INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Restaurants led all industries in job growth in August

This was a significant improvement after two straight months of job losses, according to BLS data.

The restaurant industry saw the highest job growth rate out of all non-farm industries in August, according to the latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to the report, while the national unemployment rate remained stagnant at 4.1% last month, the restaurant industry gained 59,000 jobs in August — a nearly 0.5% month-over-month increase. This growth rate is significantly above the average monthly gain of 12,000 over the prior 12 months, and 5 times the foodservice industry’s typical jobs growth rate.

This is a major improvement for restaurants after two straight months of job losses in June and July.

Comparatively, in August, the industry with the second-highest job growth rate was local education, which saw nearly 42,000 hires in August. Many other industries saw job declines in August, particularly the auto and information industries.

“A stronger jobs number is good for restaurants, but the real story is what it does to the labor market, not just the dining room,” Restaurant365’s chief product officer, Steve Demchuk, said in a statement. “More people working means more guests with paychecks. It also means more competition for the workers restaurants are trying to hire.”

Related:Starbucks is laying off more than 200 workers

August is historically a good hiring month for the restaurant industry, as seasonal workers go back to school and restaurants are looking to fill their shifts for the autumn changeover.

Last August, foodservice industry hiring similarly outpaced other industries during the slow late summer month.

Overall, the U.S. gained 162,000 net jobs in August — the nation’s slowest hiring month since January.

Contact Joanna at joanna.fantozzi@informa.com

Source https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-labor/restaurants-led-all-industries-in-job-growth-in-august

 

Carl’s Jr institutes cook-to-order standard

The chain joins Burger King, McDonald’s and Wendy’s in moving to improve food quality in order to boost frequency and sales.

Dive Brief:
Carl’s Jr. launched its Burger Revolution on Tuesday, setting a systemwide cooked-to-order standard to provide “hotter, fresher and more consistently craveable burgers,” the company said in a press release.
As part of this initiative, the chain debuted a limited-time Angus Maximus, a burger with 5.7 ounces of beef, melted American cheese, sliced onions, dill pickles and a special sauce served on a toasted brioche bun.
Deliberate efforts to improve food quality is a trend across burger chains, with Burger King, Wendy’s and McDonald’s all updating their menus with new ingredients or new items to improve customer satisfaction and drive traffic.

Dive Insight:
For Carl’s Jr., this initiative will move the chain away from using traditional holding systems that can “compromise temperature and texture,” the company said. Carl’s Jr. will begin cooking after a customer places an order to ensure the burger is served hot off a char broiler.

“Carl’s Jr. has never been in the business of serving burgers that are just good enough,” Iwona Alter, Carl’s Jr. brand president, said in a statement. “The Burger Revolution and our shift to a cooked-to-order process represent our commitment to raising the standard across the entire Carl’s Jr. experience.”

Carl’s Jr.’s recent marketing efforts — particularly around its LTOs — emphasize food quality. When it released its Western Bacon Chicken Sandwich in April, it offered MyRewards members a free Western Bacon Chicken Sandwich if they could prove they bought a “criminally bland chicken sandwich” from a competitor. It also gave guests a free Sourdough Star in June if they could prove that they passed by a Jack in the Box in favor of a Carl’s Jr.

Improving food quality could help boost the chain’s franchised average unit volume, which was $1.39 million during fiscal year 2026, according to its franchise disclosure document.

The chain has reported declines in its unit count, particularly on the franchised side. Carl’s Jr.’s franchised store count declined from 1,020 in 2024 to 942 by the end of fiscal 2026. Company-owned stores have remained at about 50 units during that time.

A handful of franchisees at Carl’s Jr. and sister brand Hardee’s have struggled with profitability recently, leading to bankruptcy. A large Carl’s franchisee, Friendly Franchisees Corporation, which operated 65 Carl’s Jr. units in California, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April, citing the impact of the state’s $20 minimum wage as one of the reasons for its move.

Burger King’s focus on improving the quality of its Whopper is helping drive sales increases this year. McDonald’s is working on improving its food quality as part of its NEXT strategy. Wendy’s released improved chicken sandwiches earlier this year, as well.

Source https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/carls-jr-cooked-order-initiative-angus-maximus-food-quality/829947/

 

Pollo Tropical owner Authentic Restaurant Brands gets $325M investment

The funding from Trimontium will help Authentic open more locations and add more regional brands to its portfolio.

The owner of Pollo Tropical, P.J. Whelihan’s, and other regional restaurant brands has landed a $325 million investment to help it grow.

London-based asset manager Trimontium is providing the “flexible capital solution” to Authentic Restaurant Brands, which will use it to open more locations and acquire more brands.

Austin-based Authentic also owns Primanti Bros, Tavern in the Square, and Mambo Seafood. Its strategy is to grow these “hometown hero” brands within their existing markets while also modernizing them with investments in technology and analytics. It was founded in 2021 as a subsidiary of private-equity firm Garnett Station Partners.

It currently spans 225 locations and more than $1 billion in combined annual revenue, and has recorded four straight years of positive same-store sales growth, according to a press release. Florida-based fast casual Pollo Tropical is Authentic’s largest concept, with 122 locations and more than $327 million in sales last year, per Technomic data. Its most recent acqusition was 21-unit Tavern in the Square last year.

Related:100 emerging restaurants reshaping the competitive landscape

Earlier this year, it hinted at a potential IPO in three to five years.

The funding from Trimontium will help Authentic accelerate its growth, said Authentic co-founder and CEO Alex Macedo. It includes debt, equity, and hybrid financing, with more capital available over time to support growth.

“Trimontium understood how we operate from the first conversation and structured their solution around what will support the business today while building in flexibility for future growth,” Macedo said in a statement. “We are excited for this next chapter.”

Source https://www.nrn.com/regional-chains/pollo-tropical-owner-authentic-restaurant-brands-gets-350m-investment

 

Taco Bell teams up with Topgolf for inaugural Live Más Open golf tournament

The non-conventional nine-hole event will be held in November in Laguna Beach, California, and players can qualify at participating Topgolf locations.

Taco Bell is breaking out the clubs and hosting a nine-hole golf tournament, called the Live Más Open. The inaugural, non-conventional, nine-hole tournament will be hosted by Actor/Comedian Kevin Hart at The Ranch in Laguna Beach, California, on Nov. 2, and will also be streamed.

Like Taco Bell’s now-annual Live Más Live event, the golf tournament will bring together fans, creators, and celebrities. It will feature exclusive golf-inspired food and beverages served through an on-course drive-thru built specifically for the event. The 36-player tournament will feature nine foursomes, each pairing one qualifying fan with a celebrity, pro athlete, and creator. There will also be a live team draft, original challenges, and more.

From now through Sept. 27, golfers nationwide can compete for one of the nine spots at the tournament by entering the Live Más Open Qualifier through Shot Shuffle at participating Topgolf locations or via a free online entry online here. Players who score 200 points or more will be invited to enter a sweepstakes, with 100 candidates randomly selected to receive a one-month Topgolf Platinum Club Membership and an invitation to submit a player bio and video. Taco Bell will evaluate the submissions to select nine fans to travel to Laguna Beach for the tournament. Entrants must be 21 or older.

“Topgolf has always been about making golf more accessible and social, which is why the Live Más Open is such a natural fit for us,” Topgolf CEO David McKillips, said in a statement. “Together with Taco Bell, we want everyone to feel like they can be part of the game, whether they’re picking up a club for the first time or have been playing for years, with a chance to earn their way into the field and experience golf in a way they may never have imagined.”

Taco Bell is also giving away more than one million offer codes through its rewards program, giving members $25 off a Topgolf reservation during the Live Más Open Qualifier window, while supplies last.

The winning foursome will earn the first Live Más Open trophy, as well as purple jackets (a Taco Bell-colored spin on the traditional green Master’s jacket), and the chance to bring back a Taco Bell menu item for a limited time in 2027.

In a statement, Taco Bell Chief Marketing Officer Luis Restrepo said the chain has always been a disruptor of conventions, which is why this tournament makes sense.

“With the Live Más Open, we’re playing a different game, bringing pros, celebrities, creators and fans together on the course in a way that hasn’t been done before. Our fans have always shaped this brand, so when we create an experience like this, we want them to be a part of it, not watching from the sidelines,” he said.

Related:Starbucks, Papa Johns, Pollo Tropical

In addition to the golf tournament and the annual Live Más Live event, Taco Bell’s experiential campaigns have also included The Cantinas “Early Retirement Community,” the popup Bell Hotel and Resort, emotional support tacos, Tuesday drops, and more.

Contact Alicia Kelso at Alicia.Kelso@informa.com

Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso

Source https://www.nrn.com/quick-service/taco-bell-teams-up-with-topgolf-for-inaugural-live-m-s-open-golf-tournament

 

Long John Silver’s Brings Back ‘Talk Like a Pirate Day’ for September 19

Ahoy, mateys! Long John Silver’s is once again turning Talk Like a Pirate Day on Sept. 19 into a celebration worthy of the high seas with free food, bigger rewards for dressing the part, and pirate swag for guests.

Guests who talk like a pirate can score a free piece of Long John Silver’s signature hand-battered fish or a Chicken Plank, while those who dress the part can claim an even bigger bounty: a free two-piece fish or chicken basket. The celebration doesn’t stop with free food. Guests can get into character with temporary pirate themed tattoos while supplies last.

“Talk Like a Pirate Day is one of our favorite Long John Silver’s traditions, and every year our guests make it even more fun,” said Laura Ellis, chief marketing officer at Long John Silver’s. “We see people come through our doors ready to celebrate with their best pirate voice, creative costumes, and plenty of pirate spirit. We love seeing that enthusiasm, and we’re excited to give guests even more ways to be part of the celebration this year.”

