What It Takes To Compete In The World-Renowned Bocuse d'Or
Widely acknowledged as the culinary equivalent of the Olympic Games, Bocuse d'Or is no run-of-the-mill cooking competition. Pre-qualified teams from around the world rigorously train for more than a year before they even set foot in the arena. When it's time to step onto the field, or in this case into the kitchen, uniformed teams enter an arena adorned with flags to represent each competitor's home country. A panel of judges watches their every move while adoring fans cheer them on to victory. When the winning teams are announced, representatives take their places on a three-tiered winners' podium — bronze, silver, and gold — while their national anthems play over the stadium's sound system.
Original story and image on Tasting Table
Original story and image on Fast Casual
How planet, personal health driving restaurant choices in 2024
Personal health drives dining decisions
Fast casual restaurants already have a reputation for having better-for-you or cleaner-label foods, and operators should lean into this messaging in 2024 as consumers seek healthier items with terms like fewer chemicals, less sugar, and less sodium. Among the findings in ESA's Diet Drivers reports: 50% of consumers wanted to limit their sugar intake, and nearly 40% wanted to limit salt. These concerns have remained consistent in research throughout 2023, and don't seem likely to fade in 2024.
How planet, personal health driving restaurant choices in 2024
Online reservation platform TheFork to cease operations in Australia
In a statement issued online and sent to members, TheFork has announced it will be discontinuing operations in Australia from 31 March 2024.
The statement revealed that TheFork’s local website and app will no longer be active from 31 March in Australia, but will remain fully operational until that date.
It also told account members that they have until 31 March to redeem their Yums points and any not used before the date will automatically expire.
Online reservation platform TheFork to cease operations in Australia
Original story and image on Hospitality Magazine
Original story and image on Inside Retail
Interest-rate rise killed Australian retail sales growth in November
Black Friday sales pushed Australian retail sales up by 2.2 per cent to $36.51 billion in November last year, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showed.
The cafes, restaurants, and takeaway category climbed 4.3 per cent to $5.41 billion while the food category increased 2.8 per cent to $14.26 billion, which Australian Retailers Association (ARA) CEO Paul Zahra said reflects how consumers prioritise essentials amid a cost-of-living crisis.
“Shoppers are increasingly feeling the crunch of cost-of-living pressures and interest rate increases, making it a challenging time to be a discretionary retailer,” said Zahra.
Interest-rate rise killed Australian retail sales growth in November