A pizza chain debuts a new design, while a fast-casual concept takes the next steps in its equipment evolution. Plus, athletes share their thoughts on foodservice at the Olympics. These stories and more This Week in Foodservice.

From main street to street fests and all points in between, pop-up restaurants are having a moment. So, it only makes sense that politicos would get in on the action.

Two news organizations have teamed up to form the CNN and Politico Grill. During the upcoming Democratic National Convention, they will operate a restaurant near Chicago’s United Center and broadcast daily while patrons are seen behind them eating and drinking. This will be one of the hottest reservations in Chicago during the convention because these pop-up restaurants have become a place for journalists and political operatives to see and be seen, as the Sun-Times reports.

By no means is this the first time for something like this. Just last month, for example, CNN and Politico teamed up to do the same thing in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention, as this Ad Week story notes. That pop-up restaurant set up shop in the historic Turner Hall, one of the more intriguing foodservice venues in the city.

This whole trend dates to 2004, when CNN did something similar in New York City for the RNC.

Not to be outdone by the politicians, the television show The Bear now had its own pop-up restaurant. Attendees at Comic-Con were able to visit a restaurant designed to look like the one on the popular television show, per an Eater story. This was located with a variety of other restaurants based on shows from the FX network.

Foodservice News

• Marco’s Pizza debuted a new restaurant design in Idaho, per a report in restaurant development + design. This rollout includes a test of warming racks and pizza lockers that hold multiple orders. Marco’s new design also has a new pickup door and pickup window.
• Chipotle is ready to take the next steps in its equipment initiatives. Specifically, the fast-casual Mexican chain plans to further test dual-sided grills in 74 high-volume locations, per a Restaurant Dive report. Its digital make line is undergoing final checks ahead of pilot testing in some of the chain’s restaurants.
• Red Lobster has chartered what it feels is a path to profitability. The chain projects posting net positive revenue of $2.1 million by 2026, per a Restaurant Dive story. That would be quite the turnaround considering the chain posted a $76 million net loss in 2023. Red Lobster appears close to coming under new ownership, which will consist of a group of existing creditors including Fortress Credit Corp.
• School foodservice operators always look for new ways to engage students and the Chicago Public School System is no exception. Last week, CPS held a taste test during which students got to sample some new menu items, including blueberry crisp, a fruit parfait, jollof rice and green bean casserole, as the Sun-Times reports. CPS does this sort of thing several times a year, the story added.
• The foodservice operations in the athletes’ village at the Paris Olympics are not in line for a medal, at least for now. Athletes from the United Kingdom complained of shortages of certain foods and that the food quality was not up to par, per a London Times story. About 40,000 meals a day are prepared in the athletes’ village and the foodservice provider has vowed to step up its game.

Economic News This Week

• The economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter of 2024. Specifically, real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.8% for the period, per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is 1.4% greater than the first quarter. The second quarter growth reflected increases in consumer spending, inventory investment, and business investment. Economists had projected GDP would increase 2.0% for the quarter, per published reports. Consumer spending on foodservices and accommodations increased 2.5% from the first quarter of 2024, per an analysis from the National Restaurant Association. In the first half of 2024, personal consumption expenditures on foodservices and accommodations declined by an annualized 1.2%.
• Personal consumption expenditures increased 0.3% in June, per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is 0.1% greater than both personal income and disposable personal income. This report offers some evidence that the U.S. Federal Reserve’s efforts to curb inflation is “making its way through the economy without causing too much damage,” per a BNN Bloomberg report.
• Sales of new single-family houses declined 0.6% in June compared to the previous month, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 7.4% less than June 2023. The 617,000 new homes sold in June represents a seven-month low and was 23,000 less than what economists had projected, per Reuters.
• Initial jobless claims declined by 10,000 for a total of 235,000 for the week-ending July 20, 2024, per the U.S. Department of Labor. The 4-week moving average was 235,500, an increase of 250 from the previous week. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 238,000 claims for the latest week.
• Consumer sentiment ticked down slightly in July, per data from the University of Michigan. Its Index of Consumer Sentiment came in at 1.8 points less than June and 5.1 points less than in July of 2023. Interestingly, consumers’ perspective on current economic conditions dipped 3.2 percentage points, while the Index of Consumer Expectations dipped by less than one percentage point.