As consumers continue to demand more transparency, more customization, and more healthy options, what is the future of foodservice?  Okay, so this conversation has been on the table for at least a decade.  But, today, something is fundamentally changing in our industry.  

In this episode of On Foodable Weekly, we sit with Scott Davis, President of CoreLife and Steve Schulze, Co-founder of Nekter Juice Bar to talk about how the consumer is enforcing their values with their dollar and the industry is reacting.  The customer has created a whole new segment that we call, "future brands."  These restaurants are more focused on lifestyle and offer more than just a meal.  

For example, CoreLife is focused on providing fitness classes like yoga, and lifestyle content. Neckter Juice Bar also offers a cleanse to renew and revitalize your body.  Lifestyle brands seem to operate the way that consumers want to experience food today, fitting in with their needs and preferences - convenience is key. 

So, what happens when your lunch spot becomes your gym and health spa? Watch the episode for more.

Amazon.com Inc. slashed prices at Whole Foods Market stores Monday, with some items seeing cuts up to 43 percent. Items like organic Fuji apples and organic rotisserie chicken were accompanied by orange signs showing the old price, the new price, and text reading “More to come...”. In total, over 400 items have seen price cuts.

According to Bloomberg, prices on whole trade organic bananas fell 30 percent, responsibly farmed tilapia — 33 percent, and organic Fuji apples — 43 percent.

Since Amazon won antitrust approval by the FTC last week, the e-commerce giant has made some big announcements about the companies’ futures. Soon, Whole Foods’ healthy and high-quality private label products will be available through Amazon.com, AmazonFresh, Prime Pantry, and Prime Now. Amazon Lockers will be available in select Whole Foods Market stores where customers will be able to pick up products shipped from Amazon.com as well as return items.

In addition, Amazon Prime is becoming Whole Foods Market’s customer rewards program, meaning Prime members can expect special savings and other in-store benefits.

Stay tuned to Foodable for more on this and other industry news.

In this episode of On Foodable Weekly, Foodable Network's CEO and Host, Paul Barron, sits with restaurant owner and bar expert, Vaughan Dugan, to discuss the ever shifting beverage segment.  

Craft beer, craft soda, and craft cocktails have all become hot topics in the beverage business.  

"It's really kind of exploded over the last several years; bar owners obviously see the opportunity to kind of elevate and enhance their business model," says Dugan.  

Craft means transparency and higher quality to most people.  Beverage programs are now held to a higher standard, much like food service.

Whisky from Japan!

Non-U.S. spirit brands in high demand in U.S. cocktail rooms, may not be a new trend, but it is certainly going strong.  We have seen Japanese whiskey become the talk of the town.  Why?

According to Dugan, "As more of the consumers learn more and more about this resurgence of booze, in general, they're getting more intelligent... When you hear about a Japanese whiskey basically beating out all the born and bred in the good ol’ USA, it opens up everybody’s eyes..."

Watch the episode to hear more on topics like margins and staffing best practices in the beverage business.  

On this episode of On Foodable Weekly, Paul sits down with Nicole Aylward, the director of Marketing at Rockit Ranch to talk about how restaurants are using technology to improve their their digital presence. Rockit Ranch is a restaurant group with a number of different restaurants, based in Chicago.

Aylward begins with social media and the importance of having the brand's voice match up on different platforms. Facebook and Instagram are a massive part of modern marketing strategies. At Rockit Ranch, pushing out the brands message is not the job of one marketing manager. Aylward explains that operators, chefs and other staff are all trained to talk about the brand in a way consistent with its personality.

“So each one of them have a personality whether it’s female or male, what they might wear, what they might do and eat and see and experience.”

On this episode of On Foodable Weekly, culinary trends are taking the stage. Just a few years ago, many diners hadn’t heard of exotic dishes and ingredients like kimchi or ostrich steaks.

In an effort to keep their art interesting, chefs are constantly innovating to provide their customers with experiences that WOW diners. However, today's customers are more educated and more adventurous than ever. This is pushing chefs to continue experimenting and is certainly keeping chefs on their toes!

Mark Garcia of Avocados From Mexico says the new consumers’ well-traveled palates are pushing guests to ask for more from their dining experiences.

Watch the episode above to learn about even more culinary trends we’ll be seeing this year.

This episode of On Foodable Weekly: Industry Pulse is chock-full of great beverage insights from coffee makers to bartenders and spirit distillers. Host Chelsea Keenan hears from beverage experts about consumer trends they are seeing and trends they are pushing for in the next few years.

The founder of Intelligentsia Coffee, Geoff Watts, and Sourcing Director Michael Sheridan take us to the root of coffee, or more specifically— the cherry. Coffee is grown on trees in the form of cherries. These are then picked off the trees and from there the seeds can go through a variety of different processes at different stages, all creating different flavors from the same coffee bean. Watts outlines the process for honey coffee, a very popular process with today’s consumers.

Be sure to watch the episode for other great insights from our experts on this episode of On Foodable Weekly: Industry Pulse.

Charcuterie and cheese boards have long been staples for wine lovers looking for a tasty, complimentary snack, but when lung doctor Nick Proia started thinking about the different effects these snacks were having on his arteries, it didn’t make sense to him. 

Watch the episode to learn more about chocolate specially formulated for wine!

On this episode of On Foodable Weekly, our host, Paul Barron, sits down with City Winery’s National Wine Director, Rachel Speckan and Maple & Ash’s Head Sommelier and Director of Wine Imports, Daniel Pilkey. They discuss wine sale trends, consumer attitudes towards different types of wine from various regions, wine selection tips for wine directors and small restaurant concepts and other topics.

On this episode of On Foodable Weekly: Industry Pulse, we uncover another Artisan Food Find from the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York. As we have begun to see in recent months, condiments are slowly starting to take center stage. Items like vegan mayonnaise and unique pickles are just a couple condiments rising up in the ranks. An England-based company, The Foraging Fox, has gotten a head start with their 100% natural beetroot ketchup which they started creating three years ago.

The Foraging Fox was founded by Frankie Fox after having an abundance of apples and beetroot from her family’s crop. Shortly after, she enlisted friend and former colleague Desiree Parker to come on as co-founder. With a dedication to new ingredients and fresh thinking, the team spent the last three years perfecting their ketchup.

Aside from being natural, vegan-friendly, allergen-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and free from high-fructose corn syrup, the beetroot ketchup is naturally nutrient packed. Beetroot is a superfood associated with an array of health benefits such as lowering blood pressure. Watch the episode above to learn more and stay tuned to the Artisan Food Finds series for more artisanal products!

On this episode of On Foodable Weekly: Industry Pulse, we see how long-standing brand, Cacique, is adapting in response to the millennial consumer, while still staying true to their identity.

Cacique has been at the forefront of authentic Mexican cuisine for over 40 years. Their traditional products like queso fresco and crema are staples of the brand.

Watch the episode above to learn more about the innovations Cacique is making in response to the millennial consumer!