Get Into the Pirate Spirit

At participating locations, guests who talk like a pirate will receive a free piece of Long John Silver’s signature hand-battered fish or a Chicken Plank. Those who come dressed as a pirate will receive a free two-piece fish or chicken basket. Whether guests keep it simple with an “Ahoy!” or “Aye aye!” or arrive dressed from head to toe in their best swashbuckling style, everyone has a way to join the annual tradition.

Talk Like a Pirate, Get Free Food

Even landlubbers can look the part. As part of the in-restaurant celebration, Long John Silver’s crew members will hand out one of three temporary tattoo designs while supplies last, because no pirate look is complete without a little extra flair.

Ready to embrace your inner pirate? Mark your calendar for Sept. 19, when Long John Silver’s Talk Like a Pirate Day celebration takes over participating locations nationwide. To find the nearest restaurant, guests can visit ljsilvers.com. For exclusive offers, rewards, and the latest updates, join the Seacret Society Rewards program.

Source https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/long-john-silvers-brings-back-talk-like-a-pirate-day-for-september-19/

 

Pei Wei Named Best Fast-Casual Chain in Reviewed’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards

Pei Wei Asian Kitchen, the fast-casual Asian dining concept known for its wok-fired flavors and made-to-order meals, has been named the Best Fast-Casual Chain in the Reviewed 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, earning national recognition from consumers and reviewers alike.

The award celebrates Pei Wei’s long-standing commitment to delivering fresh, flavorful Asian cuisine with the speed and convenience today’s diners expect. Since opening in 2000, Pei Wei has distinguished itself by offering customizable rice and noodle bowls prepared with fresh vegetables and proteins, all cooked to order in an open-kitchen environment that brings energy and transparency to the dining experience.

Reviewed praised Pei Wei for delivering “wok-fired Asian flavors to diners quickly” while providing a dining experience that stands apart from traditional quick-service restaurants. The publication noted that everything is cooked to order in an open kitchen and highlighted fan-favorite menu items including Mongolian Beef and Kung Pao Chicken.

“Being recognized as Best Fast-Casual Chain by Reviewed’s readers is an incredible honor and a testament to the passion our team brings to every meal we serve,” said Brian Dreeland, vice president of marketing for Pei Wei Asian Kitchen. “For more than two decades, we’ve been focused on creating bold, crave-worthy Asian cuisine and we’re constantly evolving to give our guests new flavors and experiences while staying true to what they know and love about Pei Wei.”

The honor comes as Pei Wei continues to evolve its menu while staying true to the made-to-order approach that has defined the brand since its inception. By offering guests the ability to customize their meals and enjoy freshly prepared dishes without the wait of traditional sit-down dining, Pei Wei remains a leader in the fast-casual restaurant category.

For more information about Pei Wei Asian Kitchen, visit peiwei.com.

Source https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/pei-wei-named-best-fast-casual-chain-in-revieweds-2026-readers-choice-awards/

 

KFC names first global chief brand officer amid identity overhaul

The chain created the post as it refreshes iconic assets, including Colonel Sanders, and recenters its menu on offerings like boneless chicken.

KFC has appointed Amy Ellis Durini to the newly created role of global chief brand officer, effective Nov. 1, according to a press release. Durini will have a remit encompassing brand strategy, loyalty, retail, new concept development and innovation, and report directly to KFC Global CEO Scott Mezvinsky. She will also collaborate closely with CMOs at KFCs in different markets to help modernize the fried chicken chain’s positioning and experiences.

The move follows parent Yum Brands unveiling a new global brand identity for KFC in June that has required a “coordinated global effort” to roll out, executives have said. As part of the changes, KFC is redesigning stores and revamping its menu to feature more boneless chicken, beverages and dipping sauces, building on learnings from its Saucy store concept.

KFC’s international division has generally been a stronger driver of demand than its U.S. arm, which has been trying to kickstart a comeback as rivals like Raising Cane’s gain consumer favor.

A Yum Bands veteran, Durini has served as chief marketing and strategy officer for Taco Bell’s international unit since 2021. Her work at Taco Bell included developing programs like Encore Hours, Crossbar Bong, Live Mas Club and expanding Taco Con. Prior to Taco Bell, Durini held a number of manager and director-level positions for KFC’s international business for over eight years.

Establishing global chief brand and marketing officer posts is one way marketers attempt to bring greater consistency to what are often sprawling, fragmented operations. Valerie Kubizniak has acted as KFC’s global CMO since 2022 and has been helping steer the overhaul, including by refreshing assets like the chain’s Colonel mascot and its recognizable chicken bucket.

Yum Brands is in the midst of a larger shakeup. Along with refreshing KFC, the fast-food giant just finished selling Pizza Hut, which has long been a drag on results.

Source https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/kfc-names-first-global-chief-brand-officer-amid-identity-overhaul/829685/

 

TGI Fridays Heads to Balkans With 10-Unit Deal

The brand’s partner Devolli Group will develop 10 TGI Fridays restaurants across Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia.

TGI Fridays has signed a deal that will lead to its first-ever expansion into the Balkans. The brand will partner with Devolli Group, which will develop 10 TGI Fridays restaurants across Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia.

The brand says the deal represents a milestone in its 1-2-3 Strategic Vision to operate more than 1,000 restaurants worldwide by 2030. Over the past nine months, the brand has signed new deals in Kenya and the Maldives, while extending partnerships in Peru, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. Collectively, these agreements have added more than 150 restaurants to its global development pipeline.

“Devolli Group is the right partner to introduce TGI Fridays to the Balkans,” says Phil Broad, global president, TGI Fridays, in the release. “Their market expertise, operational excellence and long-term vision give us tremendous confidence in what we can build together. This partnership not only expands our international footprint, but also advances our 1-2-3 Strategic Vision as we continue bringing the Fridays experience to new guests around the world.”

TGI Fridays’ European footprint also includes operations in Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Norway and the U.K. Overall, the brand operates nearly 400 restaurants in almost 40 countries.

Source https://www.fermag.com/articles/tgi-fridays-heads-to-balkans-with-10-unit-deal/

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FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

ARK MFG Acquires Therma-Tek Commercial Cooking Solutions

The deal marks ARK MFG’s move into the hot side of commercial kitchen solutions.

ARK MFG has acquired Therma-Tek Commercial Cooking Solutions. Therma-Tek designs and manufactures commercial cooking equipment in the U.S. The deal marks ARK MFG’s move into the hot side of commercial kitchen solutions.

“This acquisition continues us down our path of investing in American-made manufacturing and expanding the range of products we can offer our customers,” says Gian Carlo Alonso, founder and CEO of ARK MFG, in the release. “This is one of the most exciting ventures we’ve taken on yet. I’ve always wanted to build a world-class cooking line, and now we’re proudly adding the hot side alongside our refrigeration offerings.”

ARK MFG plans to revitalize and grow Therma-Tek. The company says it’s making “significant investments in manufacturing reinvigoration.” This effort includes a rebuild of the Therma-Tek facility and the relocation of its operations into ARK MFG’s global headquarters.

“I want to sincerely thank Don and Rebeca Pittsley for this opportunity,” Alonso says. “We are honored to build on what they’ve created and are deeply committed to making Therma-Tek the best it can be—right here in the United States.”

ARK MFG also includes Amerikooler and Tarpon Stainless Fabricators, which it acquired in 2025.

Source https://www.fermag.com/articles/ark-mfg-acquires-therma-tek-commercial-cooking-solutions/

 

Unox sees AI driving next-generation kitchens

UK managing director Steve McGarvie insists the technology built into its latest ovens is taking kitchen performance to new levels

Unox equipment is designed to support today’s chefs, foodservice operators, bakers and retail users who are looking to deliver high-quality food, without compromising on efficiency and consistency.

The brand is known for innovation, technological advancement and delivering solutions to meet the needs of its customers.

But how far can the technology go?

“There’s been a great deal of talk around the dangers of AI recently; however, we’re a firm believer that when used correctly, AI can not only support a professional kitchen but deliver ongoing efficiencies in the process,” says Unox UK’s managing director Steven McGarvie.

“Utilising artificial intelligence, our cooking equipment solutions help to improve menu consistency whilst constantly enhancing food quality. At a very basic level, the technology optimises performance and advises the best methods for each recipe.”

With automated and innovative systems, the Unox portfolio offers a multitude of functions that help reduce chefs’ workloads whilst maintaining high performance.

“The systems are capable of being operated remotely and are intuitive to use, making our technology ideal for operators with less-experienced staff.

“We are committed to helping and supporting a wide range of businesses, from particularly busy venues requiring kit to deliver a high output to smaller kitchens which thrive using our equipment where it essentially adds another member of the team.

“With artificial intelligence and a data-driven edge, we can support increasing kitchen productivity and performance regardless of venue or team size,” notes McGarvie.

He adds: “Immersing ourselves in the industry, we’re well-versed in interpreting trends. Recently, we have noticed that the cooking sector has become more streamlined, with operators downsizing to smaller kitchens, running leaner teams, and yet restaurant customers demand high-quality food and rapid service more than ever before.

“This trend has spiked the development of technological advancements in modern kitchens, and it has now become a necessity that cooking equipment is efficient and of an excellent standard.

“One of our most important duties at Unox is ensuring that we help our customers overcome their challenges. To scale up the service we offer to our customers, we had to ensure that our main focus was the operators using our equipment day in, day out.

“That’s why we have invested in experts who can train our customers and technicians, maintain the reliability of our equipment and deliver world-class product demonstrations.”

The world of professional cooking is fast-paced, and Unox will continue to analyse and innovate our products as the current market inevitably changes, insists McGarvie.

“This is why Unox holds three core values at its heart: innovation, sustainability and consistency.”

