Industry Spotlight

National Restaurant Association Show’s 2026 FABI awards spotlight top trends
The 28 food and beverage products receiving the award target the needs of today’s operators, menus and consumers

The National Restaurant Association Show has named 28 products as recipients of the 2026 Food & Beverage (FABI) Awards. Ten awardees were singled out by the judges as FABI Favorites for standing above the rest in targeting operator needs, consumer tastes and trends.

Foods and beverages emphasizing protein, global flavors, and textural elements rose to the top this year. And while plant-based meat and dairy alternatives were represented, they didn’t dominate the lineup as they did in the past few years. Winners also displayed innovative formats, operational efficiencies and ingredient simplification.

These are the 10 FABI Favorites:

• Daiya’s Dairy Free Single-Serve Cream Cheese packets are conveniently packaged for grab-and-go and delivery orders. Vegan cheeses have come a long way in terms of taste and texture; this rich and creamy product is made with the company’s Daiya Oat Cream Blend for smooth, easy spreading.

• Original Egglife Egg White Wraps are protein-packed, low-carb wraps made from egg whites instead of flour. With 11g of protein, 1g of carbs and 50 calories per serving, they offer a versatile, flexible gluten-free carrier for any number of fillings.

• Elote Butter combines the bold, smoky flavor of chipotle peppers with cheese, butter, and fresh lime. Offered in various foodservice formats, it offers a quick way to menu Mexican street corn but can also be used to enhance vegetables, proteins, and breads.

• Perfect Kebabs Halal Beef Kefta Links are fully cooked beef links seasoned with traditional Middle Eastern spices. Made with Halal-certified beef and no artificial ingredients, they deliver authentic flavor, a handcrafted appearance, and ready-to-heat convenience.

• Churro Chata Dairy-Free Ice Cream Sandwich taps into two top trends: horchata and churros. The dairy-free frozen dessert has a creamy mouthfeel and authentic horchata flavor, while the cinnamon cookies enclosing the ice cream are pleasantly chewy and don’t get soggy. This is a unique frozen dessert for limited-service restaurants.

• Mini Waffles are bite-size versions of traditional Belgian butter waffles. Lightly sweet and already baked, they’re ready to use straight from the box of 26 or apply in both sweet and savory items. They fit perfectly into the “little treat” and snacking trends.

• Roland Maple Granules are a versatile, gluten-free way to upgrade desserts, hot cereal, baked goods, and other sweets, but they can also add a crunchy, flavorful twist as a coating for protein or a cocktail glass rim. They’re made from 100% dried Grade A Canadian maple syrup and offer a golden-brown, pebble-like texture.

• Calabrian Truffle Crunch gives an Italian spin to popular Asian chili crisp. This condiment is a blend of crispy garlic, chile flakes, olive oil, and black truffle to deliver bold flavor, texture, and just the right amount of heat.

• Plum Gochu Syrup is a fusion of Korean chile flavors and plum juice. This multi-tasker can be used as a base for sauces, vinaigrettes, and glazes as well as a component in cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.

• Citrus Ginger Organic Craft Haymaker from Tractor Beverage Co. is a low-sugar, organic soda alternative with big flavor and light sparkle. Crafted with apple cider vinegar, ginger, lemon, and molasses, it’s inspired by the traditional farmer’s tonic known as switchel.

The remaining 18 awardees reflected the diversity and depth of the foodservice supply chain. Products included salt-and-vinegar cheese curds, a tiramisu Danish, hibiscus flower beverage concentrate, smoked duck breast, ready-to-use garlic confit, Moroccan plant-based meat cubes, feta dips, and several bake-and-serve appetizers, ready-to-plate desserts, and ready-to-pour drinks. The complete list is linked here.

“The FABI Awards have spent 15 years putting the spotlight on suppliers who are doing the hard work of developing products that genuinely move menus forward,” Tom Cindric, president of exhibitions for Informa Connect Foodservice Group, said in a statement. “This year’s recipients bring real flavor credentials and operational practicality. That combination is exactly what operators need when they’re looking to add something new and make it work in their kitchens.”

The panel of judges included culinary leads from Wendy’s, California Pizza Kitchen, Aramark, Ohio State University, Wonder and — full disclosure — editors from Restaurant Business and Nation’s Restaurant News, media brands under Informa Connect.

