What’s Going On December 2023
Happy Holidays!
Today’s Restaurant News would like to thank all those brave service men and women that serve in various parts of the Service to protect our Country. At this time of the year when we can be with our families, they cannot. Anyone that has a family member overseas, we ask that they know how much we here at TRN and others appreciate their time and service.
Correction from last months’ article:
The contributor of the article from Brian Duncan on Restaurants’ Menu Prices on the Rise Amid Inflations & Staff Shortages should have been credited to Eric Seymour. Here is the link to the article – https://trnusa.com/things-are-looking-up-for-the-restaurant-industry-in-2024/.
Retired NFL linebacker and philanthropist Stephen Tulloch, known for his impressive 11-year pro football career with the Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, and Philadelphia Eagles, is set to embark on a new business venture with the launch of his own “Signature 55” coffee line. This flavorful endeavor not only celebrates Tulloch’s love for gourmet coffee but also serves a greater purpose by contributing to The Stephen Tulloch Foundation.
During his NFL career, Tulloch discovered the power of coffee as a key element in fueling his day. Now, as the owner of Circle House Coffee in Ft Lauderdale, he has harnessed this passion to bring people together while raising awareness for local and global causes “one sip at a time”. Since 2018, his Circle House Coffee shop, in partnership with The Stephen Tulloch Foundation, has been giving back to the community, generating substantial funds for various South Florida-based non-profits, including the Pink Angels Memorial Foundation, Women In Distress, and Heart Gallery of Broward County.
When you think of whiskey, regions like Kentucky and Scotland might immediately come to mind. However, in recent years, Texas has emerged as a surprising and dynamic player in the world of Whiskey production. One of producers is Milam & Greene Whiskey,
which is made by some of the world’s most experienced whiskey professionals, including CEO, master blender, and author, Heather Greene and 30-year whiskey veteran and master distiller, Marlene Holmes. The Milam & Greene team distills in Blanco, Texas on copper pot stills as well as in Kentucky on classic column stills, using its proprietary yeast recipe and mash bill. Aging takes place in rickhouses located across four states in casks with an assortment of char levels for a variety of flavors resulting in the most thorough array of casks made and collected by any craft distiller. You can reach them at milamandgreenewhiskey.com.
Wawa, a chain of more than 1,000 convenience retail stores currently operating in six states and Washington, D.C., shared new details on its expansion into eastern North Carolina during its double-header Community Partnership Events. Wawa’s initial phase of expansion into North Carolina includes plans to open approximately 80 stores across the eastern region of the state over the next 10+ years with the first eight stores opening in 2024. In addition to the stores set to open in 2024, 
Wawa has more than 30 sites under contract currently going through local approval processes. Wawa expects to open up to 15 stores in 2025 and 10 stores in 2026, with plans to open a total of 80 stores over the next 10+ years in the eastern part of the state. Wawa Real Estate teams continue to look for sites throughout North Carolina. They are also expanding in Ohio and Indiana and Tennessee.
Tai Tong Food & Beverage Group, one of Taiwan’s most noted restaurant groups, is expanding to Los Angeles in 2024. Thai Town Cuisine, which is the restaurant group’s most popular chain, is opening in Century City, summer 2024 with plans to expand to five additional locations in Southern California by the end of next year and 100 U.S. locations by 2030. Founded in 1990 by Charles Hsu, the restaurant group currently operates 145 restaurants in Taiwan under various names including Very Thai Restaurant, 1010 Hunan Cuisine, Very Thai Noodles, Ten Ten Hunan Bistro, and Shann Rice Bar.
Chicken chain Zaxby’s® has introduced its newest restaurant design to Georgia with its first to-go-only concept in its home state. The new Zaxby’s owned and operated by High Adventure Chicken, Inc. for to-go-only service is located at 925 W. Taylor St. in Griffin. “Our team and I cannot wait to bring Zaxby’s delicious chicken to the West Taylor Street neighborhood while at the same time pioneering Zaxby’s new to-go-only concept in Georgia,” said Richard Schott, one of the owners and operators of High Adventure Chicken, Inc. 