Source https://www.cateringinsight.com/unox-sees-ai-driving-next-generation-kitchens/

 

The Ferri Group Adds Culinary Sales Associate

The new hire, Michael Kalajian, will demonstrate equipment for operators and dealers.

Manufacturers’ rep firm The Ferri Group has hired Michael Kalajian as its culinary sales associate.

Kalajian brings more than 40 years of foodservice experience to the role. He spent 20 years as a chef in upscale restaurants in New York City before transitioning into foodservice equipment sales. His career includes time spent at Robot Coupe, US Foods, Restaurant Depot and BFA Foodservice.

In his new role, Kalajian will demonstrate equipment for operators and dealers while helping dealer partners better understand The Ferri Group’s manufacturers, equipment capabilities and applications so they can identify the right solutions for their customers.

“Michael’s background as a chef and his years on the equipment sales side give him a rare ability to speak the language of both operators and dealers,” says Joe Louis Ferri, principal of The Ferri Group, in an August release. “As automation and robotics continue to play a larger role in foodservice, that real-world culinary experience is especially valuable. Michael understands the challenges operators are trying to solve and can help connect them with solutions that reduce labor demands, improve consistency and create greater efficiency in the kitchen.”

The Ferri Group (formerly Pecinka Ferri) serves MAFSI Region 3.

Source https://www.fermag.com/articles/the-ferri-group-adds-culinary-sales-associate/

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TABLETOP & FRONT OF HOUSE

Why everyone suddenly wants a classic Pizza Hut lamp and what’s next for the Tiffany-style lamp revival

If you remember the smell of pan pizza baking under a Tiffany-style lamp, the squeak of a vinyl booth against the back of your knees and the ding of a Book It button pin, Pizza Hut is quietly rebuilding your childhood.

Even as the restaurant prepares to shutter roughly 250 U.S. locations in 2026, a parallel push is converting existing stores into “Classic” locations styled after the chain’s 1980s and 1990s dine-in era. Yes, that means red roofs, checkered tablecloths, stained-glass lamps and Pac-Man are all coming back.

The retro bet is spilling past the restaurants themselves, into merchandise, home décor and a wider stained-glass revival that could reshape how the legacy chains of our youth position themselves against delivery-first competitors.

What’s happening with Pizza Hut classic locations

Yum! Brands CEO Chris Turner announced the roughly 250 U.S. closures during a February conference call, according to People. At the same time, the company (which has since sold Pizza Hut to two other companies) confirmed in May 2026 that 155 U.S. Pizza Huts now operate as Classic locations, spread across 27 states.

Texas leads with 28 Classic restaurants, followed by Missouri with 15, Indiana and Ohio with 11 each and Georgia with 10, according to Pizza Hut. The interiors bring back the details Gen X grew up with — vinyl booths, red plastic cups you could stack into a tower while you waited, arcade cabinets including Pac-Man and those stained-glass pendant lamps that made every table feel like its own little world.

Franchisee Tim Sparks, who owns 94 Pizza Huts, opened his first two Classic locations in 2018 and 2019 and has now converted 38 total as of July.

Why the classic Pizza Hut lamp became a cultural symbol

The Tiffany-style lamp was never just restaurant lighting. It became part of Pizza Hut’s visual identity.

That became clear in 2023. Pizza Hut partnered with nostalgia brand Chain to release a $35 reversible bucket hat. One side referenced the stained-glass shade. The other referenced the red roof.

“Those Pizza Hut Tiffany lamps are some of the most iconic pieces of New Americana design,” Chain co-founder Nicholas Kraft told Food & Wine. “They elicit such joy and fond memories.”

The chain had already leaned into its vintage iconography. It released a Tiffany Lamp T-shirt, red cups and checkered-tablecloth apparel. Chief marketing officer Lindsay Morgan told Food & Wine in 2021 the collection was designed to give “fans nationwide a fresh way to show off their Pizza Hut love.”

But the appeal goes beyond brand loyalty. Stained glass is making a broader comeback in interior design.

“We need a spark. We need more color in our lives. With stained glass, the gray light from outside is filtered through beautiful pieces of glass. This is the filter we all need.”

That same desire for warmth and color is fueling a vintage tavern lighting trend. Stained-glass pendants, Tiffany-style lamps and aged-metal fixtures are moving into homes and restaurants alike.

One customer at a restored Classic Pizza Hut described the appeal simply: “It’s comforting to have something that hasn’t changed,” per The Washington Post.

What could be next for Pizza Hut nostalgia

Expect the Classic footprint to keep growing even as the total store count falls. Sparks alone has converted 38 of his 94 stores, and the network stands at 155 across 27 states — a base large enough to justify a formal national rollout but small enough that new owners can still test economics store by store. Watch for the company to publish Classic-versus-standard traffic or same-store sales data in an upcoming earnings call.

Reader action: if you live in Texas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio or Georgia, check the Pizza Hut Classic locator before your next dine-in visit. This is the version of Pizza Hut you can actually take your kids to.

Expect the merchandise arm to expand further into home goods. The Tiffany-style pendant has already jumped from restaurant fixture to consumer product on secondary marketplaces. One eBay listing from seller parkviewandbarn — an 18-inch reproduction priced at $249 — has 929 watchers and 123 units sold as of Aug. 18. The same seller’s $180 desk lamp has drawn roughly 1,900 watchers and about 200 sales, and lists the same designs on Etsy under ParkviewBarn. Demand at that scale, from a single third-party vendor, is a signal that an official Pizza Hut home-goods line is a plausible next step.

Reader action: if you want an original-style lamp for the game room or above the kitchen table, buy before any first-party product launch resets pricing on the reproduction market.

Expect competitors to follow. If Classic Pizza Huts outperform delivery-heavy peers on dine-in traffic, other legacy chains from your childhood — the Bennigan’s-era casual dining rooms, mid-century diner brands, Nineties fast-food formats — will read the tape and revive their own signature interiors. The winning play isn’t retro for its own sake. It’s the specific combination of warmth, distinctive visual identity and a physical room worth sitting in.

Reader action: if you run or invest in a legacy brand, audit which visual assets your customers still recognize — and which you’ve quietly stripped out in the name of modernization.

The takeaway: Pizza Hut isn’t just closing stores. It’s testing whether a chain can shrink its way back to relevance by rebuilding the room its customers actually remember — the one where you cashed in a Book It coupon for a personal pan pizza and felt like the most important kid in the world.

And the classic Pizza Hut lamp is helping to fuel a much larger vintage lighting trend that’s finding its way into homes across the country.

THREE SIGNALS TO WATCH

Pizza Hut’s next quarterly earnings call, and whether Classic-location performance is broken out separately from standard Pizza Hut stores.
An official Pizza Hut home-goods or lighting product launch beyond apparel and drinkware.
The Classic store count moving past 200 locations, or expanding into a state outside the current 27.

This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI

Source https://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/article317199958.html

 

Why Exceptional Hospitality Matters More Than Ever

In Canada, full-service restaurants now represent a significant share of the hospitality landscape. In May 2025 alone, full-service restaurant sales reached $8.5 billion, reinforcing that guests are still seeking out refined, sit-down dining experiences, according to Statistics Canada,

However, this opportunity for growth also means competition. Operators aim to create value by enhancing the overall dining experience. This is causing guests to have new baseline expectations when eating out. For steakhouses, that often means expectations of a polished dining space, quality ingredients, and a well-thought-out menu. In that environment, hospitality has become the true marker of luxury.

What Service Quality Research Tells Us About Luxury Dining
Guests may be drawn to a steakhouse by its menu, wine program, or atmosphere, but research suggests that service quality plays a major role in how they evaluate the overall experience.

One study examining restaurant service quality found a strong relationship between guest perception and key service factors, including reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Across all categories, respondents reported high satisfaction, with customer perception scoring 4.84 out of 5 and other service dimensions averaging approximately 4.8 out of 5.

The takeaway is practical: guests often judge the value of a dining experience through the quality of service they receive.

Reliability Creates Consistency
Guests expect the same level of attention regardless of the server assigned to their table or how busy the dining room is.

Operational standards help create a dependable experience that provides a level of attention guests can appreciate. Examples include:

Consistent greetings
Accurate order execution
Clear communication
Attentive follow-up
Responsiveness Shapes the Flow of Service
Responsiveness helps maintain momentum throughout the dining experience. Strong service teams can adapt in real time by:

Adjusting the pace of a meal based on kitchen capacity
Answering guest questions confidently
Resolving minor concerns before they escalate
When service feels seamless, guests are more likely to enjoy their time in the restaurant rather than worry about when their food is coming.

Empathy Drives Memorable Experiences
Empathy is often what separates competent service from exceptional hospitality. Recognizing when guests are celebrating, conducting business, or simply enjoying a night out allows staff to tailor interactions appropriately.

This is also where anticipation becomes important. Small actions, such as remembering a returning guest’s preferences or adjusting service based on the table’s mood, can have a significant impact on how the experience is remembered.

Training Supports Every Service Standard
Service quality does not happen overnight. It happens when employee training, communication, and workplace satisfaction influence the guest experience.

When teams share clear service expectations and receive ongoing coaching, hospitality becomes a repeatable standard rather than something dependent on individual personalities. The result is a dining room that operates with greater confidence, consistency, and professionalism.

Practical Ways Restaurant Operators Can Elevate Hospitality
Some of the most impactful changes come from refining everyday operational habits:

● Establish service standards: Define expectations for greetings, menu knowledge, table touches, and guest follow-up so every team member delivers a consistent experience.

● Train for situational awareness: Encourage staff to recognize cues that indicate whether guests are celebrating, conducting business, or seeking a more relaxed dining experience.

● Conduct pre-shift meetings: Brief daily discussions can reinforce priorities, communicate reservations of note, and align the team before service begins.

