The Americas
Some US restaurants are banning tips
Restaurants, including La Cigale in San Francisco, serving customers at a set price of $140 per person, are charging higher prices to pay higher staff salaries, instead of allowing tips from customers, reports the BBC. Wine waiter Caroline Kraetzer earns $40 an hour, double what most service staff in San Francisco are paid. Kraetzer says it is good to no longer be “reliant on the generosity of strangers to pay the bills”. Other restaurants have adopted the tip-free model too, to account for the hours before and after service that rely on minimum wage.
KFC reinvents itself in McKinney, North Texas
The first-ever KFC Open House prototype is set to open in September. The 2,700 square feet freestanding location is part of KFC’s ‘next chapter’, introducing a hybrid customer experience and will offer a mix of drive-through, kiosk ordering, and full table service, as well as a simplified menu and Art Deco design. North Texas is one of the fastest-growing markets in the US and is now in KFC’s backyard after the company moved its headquarters to Plano. The chicken chain says it is “modernizing, not reinventing” fried chicken for a new era.
Asia Pacific
Asian cuisine is growing faster than the wider global market
Asian restaurants are growing faster than the wider restaurant market in every major region, while Asian dishes accounted for 38% of global retail sales of chilled and frozen ready meals in 2025, according to Euromonitor International. Euromonitor’s Asian Cuisine, Global Appetite report found that Asian full- and limited-service restaurants recorded stronger sales growth than the overall restaurant industry across major regions. Outside APAC, Asian restaurant sales grew at an 11% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2020 to 2025, compared with 7% for the wider full- and limited-service restaurant market.
The Ritz-Carlton announces first hotel in Cambodia
The Ritz-Carlton brand will open its first hotel in Cambodia in 2032, with a 152-room hotel and 119 branded residences planned for Phnom Penh. Developed by The Royal Group International in partnership with Marriott International, the project will rise on Norodom Boulevard in Daun Penh as part of a mixed-use development that will also include a Grade A office tower. All rooms and suites will offer views across the city and Mekong River. Design plans include an outdoor infinity pool, fitness center, spa, five restaurants and lounges including a sky bar and Club Lounge. The property is also expected to feature 1,700sqm of conference and banqueting facilities, including a grand ballroom.
Europe, Middle East and Africa
Delivery robots removed from streets as pilot ends
Self-driving food delivery robots have been removed from the streets of Sheffield after just five months. The six-wheeled machines were launched in Sheffield by Starship Technologies in March in partnership with Uber Eats and were tasked with carrying supermarket and takeaway orders. While the scheme came to a “natural end”, and the operator said vandalism did not affect the decision, many robots had their visibility flags snapped off and were sprayed with graffiti, while the company also received complaints of the vehicles being in the way of pedestrians.
UK Treasury to review how business rates are calculated for pubs and hotels
The UK government has announced that pub and hotel valuations will be made fairer. The Treasury has officially launched a review into how business rates are calculated for pubs and hotels, examining existing valuation methods to determine if they truly reflect current trading realities, with findings reporting back in March ahead of the 2029 revaluation. While UKHospitality chief executive Allen Simpson welcomed the review, he noted that immediate support is still crucial to ease the burden of rising bills.
Lauren Hurrell
