The Americas
$1 pizzas land in Washington DC ‒ for one month only
A restaurant in Washington DC is demonstrating that astronomically low pizza prices are still possible ‒ even if only temporarily. The fast casual chain &pizza is launching a month-long “&pass,” offering guests one pizza each day for 30 days, for $39.99, which is $1.33 per pizza. The offer follows a blanket lowering of prices across the menu, which CEO Mike Burns said in an interview with Restaurant Business Online, is paying off. It’s all designed to help build habits and get people back into stores. The limited promotion is valid at participating locations, but it is not available for third-party delivery.
KFC sales are down ‒ and the Colonel’s not happy
After a tough 2024, with sales down 5.2%, KFC is turning to customers to help it launch a comeback. To kick off the chicken chain’s new campaign, KFC is offering a free bucket of chicken for digital orders on its app and website, and is asking fans for input to “co-create this comeback.” The Colonel’s expression has also shifted from cheerful to serious across social media platforms, signage and billboards, indicating his urgency to win back customers. As KFC U.S. president Catherine Tan-Gillespie said, “The Colonel would not be happy about our market share, and we’re serious about reminding America exactly who we are: the game changer with a relentless pursuit of the best fried chicken. We won’t smile until our customers do.”
Asia Pacific
Chinese school children hospitalized after eating lead-tainted buns
More than 200 children were hospitalized this month after they were fed food tainted with lead in a kindergarten in northwest China, the New York Times reported last week. The police in Tianshui, a city in Gansu Province, have detained eight officials and employees of the privately-owned kindergarten, including the principal and an investor, after finding that school cooks used inedible pigments bought online to decorate buns and cakes. The plan was to use the colorful food photos to increase enrollment. Investigators found that samples of sausage buns made to look like bright yellow corn on the cob and red date cakes contained traces of lead that were more than 2,000 times higher than the national food safety standard. The incident has set off a public uproar and raised questions about local officials’ ability to protect the health of children.
Ramen shop backpedals on 20-minute time limit rule
Tokyo’s Ramen Jiro Fuchu branch has apologized after sparking backlash over a now-deleted tweet asking customers to finish their meals within 20 minutes. The request, posted alongside a stern notice at the meal ticket machine, was intended to improve seating flow ‒ but it rubbed many diners up the wrong way, especially given Jiro’s famously huge portions. The branch has since removed the signs and clarified that it regrets creating an “intimidating atmosphere.” While ramen shops do rely on fast turnover, this policy proved a little too high-pressure for even the most loyal ‘Jirolians’.
Europe, the Middle East and Africa
WOOHOO! First AI-operated restaurant set to launch in Dubai
In September, the first restaurant operated by a culinary large language model will open its doors near the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, Reuters has reported. Chef Aiman ‒ yes, that name is derived from the words AI and man ‒ won’t replace human chefs; the idea is that he will “elevate the ideas [and] creativity” by drawing on extensive food science research, molecular composition data and more than 1,000 recipes from global culinary traditions. Although Chef Aiman can’t taste or smell, he can break down cuisine into elements such as texture, acidity and umami to generate flavor and ingredient combinations, which will then be fine-tuned by human cooks under the guidance of Dubai-based chef Reif Othman. The model also prioritizes sustainability, for example by making use of ingredients that are commonly wasted. WOOHOO’s founders eventually envisage licensing Chef Aiman to restaurants worldwide to promote sustainable practices.
State-subsidized restaurant to provide wholesome meals for all in the UK
The UK government has announced plans to pilot a state-subsidized restaurant in Dundee to offer underprivileged families access to wholesome meals within a social setting. Led by the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, the initiative will incorporate findings from public health nutrition studies, collaborative design workshops and historical perspectives from public dining establishments in the UK and elsewhere. Due to start operations in summer 2026, alongside a similar venture in Nottingham, the project is one of six new programs supported by £8.5m ($11.5m) in government investment to address food inequity in the UK.
Elly Earls