● Encourage employees to resolve small issues: Giving staff reasonable autonomy often prevents minor concerns from becoming negative guest experiences.

● Reward hospitality behaviors: Celebrate examples of exceptional guest care, not just sales performance or operational efficiency.

● Invest in leadership visibility: Managers who spend time on the floor, interacting with guests and supporting staff, help reinforce the service culture in real time.

● Review guest feedback: Look beyond individual complaints or compliments to identify recurring service strengths and opportunities for improvement.

● Focus on team culture: Employees who feel supported, valued, and well-equipped are more likely to create positive guest experiences.

Where Luxury Truly Lives
Modern steakhouses still rely on traditional elements for a great dining experience, like exceptional ingredients, thoughtful design, and strong culinary execution. However, the restaurants that stand apart are rarely defined by the plate alone, but by the people delivering the experience.

Luxury in today’s dining environment lives in the human moments: the anticipation of a need, the confidence of a well-trained team, and the feeling that the evening was handled with care from beginning to end.

Sarah Beth Stranges
Sarah Beth Stranges is General Manager at STK Steakhouse Fallsview. She has a natural passion for hospitality rooted in a genuine love of people, thrives in fast-paced environments, and is known for keeping operations running smoothly. Stranges began her career in Human Resources before helping open Ruth’s Chris Steak House Niagara Falls in 2012 as Assistant General Manager, later holding leadership roles at Embassy Suites, Four Points by Sheraton, and returning to Ruth’s Chris as General Manager, while also contributing to major openings and events across multiple food and beverage outlets. She continues to lead teams, manage complex operations, and bring ambitious events to life, coming alive in any dining room, event space, or bar.

Source https://modernrestaurantmanagement.com/why-exceptional-hospitality-matters-more-than-ever/

 

Speed Wins: The Restaurants That Hire First Are Winning the Talent Race

In a competitive labor market, restaurants that respond quickly to applicants can gain an edge in securing top hourly talent before it disappears.
For years, restaurant hiring has been treated like a numbers game. Post a job, collect applications, review resumes, schedule interviews, and hope the best candidate is still available when you’re ready to make a decision. Today’s hiring market doesn’t work that way. One of the biggest competitive advantages in restaurant hiring isn’t offering the highest wage or the biggest signing bonus. Increasingly, it’s speed. Great candidates have options, and the restaurant that reaches them first often has the best opportunity to hire them.

Great Candidates Don’t Stay on the Market
Hourly workers aren’t necessarily spending weeks evaluating opportunities. Many are applying to multiple restaurants at the same time, often directly from their phones and sometimes within minutes of each other. The first employer to acknowledge an application, answer questions, and invite a qualified candidate to an interview immediately stands out. By the time another restaurant reviews applications two or three days later, that same candidate may already have an interview scheduled or have accepted another position. Hiring delays don’t just cost time. They cost talent.

Think about two restaurants hiring for the exact same position. The first reviews applications every few days. A manager manually contacts candidates, waits for responses, and goes back and forth trying to schedule interviews. The second responds almost immediately. The candidate gets their questions answered, selects an interview time, and could be sitting across from a manager the following day. Both restaurants might offer similar compensation, culture, and opportunities. The difference is that one created momentum while the candidate was still interested. That’s the advantage of speed.

The Cost of Waiting
An unfilled restaurant position impacts far more than recruiting. When a restaurant is short staffed, managers spend more time covering shifts, existing employees take on additional responsibilities, and guest service can suffer. Over time, that added pressure can contribute to burnout and even more turnover.

This creates a cycle restaurant operators know all too well. You’re short staffed, so your existing team works harder. Your team becomes frustrated, which can lead to more turnover. Suddenly, you’re not trying to fill one position anymore. Every additional day a critical role remains vacant has a cost, which is why reducing the time between application and interview matters so much.

Candidates Expect Faster Communication
Today’s candidates are accustomed to getting immediate responses in nearly every part of their lives. They can order dinner, book a ride, make a reservation, or schedule an appointment from their phone in minutes. Those expectations are carrying over into hiring. When applicants don’t hear back quickly, many aren’t going to wait. They’re going to keep applying elsewhere.

At Swob, we’ve built our platform around this idea. Instant candidate communication, automated interview scheduling, and real time notifications are designed to help restaurant operators engage qualified candidates while their interest is at its highest. Instead of allowing applications to sit untouched for days, technology can help operators move candidates from application to conversation to interview much faster.

This doesn’t mean removing the human side of hiring. In fact, I believe it’s the opposite. Technology should remove the administrative work that prevents those human conversations from happening sooner.

That’s particularly important in restaurants. Hiring managers aren’t sitting behind a desk waiting for applications to arrive. They’re running shifts, managing employees, serving guests, solving problems, and doing dozens of other things at the same time. Technology can handle some of the coordination so managers can spend less time scheduling interviews and more time actually meeting candidates.

Speed Sends a Message
The hiring process is often someone’s first real interaction with a restaurant as an employer. A fast response tells a candidate that the restaurant is organized, values their time, and is serious about hiring. Silence can send a very different message. Candidate experience starts the moment someone applies, not when they walk through the door for their first interview.

In today’s hiring market, speed isn’t simply an operational advantage. It’s a competitive one. Great candidates will continue to have options, and restaurants can’t control how many other opportunities a candidate is considering. What they can control is how quickly they respond when that candidate raises their hand.

When a great candidate is considering multiple opportunities, the restaurant that starts the conversation first is often the one that gets the opportunity to finish it.

Alexander Florio is the Co-Founder of Swob Inc., an AI-powered hiring platform for food service operators to find, screen, and hire hourly workers faster. A recognized voice in the future of work, Alexander is a Forbes influencer and has appeared on BNN Bloomberg, E-Talk, The Feed with Amber Mac, and The Marilyn Denis Show. He works closely with QSR and multi-unit restaurant operators to understand hiring challenges, labor trends, and how evolving workforce expectations are shaping the future of restaurant operations. Through Swob, he focuses on helping restaurants modernize hiring, reduce friction in recruitment, and connect more effectively with the next generation of workers.

Source https://www.fsrmagazine.com/feature/speed-wins-the-restaurants-that-hire-first-are-winning-the-talent-race/

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FOOD & BEVERAGE NEWS

How 7 Brew’s first CMO is marketing the fastest-growing brand in the US

Ex-KFC U.S. CMO Nick Chavez is building on existing brand love for the beverage chain with culture-hacking campaigns and a loyalty app that is social by design.

Since its 2017 founding, 7 Brew has quickly established itself as a restaurant brand to watch, with a drive-thru model that serves up more than 20,000 possible drink combinations spanning coffee, energy drinks, smoothies and more. The chain, which is mostly franchised, has over 800 stands across 38 states, is on pace to surpass 1,000 units this year and is the fastest growing brand in the U.S., per a Yelp report. 7 Brew’s growth comes as competitor Dutch Bros notched an impressive 8.3% increase in same-store sales in Q2 2026. The drive-thru beverage chains are currently battling on several fronts.

To accelerate its growth, 7 Brew in August launched its first mobile app, streamlining its loyalty program and giving consumers the ability to order ahead. The app hit the top spot on the iOS App Store and remains in the top five as of press time.

Along with giving loyalty members a chance to win 100,000 points, 7 Brew promoted the launch of its app with a TikTok video that parodies “2001: A Space Odyssey,” with the film’s iconic monolith reimagined as a giant smartphone. The video is the latest in a string of similar marketing efforts from 7 Brew, including parodies of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “Mean Girls,” that see the chain working to connect with consumers on TikTok, where the company has more than 685,000 followers and 7.5 million likes.

Building on social media popularity has been a key focus of Nick Chavez, who joined 7 Brew in late 2024 as its first CMO after a three-year stint as the U.S. CMO of KFC. Previously, the executive served in a variety of marketing roles at Nintendo and Yahoo.

“It’s been a remarkable period of growth and development in terms of having more 7 Brews in more communities and more places across the country,” Chavez said of his time at the company so far. “That potential is what attracted me to the brand.”

Marketing Dive spoke with Chavez about how he is approaching the CMO role, the loyalty launch and his plans for the chain.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

NICK CHAVEZ: First and foremost, there was tremendous existing talent at 7 Brew. The brand had invested early in social media presence, content creators and social media managers, so we have a great in-house team of creative content producers. I had been aware of the brand before coming in, in part due to its social media presence: It’s a hot brand on TikTok and Instagram.

Source https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/how-7-brews-first-cmo-is-marketing-the-fastest-growing-brand-in-the-us/829781/

 

Ready-to-Drink Beverages Become a ‘Must Have’ for C-Stores

Retailers are expanding RTD assortments and rethinking shelf space as consumer demand grows across liquor- and malt-based offerings.
C-store retailers are noticing a surge in ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, with John Parduski, director of merchandising for Onvo, which operates more than 40 locations in Pennsylvania and New York, noting that the current state of the segment is reminiscent of the 2019 seltzer boom.

“We have expanded both styles of RTDs (liquor and malt) in all of our locations,” said Parduski. “The popularity and demand for these products required us to look at these items as a new category. In the past, they were a ‘nice to have’ in our locations, but they are now a ‘must have’ in every store. Managing the space allocated to these products brings new challenges we have not seen since 2019, when seltzers exploded in the market. RTDs have earned their way into the conversation when deciding what to place in your planograms.”

Following broader industry trends, Parduski noted that customers are often seeking out smaller pack sizes for these products, such as singles and 6-packs. Malt-based RTDs are also driving sales at Onvo.

“The other sub-department that is seeing strong growth is malt-based RTDs,” he said. “We created an entire planogram just for these items due to the growth we began seeing toward the end of 2025. When we introduced liquor-based RTDs, we weren’t sure if it was going to cannibalize our beer and wine sales. We quickly learned that wasn’t the case, and we continue to see growth in both segments.”To determine which RTD products deserve shelf or cold vault space, Parduski and Onvo work with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) to review purchases being made by other retailers, spot trends and see what customers are purchasing from competitors.