Zaxby’s location offers expedited service with a double drive-thru layout, new digital menu boards, a payment window, as well as a drive-thru delivery door for faster pay and pickup. The new design also includes a walk-up window for guests to place take-out orders. The restaurant does not offer indoor seating, catering to the heightened consumer demand for food-to-go, which is expected to increase in the coming years.
Efficiency and flexibility are paramount in delivering exceptional dining experiences and restaurant profitability. Duke Manufacturing, a privately held, global foodservice equipment manufacturer, announced its latest innovation, the ReadyFlex Full Size Hot Holding Cabinet. The ReadyFlex Full Size cabinet empowers restaurants with maximized holding capacity, with minimized impact on equipment footprint. The new Full-Size unit offers a higher capacity holding solution, ensuring more product is available during high-volume serving times. This allows restaurant operators to strategically cook less frequently and hold more, optimizing their operations based on store demand and needs. In addition, the 
ReadyFlex Full Size unit has been intelligently designed to save space and reduce operational steps. By maximizing holding capacity within fewer linear feet restaurants can streamline their kitchen setups. Visit dukemfg.com for all details.
With an impressive 43-year history of success, Florida-based Woody’s Bar-B-Q clearly knows a thing or two about good food and good business. To keep its legacy growing, the classic Southern BBQ chain has tapped Joseph Becker, a new franchisee in Raleigh, NC to lead its franchise development efforts. Having launched a company and owned a franchise over the course of nearly eight years, Becker understands first-hand what it’s like to be a small business owner. He believes this unique perspective will make him a natural ally to prospective franchisees. Becker and Woody’s Bar-B-Q co-founders, Woody Mills and Yolanda Mills-Mawman, have their sights set on the national expansion of the brand taking Woody’s signature menu of slow-smoked meats, comfort food sides, and decadent desserts beyond the borders of the Sunshine State.
Kichi Taiyaki Japanese dessert café has just opened late last month in Brandon. Located at 2020 W Brandon Blvd. This dessert hub offers taro, brown sugar, custard, pandan coconut, and Nutella. Kichi will offer fillings such as pork floss and cream cheese, pepperoni and marinara, and egg and cheddar cheese. The dessert shop mainly has souffle pancakes and traditional Japanese desserts and drinks. Kim Nguyen is the owner and operator.
A glimpse into one of Florida’s most infamous connections to the history and culture of the Caribbean is now available at the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlet Mall. Caribbean Moonshine, – CaribbeanMoonshine.com – a 3,000-square-foot craft distillery, tasting room, bar, and tropics-inspired retail store aims to bring some of the best craft spirits from the Caribbean to the U.S. mainland. 
According to store creators, Steve Nichols and Mike Weber, two long-time travel industry professionals and entrepreneurs, visitors to the Orlando retail outlet also can see displays of some of the history and lore of rum-making in both the islands and in Florida. “Florida was something of a bootlegger’s paradise after the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane and during the decade of the 1930s, when prohibition was enforced,” Nichols said. “During those years, stills popped up all around Florida, and infamous mobster Al Capone was known to have run the “Lost City” distillery hidden deep in the Everglades.” “Our goal is to recreate a sense of those times,” Nichols said, “for both Floridians and visitors from around the world.”
SoundHound AI, Inc., a global leader in voice artificial intelligence, has announced that it is now offering Employee Assist, a new state-of-the-art conversational AI product that supports restaurant employees by allowing them to instantly learn critical information about food, tasks, and other operations without having to reach for a manual or distract another busy member of staff. Employee Assist is a category-defining voice AI technology that enables restaurant employees from both the front and back-of-house to ask a custom-trained voice assistant critical questions – and get immediate responses – completely hands-free. “Employee Assist offers a first class solution to support busy employees and remove any friction and confusion from the equation. It’s an AI-powered expert in their ear that delivers the right information every time,” said James Hom, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at SoundHound AI. “Both restaurant operators and customers are now embracing cutting-edge technology like this because they understand that it’s capable of creating a more efficient and productive ordering experience.” To learn more about restaurant solutions from SoundHound AI, visit www.soundhound.com.
Keurig Dr Pepper-owned brand Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and American sports movies and Westerns actor Kevin Costner have teamed up to launch a new coffee blend, called Horizon Blend by Kevin Costner. While launching sales of the coffee, the partners donated $100,000 to the nonprofit Root Capital.
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