All award-winning products will be on display at the National Restaurant Association Show, May 16–19 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Source https://www.nrn.com/menu-trends/national-restaurant-association-show-s-2026-fabi-awards-spotlight-top-trends

Dunkin’ Concocts Canadian Expansion Plan
Canadian restaurant operator Foodtastic also has grown Inspire Brands’ Jimmy John’s portfolio across Canada.

Inspire Brands and Foodtastic are partnering on a master franchising agreement that will bring hundreds of Dunkin’ locations to Canada.

The first new unit could open as soon as later this year, with more details to come as development progresses.

Foodtastic will have exclusive rights to develop the Dunkin’ brand nationally through both corporate and franchise-operated locations. Foodtastic will manage market development, franchisee recruitment and operations in Canada.

“Bringing Dunkin’ back to Canada is a significant growth opportunity for Foodtastic and our franchise partners across the country,” says Peter Mammas, Foodtastic founder and CEO. “This agreement demonstrates the strength of our relationship with Inspire Brands and the confidence we have built together through our work with Jimmy John’s in Canada. We are committed to growing the Dunkin’ brand thoughtfully to meet the needs of Canadian guests and communities.”

Source https://www.fermag.com/articles/dunkin-concocts-canadian-expansion-plan/

In the burger business, Culver’s and Shake Shack are grabbing market share
Sales among limited-service burger chains remained weak in 2025 amid consumer weakness and a shift to chicken or other items. But higher-quality growth chains are grabbing share and making noise.

It’s tough to be a burger chain these days. Beef costs are through the roof amid one of the most extensive value pushes the industry has ever seen. And everybody seems to want to eat more chicken.

Sales among limited-service burger chains grew just 2%, lower than menu price inflation. It’s also the second straight year of generally anemic growth for a sector that accounts for about a quarter of the sales generated by chains on the Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report.

But within that space there are winners and losers. Some brands are resonating with consumers right now. Some are not.

For the most part, upstart concepts with high-quality reputations have done well. Legacy chains that have struggled to keep consumer interest have lost share.

Many larger, older chains are ceding share to smaller upstarts. McDonald’s, of course, remains the dominant player, representing close to half the $113 billion in limited-service burger chain sales last year, according to the Top 500. And it has averaged 4.6% annual growth the past four years, including 3% in 2025.

But among the weakest performers include such legacy brands such as Steak n Shake (2.8% system sales decline in 2025), Hardee’s (-5%), Checkers (-9.9%), Carl’s Jr. (-6%), Sonic (-2.6%), A&W (-3.8%), Rally’s (-6.6%), White Castle (-6.7%), Fatburger (-8.1%), Krystal (-2.9%) and Jack in the Box (-4.3%).

Wendy’s, the second-largest burger chain in the U.S., lost its status as a Top 5 restaurant chain after its system sales fell 5.2%. The company almost symbolically was overtaken by the beverage chain Dunkin’.

On the other hand, there are numerous larger, high-growth brands that are taking share.

Shake Shack (15.2% system sales growth), Culver’s (14.2%) and In-n-Out (9.6%) have taken considerable share in the burger space along with brands like Freddy’s (5.3%) and Whataburger (4.6%). Smaller brands like Hopdoddy (6.2%), Cookout (8.1%) and Jack’s Family Restaurants (7.2%) have also thrived.

Consider this: Sonic, the drive-in burger chain owned by Inspire Brands, is the fourth-largest burger chain in the U.S. Culver’s is No. 5.

At their current rates of growth, Culver’s should overtake Sonic within the next two years.

Indeed, if we assume that Culver’s and Shake Shack keep their average rates of growth from the past four years—a decent assumption, given that they’ve generally kept that up for some time now—both will more than double by 2030. And they will take substantial market share.

Culver’s, for instance, currently accounts for 3.85% of the burger chain market. It will have 6.62% of the market by 2030 at current growth rates. For Shake Shack, that share will jump from 1.32% to 2.48%.

To be sure, consumers often shift allegiances to hotter, younger brands with innovative business models and different offerings. Consider chicken, where older, bone-in chains like KFC have long ago given way to brands like Chick-fil-A or Raising Cane’s.

But unlike chicken, where the upstarts typically serve different types of products, many of these newer burger chains simply offer a product with a better reputation from a more service-oriented model.

Shake Shack, for instance, has averaged 18.5% annual sales growth since 2022, more than any other burger chain. It was started based on the “Enlightened Hospitality” model of cofounder Danny Meyer, who built his reputation with fine-dining establishments in New York City.