“Once we determine a product line to bring in, they are introduced typically to the shelf, and we review sales data and determine if cold vault space is warranted,” Parduski continued. “Currently we are basing it off of sales by location because no two stores are alike. We are looking at each store on its own and listening to what our customers are telling us based on their purchases.”

This strategy of customizing your beverage selection based on your community’s preferences on a store-by-store basis, according to Foodservice IP’s Powell, is exactly what retailers will need to do more of in the future.

“Rather than simply adding new products, retailers should continuously evaluate productivity by SKU and by occasion,” said Powell. “Space should increasingly reflect local shopper demand and purchasing occasions.

He added that successful retailers will balance proven core brands with emerging segments but will avoid adding too much assortment as that can lead to shopper confusion.

Source https://cstoredecisions.com/ready-to-drink-beverages-become-a-must-have-for-c-stores/

 

The fastest-growing food and beverage brands of 2026

Only 14% of brands saw growth in purchasing intent among consumers, with legacy players securing the biggest boost, according to Morning Consult.

In a year marked by inflation and slower consumer spending, it was tough for food and beverage brands to log growth in 2026.

A Morning Consult survey of 2,800 brands spanning industries across food, tech and hospitality brands found just 14% saw an uptick in purchase consideration among consumers in 2026, a five-year low. It’s also a steep reversal from 2025, when 94% of brands reported growth.

For those that broke through the slump in food, big and established brands had the advantage — Snickers, Hershey’s and other brands with high consumer awareness secured the biggest jumps this year.

The data suggests that consumers are “sticking to grocery store staples and treats,” with categories including carbonated soft drinks, juice, chips and frozen foods seeing growth in at least half of their brands.

In terms of the biggest growth, however, beverages stole the show. Eight of the 25 brands recording five years of consecutive growth across industries were drinks, with no packaged food brands making that list. These top performers were also established brands, with Morning Consult saying they were able to convert the “familiarity consumers already had into affinity and demand.”

The fastest-growing brand was Mr. Pibb, reflecting the demand for beverages and twists on familiarity. Coca-Cola’s relaunch of the drink led to a steep rise in awareness and purchase consideration.

Here’s a look at the top food and beverage brands that saw the biggest growth in purchasing intent, including a closer look at how brands performed across generations.

Source https://www.fooddive.com/news/fastest-growing-food-beverage-brands-morning-consult/830023/

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HVAC & PLUMBING

Designing Commercial Heat Pumps for Greater Performance

CASE STUDY: As more buildings move toward electrification, engineers must be as focused on operational equipment tolerances as they are on equipment schedules and capacity calculations.

Key Highlights
Heat pump systems require careful evaluation of operational limits, hydraulics, and control sequences to ensure reliable performance;
Hydraulic decoupling and dedicated pumping are essential for stabilizing flow and preventing equipment lockouts and outages;
Relocating bypass valves and increasing active system volume improve thermal stability and reduce cycling in heat pump applications;
Design principles such as thermal buffering and minimum-flow protection help maintain system efficiency during variable load conditions;
Early integration of hydraulics and controls is crucial for the success of electrified, decarbonized HVAC systems in commercial buildings.

By VINAY SHEKAR, PE, LEED AP, and ROBBY OYLEAR, PE, LEED AP, Affiliated Engineers, Inc.

Increasing demand for building electrification and decarbonization has accelerated the adoption of heat pump technologies in commercial HVAC systems. These systems offer significant energy and carbon reduction benefits through high-efficiency heating, cooling, and heat recovery.

However, unlike traditional hydronic systems, heat pump plants require a more thorough evaluation of operational limits, system hydraulics, and control sequences.

This case study of an all-electric thermal plant with domestic water heat pumps (DWHP), air-to-water heat pumps (AWHP), and water-to-water heat pumps (WWHP) illustrates some common challenges of heat pump systems and highlights key design strategies for reliable performance.

All-Electric Building Design – Operational Challenges

Shortly after occupancy, operators at a laboratory building began experiencing recurring equipment lockouts, low-temperature and low-flow alarms, and heat pump outages. The initial assumption was that the heat pumps were operating outside their allowable temperature range.

However, an investigation revealed that the underlying issues were more complex—and rooted in the building’s central plant system design and operational setup.

The facility evaluated in this case study uses an all-electric heating and cooling plant comprising a central geo-exchange bore, field-connected to a six-pipe WWHP and DWHP with supplemental heating/cooling provided by an AWHP (Figure A). The WWHP operates in heating, cooling, or heat recovery mode. The common geo-exchange source loop supports both WWHP and DWHP, while simultaneously serving space conditioning loads, with an AWHP sized to provide supplemental cooling during peak load conditions and heating during the shoulder season.

From a thermal capacity standpoint, the system was appropriately sized based on anticipated building loads, operating conditions, and corresponding equipment performance under those conditions. The operational problems, however, exposed the importance of heat pump flow stability requirements and the hydronic loop arrangement.

The first operational concern involved the DWHPs. Operators reported recurring low-flow alarms and intermittent domestic hot water outages. Because source-water temperatures were relatively low during the winter, it was initially thought that the entering water temperatures were below equipment operating limits.

However, the manufacturer’s specifications confirmed that the heat pumps could operate at temperatures lower than those observed on site.

Further investigation identified unstable source-water flow as the primary cause of the shutdowns. The DWHPs relied on small source-water pumps connected in parallel to the same variable-flow, geo-exchange loop serving the rest of the plant. As the larger primary geo-exchange circulation pumps modulated, system differential pressure increased. The smaller DWHP pumps were unable to consistently overcome this pressure and maintain their required design flow.

Although the entering water temperatures remained within the allowable operating range, inadequate flow resulted in repeated equipment trips and domestic hot water interruptions.

The investigation also revealed that the units were operating under exceptionally high compressor lift (condenser-leaving water temperature minus evaporator-leaving water temperature), resulting in reduced system efficiency. The heat pumps were required to produce domestic hot water temperatures of 130°F to 140°F while extracting heat from a geo-exchange loop that could operate near freezing during winter conditions. This required the compressors to overcome a temperature lift exceeding 100°F, placing the equipment near the upper end of its operating range.

This highlights an important design principle for heat pump systems.

Unlike traditional combustion or electric boilers, heat pumps are significantly less tolerant of fluctuating flow conditions and must operate within the manufacturer’s allowable range. Even when operating within the manufacturer’s allowable temperature range, insufficient flow can quickly trigger low-pressure, freeze-protection, or compressor performance issues, as well as safety shutdowns.

The primary solution was to hydraulically decouple the DWHPs from the main geo-exchange loop using a sidecar arrangement (Figure B). This helped stabilize flow and isolate the heat pump from pressure fluctuations occurring elsewhere in the system.

Additionally, an auxiliary electric heating system with a swing/buffer tank system was recommended to maintain a lower compressor lift and provide stable high-temperature water on the distribution side of the system.

Heat Pump Hydronic Loop Arrangement

The second operational concern involved the WWHP. During periods of near-peak heating demand with simultaneous lower cooling loads, the WWHP experienced unstable flow conditions, resulting in alarms, inconsistent operation, and periodic unit shutdowns.

Our investigation determined that the system’s minimum-flow bypass valve was located immediately adjacent to the heat pump equipment, like a traditional variable-flow boiler or chiller plant.

During low-cooling-load conditions, this arrangement created a short hydraulic loop that reduced the active system volume available to the heat pump, decreased thermal stability, and increased susceptibility to rapid temperature fluctuations and cycling.

Relocating the bypass valves farther downstream within the distribution system (Figure B) increased the active system volume and promoted flow through a larger portion of the hydronic network. This modification allowed for a longer cycle time before supply water returned to the heat pump via the bypass under low-load conditions, increasing equipment runtime and part-load performance.

This reinforces an important design principle for heat pump systems: stable, reliable performance ultimately requires understanding the effective thermal volume available to the heat pump under different operating conditions.

Practical experience from similar modular heat pump installations has also demonstrated that variable-primary hydronic systems require careful flow controls. Modular heat pumps utilize on-board controls to stage compressors and vary internal flow paths, making variable-primary pumping difficult since the system flow required by the current load becomes dependent on the equipment’s flow requirements.

The building automation system (BAS) must balance stable minimum flow and differential pressure at the modular heat pump against the flow requirements of the building loads, with limited visibility and control over the internal heat pump operation.

For these reasons, primary-secondary hydronic configurations are the preferred system arrangement for modular heat pump applications. By hydraulically decoupling equipment flow from distribution flow and utilizing dedicated pumping, primary-secondary systems provide more stable flow conditions, simplify control sequences, and improve overall system reliability.

Reliable Performance Starts with Integrated Design

This case study demonstrates that the success of heat pump plants depends as much on hydraulics and control sequences as it does on equipment selection. As more buildings move toward electrification, engineers must ensure they are as focused on operational equipment tolerances as they are on equipment schedules and capacity calculations.

Dedicated pumping, hydraulic decoupling, minimum-flow protection, thermal buffering, and carefully coordinated controls are often the factors that determine whether a heat pump plant operates reliably. When these principles are incorporated early and refined as design progresses, heat pump systems can provide efficient, resilient performance across the full range of operating conditions.

About the Authors

Vinay Shekar, PE, LEED AP®, is a project engineer at Affiliated Engineers, Inc., with over 10 years of experience providing HVAC, mechanical design, and energy analysis for complex healthcare, laboratory, biotechnical manufacturing, and commercial building projects.

