Miscellaneous

🍺 On April 28, 2026, Little Brown Dog launched its core expression, the Aberdeenshire Single Malt, distilled at Glen Garioch. This 12-year-old unpeated Highland single malt features a blend of 60% bourbon barrels and 40% Oloroso and PX sherry casks, with a 46% ABV. Limited to 2,000 hand-numbered bottles, this release follows the sell-out of its preview batch. Little Brown Dog was founded in 2018 by Andrew Smith and Chris Reid in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

💸 Government measures to double council tax on second homes are costing the UK public purse £383 million annually. Research by Colliers shows 85% of local authorities in England and 91% in Wales have adopted this policy. Contrary to expectations, rather than increasing revenue, this policy is financially straining local governments.

🏠 Between 1899 and 1902, Matild Palace (south) and Klotild Palace (north) were built in Budapest in Neo-Baroque style. Architects Kálmán Giergl and Flóris Korb designed these 48-meter tower-crowned structures, inspired by English Baroque. The area featured Budapest's first elevator and a pioneering mixed-use model with retail, business halls, and luxury residences. Both palaces faced damage during the 1944–1945 Siege of Budapest, with the Klotild Palace hit hardest, leading to restoration efforts in the 1950s.

📈 Whitbread plans to dispose of nearly 200 restaurant sites across the UK, speeding up a two-year process. Under its Accelerating Growth Plan, the company aims to convert restaurant spaces in 112 hotels into 3,500 guest rooms and add 10,000 new rooms by 2031. Around 3,800 roles are at risk, with £50 million already recouped from 50 disposals. A new F&B format is being tested, while trade unions criticize the "cruel redundancies.

🍝 Nearly 60% of consumers say dining at restaurants is essential, with 70% saying they'd dine out more if affordable. Gen Z and millennials show even higher interest. Snack occasions in restaurants rose by nearly 7%, driving $600,000 in revenue for Vicious Biscuit. McDonald's snack wraps, reintroduced at $2.99, boosted traffic by 15%. Coffeehouses like Dutch Bros and Ziggi’s expanded snack menus, with food contributing to 4% growth expectations. The Cheesecake Factory added 12 small-plate items, starting at $6.95.

📊 Brooke Buchanan joined Panera in late 2024 as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer to restore its image following a lawsuit over its Charged Lemonade. Panera's turnaround plan, Panera RISE, seeks to return the brand to relevancy. Buchanan joined the Women's Foodservice Forum board in 2025, emphasizing the need to elevate women in the foodservice industry. Notably, 55% of employees and 57% of supervisors are women, yet only 35% hold C-suite positions, with less than 10% as CEOs.

🍽 According to the report, 87% of leaders rate workplace cafeteria food as good or excellent, but only 48% of employees agree, reflecting a 12% year-over-year drop in satisfaction. Rising prices deter 29% of workers from using cafeterias. Hybrid work schedules complicate the operational hours of corporate cafes, as staggered days and shared desks lead to inconsistent demand. This disconnection affects workforce alienation and cafeteria attendance.