“Shake Shack is bringing the experience of a $25 burger to a lot of people who don’t typically get to eat $25 burgers,” the chain’s CEO, Rob Lynch, said in a January interview.

Culver’s, meanwhile, has averaged 14% growth over the past four years and is now a Top 25 restaurant chain, bigger than such burger stalwarts as Jack in the Box, Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.

The chain was modeled after supper clubs in its home state of Wisconsin and has become popular for its table service model and smashed “Butterburgers.”

Culver’s operators typically come up through the ranks and are required to be in the restaurants. Cofounder Craig Culver once said in an interview that if your workers can’t recognize the CEO, the CEO is doing it wrong.

That service level provides a strong value for the chain, even though it doesn’t push value meals and discounts the way many of its competitors do.

“We’re not a cheap brand,” Julie Fussner, Culver’s CEO, said in an interview last year for the A Deeper Dive podcast. “You take your family to a Culver’s and you get an amazing meal and a great experience. But we’re providing a value to that.

“The only way to do that is if we never lose present, engaged, owner-operators. So that is a non-negotiable for us.”

Source https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/burger-business-culvers-shake-shack-are-grabbing-market-share

New Chicago restaurants to try during the National Restaurant Show
The Windy City is a restaurant-rich town. Here are a few places to check out that are brand new and (mostly) ready to be discovered.

The National Restaurant Show in Chicago is not just about eating random bites and sips in McCormick Place. Chicago offers a wealth of fabulous dining and drinking opportunities.

So save some room in your belly and take a look at what’s new in restaurants across the Windy City.

Gingie

Boka Restaurant Group opened the long-awaited new Gingie in March, a restaurant by chef Brian Lockwood, in River North. Sadly, later that month the restaurant had a minor kitchen fire, which has closed the location temporarily. Happily, no one was injured.

The restaurant, meanwhile, has a menu built around live-fire cooking, with oysters cooked in embers, rotisserie chicken with sansho pepper, daikon, yuzu yogurt and shiso; and grilled lobster with sushi rice risotto, kale, carrots and vadouvan curry.

Formerly of Eleven Madison Park in New York, Lockwood is also known as a consulting chef for “The Bear” on Hulu.

Leñasada

This wood-fired Mexican street food concept is a new category for the folks behind Slice Factory, the Chicago-based pizza franchise. Leñasada debuted in April inside Slice Factory’s River Grove location (8800 Grand Ave.), and it’s the first to be co-branded.

Leñasada menu is centered on wood-fired proteins, like arrachera skirt stea, chicken, al pastor and shrimp, as well as house-made salsas and, of course, street corn.

Slice Factory founder and CEO Dom DiDiana partnered with Mexican chef Juan Alcauter to develop the new concept. It’s something the company plans to grow with franchising, alongside the original pizza brand, both as co-branded and standalone restaurants.

The Hand & The Eye

This new concept from Levy Restaurant opened in Chicago’s historic McCormick Mansion in April. Magic is on the menu in an immersive space on the Magnificent Mile that requires a ticket (starting at $225, which includes a $75 dining credit), except for one dining room that is open to the public.

Magicians perform throughout the five-story venue, from intimate shows to grand salons. The mansion includes a restaurant and six bars, which are all run by Levy Restaurants (Jake Melnick’s, Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, Paddlefish). Levy CEO Andy Lansing, apparently, is a magician himself.

The Hand & The Eye was created by Glen Tullman, also a magic enthusiast and venture capitalist, who attempted to preserve the mansion’s history after a $50 million renovation.

Motel Bar

Episcope Hospitality has a new concept coming to River North designed to feel like a step back in time. The group known for concepts like Layla & Ringo’s, DJ’s Great Room and Marshall’s Landing has recreated Motel Bar to evoke a Wisconsin supper club.

The walls are lined with Midwest photography and memorabilia from hunting lodges and lake houses. The menu will feature supper club classics, like slow-roasted prime rib, “garbage salad,” relish trays and Friday fish fries. And, of course, there will be Brandy Old Fashioned cocktails and ice cream drinks like the Grasshopper and Brandy Alexander.

But Motel Bar isn’t expected to open until the end of the month. However, the concept also includes an all-day café called Monty’s with a walk-up counter and deli classics, and Monty’s has opened.

Fatback

New from chef Charlie McKenna (Lillie’s Q, Roux) is this sandwich shop/market/butcher shop on Wacker Drive.

