The Americas
United & Chef’s Table announce new collaboration
United Airlines has partnered with Netflix’s Chef’s Table to offer exclusive, regionally inspired in-flight dining for United Polaris international business class passengers. United has announced the next menu rotation from the collaboration, featuring 30 new dishes including salads, appetizers and entrees, from 11 world-renowned chefs across ten cities. The new menu provides customers with more chef-created dining options inspired by the airline’s hub cities and key international gateways. Since the first menu rotation launched on August 1, more than 60,000 customers have enjoyed the new meals with satisfaction scores nearly 20 points higher than those for other preordered meals.
Uber Eats sees little traffic from AI agents
Uber Eats said it is seeing virtually no traffic from AI agents despite the hype about the technology, which can carry out routine tasks like ordering food online. On an earnings call last week, Uber said it recorded about 320 million trips across both its ridesharing and food delivery services last week. Just 500 of the delivery orders originated with an AI agent, while a grand total of four Uber rides were booked by an agent, accounting for 0.00015% of all trips. “It’s very early and very limited traction that we’ve seen so far,” said CFO Balaji Krishnamurthy.
Asia Pacific
Italian chef sacked for refusing to add pineapple to pizza in Australia
Australia’s Fair Work Commission heard that Italian chef Davide Tamburella was sacked from La Costa restaurant in Brisbane, after refusing to use pineapple on pizza, calling it ‘an insult to his culture’. Tamburella lost the bid to get his job back at the now closed La Costa restaurant, after being sacked in May. The information came to light after the chef went to Australia’s Fair Work Commission claiming he had been unfairly dismissed. He had previously requested his boss to “check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza”.
Chipotle plans to make debut in Singapore in 2027, opening at Jewel Changi Airport
Chipotle is opening its first branch in Singapore next year, at Jewel Changi Airport. The American fast-casual Mexican-inspired restaurant chain will be located on Level 2 of the mall. Chipotle’s operations in Singapore and South Korea will be managed by S&C Restaurants Holdings, a joint venture between Chipotle and Big Bite Company, an affiliate of Sangmidang Holdings. South Korea-based Sangmidang Holdings is also the company behind Shake Shack and Paris Baguette in Singapore. Chipotle’s first restaurant in Asia opened on Sep 2 in Seoul’s Gangnam-daero, and its second opened on Oct 28 at Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam in Sweet Park.
Europe, Middle East and Africa
The UK’s oldest Indian restaurant sues landlord over eviction
The UK’s oldest Indian restaurant, Veeraswamy faces closure on London’s Regent Street as The Crown Estate seeks to refurbish the site, reports the Financial Times. The restaurant has argued that its landlord would have shown greater respect had it served more traditionally British cuisine. The Michelin-starred restaurant has occupied its first-floor premises in London’s premier shopping zone for 100 years. The Crown Estate informed it in 2024 that its lease would not be renewed, due to the need to carry out a “comprehensive refurbishment” of the Victory House building. Ranjit Mathrani, who chairs Veeraswamy’s owner, MW Eat, said the landlord had said it would be unsafe to undertake renovations with the restaurant still in place, and that in future it could receive higher rents from office tenants.
Subway accelerates its restaurant expansion across EMEA
Subway is accelerating its restaurant expansion across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with plans to double its footprint to 10,000 restaurants by 2031. This is alongside new strategic partnerships, including an expanded development agreement with ASDA, adding 70 new restaurants over the next four years in the UK, increasing the number of Subway restaurants in ASDA stores by more than 50%, as well as the launch of Blueprint, a reimagined restaurant and brand experience.
Lauren Hurrell