Robby Oylear, PE, LEED AP®, is a principal at Affiliated Engineers, Inc., with over 19 years of experience delivering solutions for complex mechanical systems, central utility plants, and infrastructure across corporate, healthcare, and research facilities.

Source https://www.hpac.com/heating/news/55403986/designing-commercial-heat-pumps-for-greater-performance

 

Tulsa Winlectric Opens to the Electrical Market

The Winsupply Family of Companies has welcomed a new Local Company with the opening of Tulsa Winlectric.

Tulsa Winlectric opened its doors on June 19, 2026, at 10702 E. 11th St. and features a 20,000-square-foot facility.

Led by President/Owner Jacob Wares, the Tulsa Winlectric team—Campbell Yeager, Brandon Mercer, Colton Collier, Landon Bart, Zevveyln Balalong, Jordan Hemphill, and Mike Lindwall—serves the electrical needs of the city and its surrounding region.

Wares’ path to being a President began with a lifelong passion for entrepreneurship. In middle school, the Oklahoma native would paint bicycles and sell baked goods to generate profit. This eventually turned into buying larger items, such as boats, trailers, and four wheelers, to flip for cash.

Jacob Wares, President, Tulsa Winlectric credit to Winsupply
“I have always had a knack for buying and reselling,” Wares said. “I knew from a young age I wanted to serve people.”

After spending years as an electrical contractor, Wares felt he had hit the ceiling in his career. He heard about Winsupply’s business model, which enables those with entrepreneurial spirit to risk their money to own their own wholesaling company, pursue the American Dream, and have unlimited earning potential.

“The Spirit of Opportunity at Winsupply has allowed me to help people and do what I love every day,” Wares said.

In 2024, Wares joined Tulsa Winnelson, under President Chuck Johnson, and went through a President’s Scholarship training program to prepare to become a Local Company President and run his own business.

Area Leader Roger Lewis said as soon as he met Wares he knew he had the grit and unique perspective to be a successful Local Company President.

“He is one of us; I knew Jake had a strong work ethic and would be successful,” Lewis said.

In the Tulsa area, Tulsa Winlectric is joined by Tulsa Winwater, Tulsa Winair, and Tulsa Winnelson. Together, these four companies strengthen the local market by serving the region’s comprehensive wholesaling needs.

“My goal has always been to see Winsupply Local Companies serving multiple industries in major markets,” Lewis said. “With the existing Tulsa Winnelson, contractors are already familiar with Winsupply and having a Local Company with a strong market presence helps.”

Tulsa Winlectric is planning a grand opening event this fall.

Source https://hvacinsider.com/tulsa-winlectric-opens-to-the-electrical-market/

 

Data Centers Drive July Growth in US Nonresidential Construction Spending

Excluding data centers and power generation, nonresidential spending declined for the second consecutive month, reaching its lowest level since September 2023.

Key Highlights
Nonresidential construction spending increased by 0.1% in July, driven mainly by data centers
Private nonresidential spending rose 0.4%, while public spending declined 0.2%
Contractor confidence remains high, but optimism is increasingly dependent on the data and power sectors

WASHINGTON, DC — Data published September 1 by the US Census Bureau shows that national, nonresidential construction spending increased 0.1% in July.

Spending was down on a monthly basis in 8 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential construction spending was up 0.4%, while public nonresidential spending was down 0.2% in July.

On a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.286 trillion.

Nonresidential Activity Concentrates in Data, Power Generation
“The increase in nonresidential construction spending that occurred in July was entirely due to data centers,” said Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Excluding that booming category, nonresidential spending fell for the second straight month and is down to the lowest level since September 2023.

“Nonresidential activity is even more concentrated given that the power category, which has been boosted by the electricity needs of data centers, has also grown substantially over the past year,” said Basu. “While contractors remain upbeat about their sales over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, that upbeat outlook is increasingly dependent on a single sector.”

Visit abc.org/economics for the Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index, plus analysis of spending, employment, job openings and the Producer Price Index.

Source https://www.contractormag.com/construction-data/news/55402154/data-centers-drive-july-growth-in-us-nonresidential-construction-spending

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ENGINEERING, AUTOMATION, & IOT

McDonalds and Burger King turn to novel idea to entice customers: Human workers

The past 10 years in the fast-food industry have been a study in automation.

McDonald’s rolled out in-store kiosks in 2016 for customers to order at instead of waiting in line for an employee at the counter. Wendy’s debuted a human-free AI drive-thru system – “FreshAi” – in 2023.

But the tide appears to be turning back to human interaction, according to aThe Wall Street Journal report this week.

“[Customers] want a friendly face,” Burger King President Tom Curtis told the Journal. “We have to lean in to that because that’s evaporating in the fast food space.”

While fast-food outlets have been quick to incorporate digital kiosks and AI in drive-thru ordering, for example, customers say they would rather deal with another human being.

Some 80 percent of diners prefer ordering from a human over an AI agent, Fortune reported in July.

Chicago-based hot-dog chain Portillo’s is one business that changed its operations to improve staff-to-customer interactions.

It took a Chick-fil-A approach to its drive-thru – meaning sending staff out to take orders in lieu of the typical menu and speaker -according to a 2024 article from fast-food industry publication QSR Magazine.

Portillo’s also brought in baristas to teach its employees how to strike up conversations with customers waiting in the drive-thru line.

“It’s easy to talk about it and say, ‘OK, we really want you to have a good conversation with the guest,’” Portillo’s Vice President of Field Operations Mike Roman told QSR.

“But when they can actually see someone else do it and see the impact it can have on a customer, it really clicks in their brain and makes a big difference. We want each conversation to be personable.”

Burger King is adjusting in-store layouts to emphasize human-to-human interactions. ‘We have to lean in to that because that’s evaporating in the fast food space,’ a company exec told The Wall Street Journal Thursday (Burger King)

Bigger brands such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks, Wendy’s and McDonald’s are preparing new initiatives emphasizing staff-to-customer interactions, the Journal reported.

Changes range from “energetic greetings” to making sure counter staff are available for complaints and to double-check order accuracy, the Journal said.

The move toward a more human restaurant experience elevates key qualities that AI can’t offer, including accountability, judgment and observation, an August commentary from industry newsletter The Prep said.

“As restaurants race to adopt AI, operators should be careful about automating the very thing diners are paying for: hospitality,” the newsletter said.

“Technology can improve prep, reduce waste and eliminate administrative work, but removing human interaction from the guest experience risks stripping away the product itself: connection.”

Source https://uk.news.yahoo.com/finance/news/indeeds-ceo-wants-break-vicious-092301313.html

 

Shadow AI’s Potential Risk to Food Manufacturing

AI adoption is ahead of and going beyond what leadership approved.

Every generation of food and beverage leaders reaches a moment where they had to decide what to trust. Your grandfather trusted his gut because the business was small enough and he could see everything for himself. Your father trusted the reports his systems produced because the business had grown past what one person could know.

Now it’s your turn, and deciding where to place your trust is a tougher decision than ever before given that your employees are likely already relying on a choice outside of your control. In a recent survey of food and beverage decision-makers fielded by Vanson Bourne, 44 percent of employees admitted to using AI tools without formal approval, above the cross-industry average of 40 percent.

I ask F&B executives a version of this question all the time: how is AI showing up in your operation? Most leaders think they know the scope of AI use in their business because they assume it’s only what they’ve sanctioned: a licensed tool, pilot, or a defined roll out. The real finding indicates adoption is ahead of and already going beyond what leadership approved.

Employees Are Not Out to Break the Rules
The reality is these unapproved tools are easy to find, and employees don’t wait for permission to use something that can make their job easier, and they likely won’t choose the solution that can result in better information and decision making with the potential for improved business results.

They aren’t hiding it, but they also aren’t reporting it because there isn’t an expectation they should. A reported 78 percent of food and beverage organizations cite a lack of governance as a barrier to getting real value out of AI, and I’d argue it’s a result of this dynamic of adoption outrunning oversight.

Often when I talk with smaller companies, some of the users are savvier with AI tools than the IT guy. He may have been there 25 years, is kind of old school, and doesn’t have the bandwidth to keep up with the latest tools. And then you’ve got some newer, younger, very sharp employees who are using AI in their private lives, and they want to use it now to make their work life easier.

I see this also as a good sign that people already believe AI can help them, but it does come with some risk.

Regardless of where unsanctioned AI usage starts within the business, the stakes are higher in food and beverage manufacturing. Much of what these companies run on supplier records, customer information, batch and lot data, and formulations, all tied directly to traceability and food safety.

The direction we’re heading in is to make all traceability information available to the appropriate authorities. That’s also something consumers are asking for: transparency and knowing the source of your food and what’s in my food. Where you could get into governance risk is if you started trying to gather and assess traceability data to respond to inquiries using public AI tools.

For example, when someone uploads a supplier contract or a batch record into a public AI tool, they may be exposing confidential information without meaning to. They may also get a hallucinated answer back because the tool has no idea what a changeover, catchweight, or a lot code actually is.

Of those organizations surveyed, 81 percent said data quality and access are their greatest barrier to AI success, and that’s not a coincidence. You can’t govern data you can’t see, and you can’t trust an answer built on data you don’t trust.

A Closer Look Inside
I’ve been involved with large enterprise companies implementing supply chain planning solutions with complex regulatory and customer requirements, and when I delved into the data in their ERP system in terms of the integration, there was room for improvement which impacted the implementation timeline.

Just like ERP integrations with supply chain planning, warehouse management or transportation management solutions it’s even more critical to have complete and accurate data for AI to work properly. It all kind of comes down to that foundation. You have to have good data to work with to get good results.

None of this is an argument against AI, but rather an argument for being deliberate in your AI use and governance. Unlike general-purpose AI tools that can carry hallucination risk, industry-specific solutions are designed around what really impacts food and beverage manufacturers: areas like shelf-life constraints, lot-level traceability, batch records, inventory complexity, and production scheduling challenges.

