Miscellaneous

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☕ KNEAD Bakery Elkstone hosts a special afternoon tea on Sunday, August 17th for £29, created by award-winning Chef Mikey Topp. The event features creative dishes like Chorizo & Harissa Mini Danish and Strawberry & White Chocolate Gateaux, served at 3 PM and 3:30 PM. Across all KNEAD locations, including Cirencester and Oxford, limited-edition scones priced at £3.50 and £3.70 celebrate Afternoon Tea Week. Visit KNEAD Bakery to indulge in these culinary delights.

📈 Preferred Hotels & Resorts partners with DayBlink GPO, revealed at the 2025 Global Conference in New York, aiming to enhance member hotels' distribution strategies. This collaboration introduces chain-level agreements with Hotelbeds and WebBeds to optimize distribution costs and inventory control. Key benefits include improved rate parity and centralized inventory management via SynXis. Cheryl Williams emphasized the partnership's role in boosting bookings and profitability, while Michael Wong highlighted the importance of regaining inventory control.

✈️ Gold Medal, dnata Travel Group UK's B2B brand, now offers live flight inventory access through TProfile systems. This enhancement allows mutual customers to search and cost flights seamlessly. Jamie Greystock highlights the increased choice and efficiency, while Bhav Taylor emphasizes the importance of this feature for reducing manual entries and improving the quote-building process. This collaboration aims to boost agents’ competitiveness and streamline operations in a rapidly evolving travel industry.

🎮 Panda Express launched a gaming campaign for Hot Orange Chicken with Media AOR The Many and Super League on Fortnite Creative and Roblox. Over 265,000 players engaged in interactive cutscenes, earning in-game rewards. Players spent 65 days interacting, creating 185,000 engagements. The campaign targets Gen Z and runs until year-end with updates and new interactive elements. Hot Orange Chicken is available at Panda Express for a limited time this summer.

🍴 Bret Thorn has been a senior food & beverage editor at Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999. He wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008) and held roles at Asia Times and Manager magazine. A Tufts University alumnus, Thorn also attended Le Cordon Bleu in 1986 and studied in China in 1988-1989. He won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014. Thorn lives in Brooklyn, originally from Denver.

🎮 Panda Express, in May 2024, launched a campaign in collaboration with The Many and Super League, integrating Hot Orange Chicken into Fortnite Creative and Roblox. Within two weeks, 265,000+ players viewed cutscenes, earning in-game rewards, with 65 days of player interaction and 185,000 engagements. The campaign features interactive cutscenes, map-specific rewards, and Pei Pei the Panda encounters to engage Gen Z. Hot Orange Chicken is available nationally for a limited time.

🍽 American Express is revamping its 15 U.S. Centurion airport lounges with a new dining initiative, The Culinary Collective, featuring dishes from chefs Kwame Onwuachi, Michael Solomonov, Mashama Bailey, and Sarah Grueneberg. Starting July 29, patrons can enjoy these curated menus, with some dishes available at the Sidecar by Centurion in Las Vegas in 2026. Cocktails will be crafted by Harrison Ginsberg. These seasonal menus will comprise approximately 50% of the lounges' offerings.

🍽 Bret Thorn, a Denver native residing in Brooklyn, has been the Food & Beverage Editor at Nation's Restaurant News since 1999 and joined Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. He studied at Tufts University and Le Cordon Bleu, with experience working in China for ABC News during 1989's Tiananmen Square events. Thorn's notable achievements include a 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and authorship in the Oxford Encyclopedias. His expertise spans food trends and French and Asian cuisines.