Miscellaneous

🍱 HungerRush has integrated Grubhub into its POS system, joining DoorDash and Uber Eats. This centralizes food orders, eliminating separate tablets and third-party aggregators. James Ryan from Flippin’ Pizza notes improved accuracy and streamlined operations. Eran Hollander, HungerRush CPO, highlights enhanced guest experiences and reduced tech complexity. The integration reduces time, costs, and employee frustration. It's available to all HungerRush customers, offering real-time updates and efficient order management.

🥜 JING™ collaborates with Michelin-starred chef Niklas Ekstedt at Ekstedt at The Yard, London, since 2021, to enhance their Scandinavian-inspired 5-course and 7-course tasting menu with Phoenix Honey Orchid and Vanilla Black teas. Located in Great Scotland Yard Hotel, this partnership focuses on innovative tea pairings with dishes like bay leaf ice cream and honey mead. The Chef’s Table offers an exclusive dining experience for seven guests, showcasing exceptional culinary techniques.

🍺 Duck & Waffle Edinburgh introduces The Tequila Edit, a summer menu with five unique cocktails crafted by the team. Highlights include inventive drinks like Main Character Marg and Matcha Better. The menu, available all day, offers a £25 cocktail flight featuring any three options. Enjoy these tequila creations on the terrace, accompanied by city views. Reservations can be made at duckandwaffle.com, though walk-ins are welcome. Celebrate summer with bold and unexpected tequila experiences!

🏖 On March 5th, 2021, a new property listing appeared just seven minutes from home, featuring a hidden pond behind a thick wall of trees. After months of searching Zillow and Google Earth, the discovery led to a handshake with the listing agent that very morning. The journey toward building a modern cabin village in nature had finally begun, all starting from a hidden gem in the woods.

🍹 London Essence expands its Crafted Soda range, launching a 150ml six-can multipack of Crafted Lemonade and 250ml four-can multipacks for Pink Grapefruit, Raspberry & Rose, and new Crisp Apple sodas. Available in major UK retailers like Waitrose, Morrisons, Amazon, Tesco, and Sainsbury's. With 53% of young gin drinkers favoring lemonade, the brand targets at-home socializing and the sober-curious market. UK Head of Marketing, Melanie Ginsberg, highlights the shift towards sophisticated, non-alcoholic drink options.

🍴 Eddy Lascelles and the Harewood Food and Drink Project team present the 7th edition of Hidden Harewood, occurring on July 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, and 26, 2025. Located on the 4,500-acre Harewood Estate in Yorkshire, this immersive dining experience offers multi-course meals crafted by Chef Will Campbell. Tickets, initially available to newsletter subscribers on May 16, include tractor rides to secret locations, showcasing both Harewood's vibrant history and sustainable agriculture.

🍴 F&B industry reset is affecting culinary hubs like Singapore, Bangkok, and Hong Kong due to evolving consumer preferences, saturation, and global inflation. Emerging destinations offer lower entry barriers and new opportunities. Key insights were shared by Sameer Seth, Stefanie Wijono, Sarissa Rodriguez-Schwartz, and moderator Nicola Lee at a session discussing industry challenges and opportunities in Asia. Panelists explored market forces, learning from emerging destinations, and future strategies for F&B operators in Asia.

💬 May 18, National Restaurant Association Show, Nathan Sno, CEO of Food Story Media, shared insights on effective restaurant marketing. Sno emphasized that a winning strategy should be based on a clear belief, lived experience, and audience relevance. He presented a five-point content framework: say less, hook fast, write to ignite, be recognizable, and maintain tone. The goal is to enhance reservations, brand recall, or customer loyalty by ensuring repeatability and structure in storytelling.

🌎 May 17, 2025: Josiah Mackenzie shares insights from his travel from Barcelona to Istanbul. This episode focuses on the lessons learned and how hospitality businesses can leverage these insights. If beneficial, share this episode with your team to implement actionable ideas. Music by Clay Bassford, Bespoke Sound.

💳 Global Payments Inc. launched Genius, a new POS platform, unifying their products into an all-in-one solution. Launching first for restaurants and retail, Genius will be available May 17 at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago, initially in the U.S. and Canada. Retail rollout follows in June, expanding to Canada, Germany, Austria, and Czech Republic. Genius supports global expansion, enabling market-specific adaptations and specialized retail segments, reinforcing Global Payments' tech leadership. More at globalpayments.com/genius.