Americas
Starbucks-commissioned survey reveals 70% of Gen Z consumers plan to visit coffee shops in Thanksgiving week
A recently published Starbucks-commissioned survey of 2,201 US adults via American business intelligence company Morning Consult has found that 70% of Gen Z consumers plan to visit a coffee shop during this Thanksgiving week. By comparison, only approximately one-third of the same demographic plan to visit a bar or pub in the US. The survey also found that almost half of the Gen Z demographic intends to stay and “savor the moment” in a coffee shop with family or friends during the Thanksgiving week. This exceeded more than any other generation surveyed, aside for Millennials.
FAT Brands sends warning to markets of potential bankruptcy, following $1.26bn debt acceleration
FAT Brands – the parent company of numerous restaurant franchises including Johnny Rockets, Round Table Pizza, Fatburger, and Fazoli’s – has announced it may “seek to reorganize through a bankruptcy proceeding” after it received notices of acceleration on the company’s debt. As reported in Nation’s Restaurant News this week, “according to a recent 8-K filing with the SEC, lender UMB Bank declared roughly $1.26bn in securitized debt immediately due. The company had previously received default notices after failing to make scheduled payments on October 27 due to insufficient funds in its collection accounts… The company warned that the acceleration – or a potential foreclosure on the collateral – could materially harm FAT Brands’ business, financial condition, and liquidity, possibly leading to bankruptcy.”
Asia Pacific
Pioneering Australian chef Skye Gyngell dies
Trailblazing Australian chef Skye Gyngell – a primary exponent of the ‘Slow Food Movement’ – has passed away in London, UK, aged 62. Gyngell first found fame in the UK when her cafe at Petersham Nurseries in London was awarded a Michelin star, having trained and worked under acclaimed chefs in Paris, France, including at the two Michelin-starred restaurant Dodin-Bouffant. Gyngell went on to run the Spring restaurant at Somerset House and Marle and Hearth at Heckfield Place in Hampshire, England. She also became a private chef for celebrity clients including Madonna.
Gyngell’s family described her as a “culinary visionary who influenced generations of chefs and growers globally to think about food and its connection to the land”. The Slow Food Movement that Gyngell espoused advocates a more sustainable and ethical approach to food by promoting traditional and local food cultures, biodiversity, while opposing fast food and industrial agriculture.
APAC’s fast food market valued at $465.12bn by 2032
Asia Pacific’s fast food market will be valued $465.12bn by 2032, a new report by Renub Research has revealed. The valuation will be boosted by “rapid urbanisation, evolving consumer lifestyles, and the growing appetite for quick, affordable, and diverse meal options,” according to the report.
Markets such as Japan, China, India, and South Korea are at the vanguard of the expansion, as QSR chains expand out of tier 1 cities into smaller urban centers. By 2050, this figure is expected to rise by another $1.2bn, says the report.
Europe, Middle East, Africa
“More than half of Brits fear their nearest pubs will shut” ahead of UK budget this week; energy costs concerns remain
The UK hospitality sector is bracing itself for Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget this week. Several media outlets, including the Daily Mail published headline based on a survey by Savanta survey that found that 53% of Brits were concerned about their nearest pubs closing due to the Chancellor’s raising of National Insurance.
The sector has faced huge pressure from rising costs, labor shortages, shifting customer habits, and soaring energy costs. On the final point, a 2025 EY Business Barometer shows that three in five UK businesses say soaring energy costs are holding back growth. While the UK government’s new Industrial Strategy aims to cut energy bills by up to 25% for more than 7,000 manufacturing firms from 2027, hospitality has been left out of the classification.
World’s largest pasta producer Barilla Group aims to “future-proof” Italian cuisine
The Italian multinational food company Barilla Group, founded in 1877, has unveiled its new Barilla Innovation & Technology Experience (BITE) in its hometown of Parma, Italy. The 14,000-sq-m facility represents a €20 million investment designed to “future-proof” Italian cuisine. The center “will serve as the global R&D hub for the Group’s entire portfolio, including pasta, sauces, and bakery products,” according to Food + Drink Technology.
The facility staffed by 200 experts – “from food technologists and engineers to designers and professional tasters” – tasked with anticipating global consumer trends.
Michael Jones