We found that 46 percent of F&B organizations have adopted AI built specifically for their industry, and reported stronger results.

F&B organizations using industry-specific AI tools in our research saw a 29 percent improvement in forecast accuracy, compared to 19 percent for those using only general-purpose tools. On competitive positioning, industry-specific AI users reported a 39 percent improvement against 32 percent for general-purpose users.

The difference isn’t really about which AI tool is smarter. It comes down to the reality that when you feed a system clean, connected, industry-specific data, that understands your industry, it gives you something you can act on. Something you can trust.

With 83 percent of our research respondents believing their business will become obsolete without successful AI adoption, we’ve reached the moment where you must decide what to trust.

My advice? Don’t just go out and buy an AI tool and say, “I want to start using this.” Consider your business case. Ask where employees are already using AI and what problems they are trying to solve and have solved. Use that to develop an AI strategy with leadership, guidance, and governance.

With your business leaders embedded very heavily in the outcomes you’re trying to achieve, you’ll quickly catch up with your employees.

Findings from the Aptean 2026 Artificial Intelligence Research, commissioned by Aptean and conducted by independent research firm Vanson Bourne. Data collected from 1,535 business leaders across five verticals in Q2 2026. Read them in full here: https://www.aptean.com/en-GB/food-and-beverage-ai-report

Source https://www.foodmanufacturing.com/facility/blog/22974133/shadow-ais-potential-risk-to-food-manufacturing

 

Ageing populations spell a robotic future for food and drink retailers

Retailers are struggling to staff hospitality businesses, but robotic innovations offer high-efficiency, low-maintenance options.

Retailers are turning to robotic solutions in countries where longer life expectancies and falling birth rates are reducing the hospitality talent pool, according to a new report.

GlobalData’s new Future of Consumer report says: “The number of people available to work has been steadily decreasing in developed countries. This is leading to labour shortages across many industries. Parts of Europe, Japan and South Korea are suffering the most from ageing populations and are most in need of a robotics revolution.”

In September 2022, Hotrec estimated that the European Union had around 11 million hospitality jobs, but found that most countries were experiencing significant talent shortfalls. It reported that around a third of positions were unfilled in the Czech Republic. This rose to a quarter in Greece and between 40% and 50% in Poland.

It also noted that “the overall population in the EU27 is set to shrink by 5% between 2019 (447 million) and 2070 (424 million). The working-age population (20-64) will decrease even more markedly from 265 million in 2019 to 217 million in 2070, reflecting fertility, life expectancy and migration flow dynamics.”

The same talent problem is playing out in Japan where The Japan Federation of Service and Tourism Industries Workers’ Unions (STU) conducted a survey which identified that 51% of the hospitality sector had to reduce their operation days, and 33% had had to reduce their hours as a result of having fewer staff members.

In South Korea, The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) announced a new foreign seasonal worker system last year, in an attempt “to resolve chronic manpower shortage in farming and fishing during sowing and harvesting seasons.”

Robotic staff could plug the gap for retailers
Retailers’ staffing headaches could be solved by the rapidly developing robotics sector, as high-efficiency, low-maintenance robotic recruits offer a consistent standard of work over a prolonged period of time.

It’s a rapidly growing sector, and GlobalData predicts that service robot revenue will reach $172.4bn by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of 12% between 2020 and 2030.

There have already been early examples of robotics in foodservice, including Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus Gen 2, which caused excitement when a video of it preparing an egg was shared in 2023.

Optimuspic.twitter.com/nbRohLQ7RH — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 13, 2023

Also in 2023, Chipotle and Vebu developed the Autocado, designed to prepare ingredients for Chipotle’s guacamole. They described the prototype as a ‘cobot’ (collaborative robot), as the machine cuts, cores and peels avocados but relies on a human to hand-mash the dish. The Autocado prepares up to 25lbs of avocados at a time, and takes around 50 minutes, promising to reduce production time by half.

Not all solutions will rely on human colleagues, however. Currently used by Tipsy Robot and the TownHouse Duomo Hotel in Milan, Toni is a two-robot team from the KR Agilus series. The robots receive orders directly from guests who can design their own drinks through an app before they are mixed to order by the robotic arms. One fetches ingredients from a rack of bottles while the other makes the product.

For retailers, the full potential of robotic solutions remains to be seen, but GlobalData’s report considers a variety of technologies which look likely to contribute to solving the emerging – and growing – talent gap.

“The future of in-store retail and hospitality will see demographic challenges leading to the wider adoption of service robots,” says the report. “Restaurants and retail spaces will become interconnected and digitalised using technologies like IoT, robotics and AI. These technologies will be used to improve productivity and personalisation.”

The report particularly highlights the likely popularity of service robots, which are already easing staffing pressures in restaurant environments, acting as robotic waiters for food retailers. It explains that “service robots, like robotic waiters and prep robots, will become ubiquitous. Aiming to alleviate the stresses of labour shortages, service robots can help deliver food and clear tables, leaving staff available for face-to-face interactions.”

Source https://www.verdictfoodservice.com/features/ageing-populations-spell-a-robotic-future-for-food-and-drink-retailers/

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JAN/SAN AND DISPOSABLES

PlantPaper Earns First Green Seal Certification

Green Seal announced that PlantPaper is the first bamboo toilet paper and facial tissue to earn Green Seal certification, marking a major milestone for the rapidly growing alternative-fiber tissue market.

The certifications put Green Seal’s new sustainability standard for alternative-fiber sanitary paper into action, giving consumers independently verified options in a category where environmental claims can be difficult to evaluate.

Bamboo toilet paper has gained popularity as brands seek alternatives to conventional, virgin tree fiber. Green Seal’s standard establishes that the use of bamboo alone does not confirm that a product is environmentally preferable. PlantPaper met rigorous sustainability criteria for fiber sourcing, manufacturing practices, chemical use, packaging, and product performance.

Green Seal also requires bamboo products to undergo fiber analysis testing to verify the fiber composition of the finished product, an added safeguard designed to protect the integrity of alternative-fiber supply chains.

“Consumers increasingly encounter products marketed as sustainable simply because they are made from bamboo, but fiber source is only part of the story,” says Doug Gatlin, CEO of Green Seal. “Green Seal certification provides independent verification that a product meets a comprehensive leadership standard. PlantPaper has demonstrated that bamboo tissue products can meet that rigorous benchmark.”

Green Seal updated its Standard for Sanitary Paper Products in 2025 to establish a certification pathway for tree-free alternative fibers, including responsibly sourced bamboo.

PlantPaper’s certified toilet paper and facial tissue are made from 100 percent, FSC-certified, unbleached bamboo. The company pursued Green Seal certification to provide independent validation of its approach at a time when consumers and purchasers face a growing number of environmental claims in the tissue category.

“We’re incredibly proud to be the first bamboo toilet paper brand to earn Green Seal certification,” shares Deeva Green, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of PlantPaper. “We have been deeply impressed by Green Seal’s extraordinary diligence and thoroughness throughout the certification process. We’ve always believed in the value of independent third-party accountability, both for companies doing good and for consumers making informed choices.”

Green Seal expects the certifications to provide a new reference point for retailers, institutional purchasers, and consumers evaluating bamboo tissue products, while creating a pathway for additional manufacturers that want to substantiate their environmental claims through independent certification.

Source https://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/PlantPaper-Earns-First-Green-Seal-Certification–33032

 

Mondelēz cuts 2200 tons of plastic with paper cookie trays

Mondelēz International is replacing rigid PET trays with FSC-certified paper trays across more than 115 cookie products in Europe as the food manufacturer moves a significant part of its bakery packaging away from virgin plastic.

The program covers eight brands including LU, Milka, Granola, Cadbury, Marabou, Chips Ahoy!, Lacta and Freia and reaches more than 25 European markets. Mondelēz says the affected portfolio represents roughly 28,000 tons of cookies produced annually and makes the project its largest single packaging sustainability initiative within the company’s European bakery category.

For manufacturers and packaging suppliers the most consequential figure is the material reduction rather than the number of brands involved. Mondelēz estimates the new format will remove approximately 2,200 tons of virgin plastic annually based on projected 2026 production volumes. The company calculates that this represents an approximately 80% reduction in plastic compared with the previous combination of an outer wrap and PET tray.

That scale makes the program more than a packaging redesign visible on supermarket shelves because changing the tray format across dozens of products and multiple manufacturing markets requires packaging engineering to work alongside procurement, production, logistics and quality control.

Replacing a tray can require changing much more than the material
Rigid PET has several characteristics that have made it useful for food manufacturers because it can provide structure, withstand industrial handling and protect products through production and distribution. Replacing it with paper therefore requires manufacturers to consider whether the new material can deliver comparable performance without causing problems elsewhere in the supply chain.

Mondelēz says the transition was completed across products sold in markets including the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the Nordic countries. In the UK the paper trays will appear in products including Cadbury Crunchy Melts, Cadbury Chocolate Chip Cookie and LU Petit Cookie.

The change follows several packaging projects that show how the company’s material strategy has been moving through different stages rather than relying on a single substitute for virgin plastic.

Earlier in 2026 Mondelēz reported that trays containing approximately 80% recycled PET were being used across selected European brands including Milka, Oreo, Cadbury and Chips Ahoy!. The company said the switch to recycled PET was associated with an annual reduction of approximately 1,000 tons of virgin plastic across Europe.

A separate project with packaging producer Saica introduced mono-paper outer packaging for several LU biscuit multipacks in 2024. Mondelēz estimated that format reduced virgin plastic by approximately 63% per pack and was expected to save roughly 177 tons of virgin plastic during 2024 across France, Belgium and the UK.

