cut back on eating out, fast-casual restaurants are bucking the trend and continuing to attract consumers. This is notably the case with buzzy Mediterranean chain CAVA. The eatery has been rapidly expanding its number of locations and plans to offer steak next month — a move that led the company to boost its full-year sales outlook. CAVA expects same-store sales of 6.5% for the year, up from 5% previously estimated. It opened another 14 restaurants last quarter, bringing its total to 323. After a recent opening in Illinois, CAVA is now open in 25 states and Washington, D.C.

A recent Nation's Restaurant News piece by Alicia Kelso focuses solely on Gen Korean BBQ and the success we've had. 📈 The article explains how Gen meets "a growing consumer demand for the globally-inspired cuisine". 🌎 The author also takes a look at our background and sales increase, stating, "The Cerritos, Calif.-based concept, founded in 2011, made its debut on Wall Street last year, offering 3.6 million shares at $12 each, and the move likely fueled even more growth. Gen Korean BBQ finished 2023 with $181 million in sales, a 10.6% increase." Read the full article to learn more about our history, and what the future has in store for us, by clicking the link below! 🗞 #GENK #wallstreet #stocks #investing #investors #restaurantstocks #growth #strategy #growthcompanies #KBBQ #Korean