Taken together these projects illustrate three different approaches available to large food manufacturers. A company can reduce the quantity of plastic used in a package, replace virgin resin with recycled material or redesign a packaging component around another material entirely.

The latest cookie tray project pushes further toward the third approach by removing rigid PET trays from a large group of products rather than increasing the recycled content within those trays.

European regulation is changing the packaging calculation
The timing comes as packaging decisions in Europe are becoming increasingly connected with regulatory requirements that extend well beyond corporate sustainability targets.

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation establishes requirements covering packaging reduction, recyclability and recycled content with provisions being introduced over several years. Among the requirements scheduled for 2030 is a minimum recycled-content level of 30% for contact-sensitive plastic packaging where PET is the major component subject to the regulation’s implementation provisions.

The regulation does not mean a food manufacturer must replace a PET cookie tray with paper and the Mondelēz project should not be characterized as a direct compliance response without evidence from the company. It does mean packaging teams increasingly have to evaluate material decisions against a regulatory framework in which the use of virgin plastic, recyclability and recycled content carry greater strategic significance.

That pressure changes how packaging investments are evaluated because a package is no longer simply a container chosen according to cost, appearance and product protection. Material availability, recycling infrastructure, manufacturing compatibility and future regulatory exposure are becoming part of the same commercial calculation.

Paper offers an established recycling stream across much of Europe although collection and processing systems differ between countries. European Paper Recycling Council data showed that 75.1% of paper and board consumed in Europe during 2024 was recycled with 53.4 million tons collected and recycled during the year.

For brands operating across multiple national markets that infrastructure can make fiber-based packaging attractive where technical performance allows plastic components to be removed.

The next packaging challenge is making material substitution scalable
The environmental case for moving away from virgin plastic still requires more scrutiny than simply comparing the names of two materials because paper is not automatically the lowest-impact solution for every packaging application.

FSC certification addresses the sourcing and chain of custody of forest-based materials but does not by itself establish the complete environmental impact of a package across manufacturing, transport, use and end-of-life treatment. Those questions depend on factors including material weight, coatings, production processes, transportation and the recycling systems available in each market.

The industrial significance of the Mondelēz project instead lies in the scale at which the company says it has made the substitution.

Moving more than 115 products across eight brands and more than 25 markets from rigid PET trays to paper requires a packaging format that can work within high-volume food manufacturing while continuing to protect products through distribution and retail.

For packaging executives this is where the project becomes more instructive than its consumer-facing sustainability message because material reduction has to survive the practical constraints of industrial production before it can generate meaningful volume savings.

Mondelēz’s recent projects suggest that the future of food packaging is unlikely to depend on one material replacing another across every application. The more probable direction is a mix of strategies in which manufacturers remove packaging where possible, increase recycled content where plastic remains technically useful and replace rigid plastic with fiber-based alternatives where production and product requirements allow the change to operate at scale.

Source:
Press Release
FSC United Kingdom

 

Inclusive Hygiene is Coming to Restrooms

Key Takeaways:
• Public restrooms often fail to meet the needs of people with disabilities, limiting their dignity, independence, and ability to participate fully in everyday life.
• While the ADA established a foundation for accessibility, evolving needs and modern mobility equipment have exposed gaps that require more inclusive restroom standards and stronger enforcement.
• New legislation, updated building codes, and grassroots advocacy are driving the adoption of universal changing stations and more inclusive restroom designs that better serve people with visible and invisible disabilities.

Emily Flores just wanted to get coffee with a friend, but things got tricky when she needed to relieve herself. She knew the coffee shop’s restroom was small, with no grab bars or adult changing station, so the teenager, who happens to be a wheelchair user, faced a stark choice.

“My friend could help me transfer to the toilet, or I can pee right on my wheelchair,” she writes in Teen Vogue.

Flores chose to urinate on her wheelchair.

The experience left her feeling humiliated, degraded, and vulnerable. Unsurprisingly, Flores is not alone. From a scholarly analysis of op-eds and news articles exploring how individuals with disabilities access public restrooms to an eye-popping Reddit post painting a blunt picture of what it’s like to live with a lack of adult changing tables, it’s increasingly clear that today’s public restrooms are not fully inclusive.

The problem goes beyond a lack of universal/adult-sized changing stations. People with all kinds of disabilities and sensitivities, from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to paruresis (also known as Shy Bladder Syndrome), avoid public restrooms. This ultimately can lead to avoiding public spaces altogether, sidelining people and their caregivers from public life.

Change, however, is coming. The next frontier of inclusive restroom design seeks to serve the vast and diverse needs of the disability community. The movement starts with universal/adult changing stations, but also incorporates better lighting, privacy, reduced noise, and more.

Beyond the ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law in 1990, was a groundbreaking milestone for the disability community. The law, among other things, imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations, including restrooms. However, holes in the legislation have grown increasingly evident over the last 36 years.

“The ADA was a transformative milestone, but it established a baseline, not a finish line,” says Uma Srivastava, Executive Director, KultureCity. “Since 1990, our understanding of accessibility and inclusion has evolved significantly. Today, we recognize the needs of individuals with sensory processing differences, autism, dementia, PTSD, and other invisible disabilities.”

But, as evidenced by Flores and others, the ruling has not always served the visibly disabled community well.

“ADA standards have not been enforced nearly enough, or at all,” notes Jonathan Katz-Ouziel, Accessibility Consultant, American Restroom Association.

He laments that the ADA has also not kept up with advancements in mobility equipment. For example, door width mandates under the ADA aren’t wide enough to accommodate modern powered chairs.

Luckily, a new code and standard are coming to some spaces. Under the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, all medium and large airports seeking federal airport development project grants must have at least one private universal/adult changing station per terminal by 2030. Meanwhile, the International Code Council has approved Code E142-21 for the 2024 International Building Code. This will require universal changing stations in certain establishments, like colleges, highway rest stops, arenas, and more.

This is a welcomed step forward. Without universal changing stations, the only other option is leaving the venue to change in the car, or worse, on the restroom floor.

“That was a non-starter for me,” shares Jacqueline Scali, whose son has global developmental delays and uses a wheelchair.

A height-adjustable universal changing table allows Scali to easily transfer her child from his wheelchair. She can raise the table to comfortably change him, then lower it to transfer him back. This robust equipment has high weight limits to accommodate most people. It also allows Scali and her family to access and attend events and travel.

While these positive changes are good news for disability advocates, many realize that national change and building code adoption move slowly.

“We see greater impact at the state level,” says Scali, who is a member of the New York Chapter of the Changing Spaces Campaign.

A map highlighting states where universal changing table mandates have passed or were proposed can be viewed at choosesova.com/pages/legislation. Judging by the map, there is a lot of progress to be made.

“The accessibility code, ANSI 117.1, which is separate from the ADA, has changed over the years to address the needs of the disability community in places of public service and public accommodation,” says Sarah St. Louis of the Minnesota Chapter of Changing Spaces.“Unfortunately, the majority of people that sit on the board that develops ANSI 117.1 are not people with disabilities.”

Strong advocacy is changing that narrative.

“Disability advocates, usually within states, help drive their state accessibility code—if their state has one—to meet the needs of the disability community within their state,” notes St. Louis. “In Minnesota, those with disabilities and disability advocates work with our Department of Labor and Industry to help craft accessibility codes that reflect our needs.”

As a result, the North Star State has the most comprehensive adult-sized changing table code in the United States.

Amy Milshtein is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience writing for various publications and blogs. Amy has been a frequent contributor to CleanLink and its family of brands—Facility Cleaning Decisions magazine, Sanitary Maintenance magazine, and Contracting Profits magazine.

Source https://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article/Inclusive-Hygiene-is-Coming-to-Restrooms–32943

 

Does Paper Actually Get Recycled? The Industry Answers

Question: You put your recycling in the bin and drop it at the curb. Then what happens? Does it actually get recycled?

Answer: Yes! Today, more than 2/3 of all paper recycled in the U.S. is turned into new products Americans rely on at mills nationwide.

Paper Recycling Works, and it Works Every Day

In 2025 alone, we recycled around 45 million tons of paper in the U.S. That’s 123,000 tons every day being turned into things like cardboard boxes, paper packaging and toilet paper. That translates to a paper recycling rate of 61-65%.

Nearly half of recycled paper went into making containerboard last year. That’s the material used to make cardboard boxes.

Recycled paper is also used to make boxes for dry foods like cereal or pasta, tissue products like toilet paper and paper towels, as well as newspapers.

About 80% of U.S. paper mills use recycled paper to make new and innovative products! Recycled paper is also exported. It’s used in paper mills around the world to manufacture new products.

How are Paper and Cardboard Recycled?

Here’s how the process works:

After your local recycling hauler picks up your recycling, it’s taken to a materials recovery facility (MRF) where it’s sorted into like things.

Workers remove items that shouldn’t be there, also called contaminants. That includes things like plastic bags, holiday lights, diapers and even bowling balls.

Paper is often separated first and sorted into groups for cardboard, mixed paper, office paper, among others. Then, the paper is baled and shipped to a paper mill where it’s turned into new paper products.

What Can You Do?

What can you do to make sure you’re recycling properly? Check your local community’s website to understand what’s accepted in your area. This helps ensure you avoid wishcycling.

Wishcycling is when you put something in your recycling bin hoping it will be recycled. Tossing something in your recycling bin because you think it can be recycled leads to contamination.

Putting non-recyclables in the recycling bin also clogs up the machines and can possibly injure the operations crew.

That includes things like:

Plastic bags and films
Wire hangers
Holiday lights
Garden hoses
When you recycle correctly, you’re helping us advance a more sustainable future.

And when it comes to paper items: keep them dry and clean, then put them in the recycling bin.

Source https://www.afandpa.org/news/2026/does-paper-actually-get-recycled-industry-answers

 

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