McKenna collaborated with the Fifty/50 Group (Kindling, The Alston, The Berkshire Room) on Fatback, where fine dining techniques are applied to sandwiches, like an Italian meatball with vodka sauce; a porchetta with raclette and spicy mustard; and ‘nduja grilled cheese.

There are 50 seats and a walk-up counter for to-go orders.

The Secret Kitchen

Out in the Chicago suburbs of Schaumburg, a celebrity chef from India, Aanal Kotak, opened The Secret Kitchen in April. It’s the first U.S. iteration of the concept, which has locations in India, Australia and Canada. (Kotak also has other restaurant brands, including Akshada, Southak and a retail baking line.)

Expect to find among the signature dishes crispy puri shells filled with avocado, yogurt and house-made chutneys; Thecha Paneer Tikka (cottage cheese in green chili with garlic, peanut and fresh-coriander marinade and finished in the tandoor); and Kotak’s refined take on classic Butter Chicken Delhi Style.

The Ives

This new concept by Boka Restaurant Group was expected to open this month in the Chicago Athletic Association. In the space formerly known as the Cherry Circle Room, it’s named for Henry Ives Cobb, who was an architect and a founder of the club.

The Ives will be a modern grill room celebrating American classics, with a menu led by chef/partner Chris Pandel (Swift & Sons, Cira, Zarella Pizzeria & Taverna) that promises to be contemporary yet familiar, with tableside theatrics, from the champagne cart to desserts.

Meanwhile, BRG has also recently opened the Drawing Room on the second floor, offering all-day dining.

Urbanbelly

This is not a new restaurant, but it does have a new location. Bill Kim’s popular Asian concept Urbanbelly has moved to Fulton Market.

The former location in Wicker Park has closed, and the restaurant has partnered with Cornerstone Restaurant Group and Taratsa Hospitality Partners to relocate. Chef Kim previously had the BellyQ and Ramen Bar concepts in the Fulton Market neighborhood.

The new Urbanbelly will feature the concept’s signature items, like bao buns, ramen, Korean fried chicken and coconut curry pho, as well as other hits from the past.

Arla

Coming later this summer is Arla in Chicago’s Gold Coast, though, sadly, not in time for the Show.

Arla will be an open-air destination by the group behind Adalina Prime in Fulton Market (2025) and Adalina Italian, which opened in 2021. With the debut of Arla, all three concepts will be under the restaurant collective Hospitality Included.

Moving into a former Barneys New York Fred’s space, Arla’s menu will be Mediterranean with refined Japanese influences. It will be created by chef/partner Soo Ahn.

The restaurant will have a multi-level interior and two outdoor terraces with views of Lake Michigan.

Source https://www.nrn.com/independent-restaurants/new-chicago-restaurants-to-try-during-the-national-restaurant-show

Shake Shack appoints former Portillo’s CFO as it finance chief
Michelle Hook, who worked at Portillo’s for over five years, will oversee financial operations at the fast casual chain as it works toward reaching 1,500 units.

Dive Brief:
Shake Shack appointed Michelle Hook as its chief financial officer, effective May 11, the company said in a Thursday press release.
Hook most recently served as CFO at Portillo’s, where she oversaw various financial functions and played a key role in the company’s 2021 initial public offering.
Shake Shack also reported positive same-restaurant sales of 4.6% and traffic growth of 1.4% for the first quarter, marking its third-consecutive quarter of traffic increases, CEO Rob Lynch wrote in a shareholder letter.

Dive Insight:
Hook brings more than 20 years of financial and operational leadership experience to her new role, where she will oversee financial operations across Shake Shack. Her responsibilities include accounting and treasury, financial planning and analysis, tax, investor relations and external reporting, according to the press release. She also has experience in scaling growth companies and creating high-performing teams.

“I’m confident Michelle will be a valuable addition to our leadership team as we continue to advance our culture of Enlightened Hospitality and further strengthen our best-in-class finance organization on our path to 1,500 Company-operated Shacks,” Lynch said in a statement.

In addition to working at Portillo’s for five years, Hook spent over 17 years at Domino’s, where she held accounting and finance leadership roles.

“I’ve long admired Shake Shack and the team’s disciplined approach to building a beloved brand,” said Michelle Hook. “The team’s ability to grow thoughtfully while keeping hospitality at the core of the business is a powerful driver of sustainable value.”

Shake Shack continued to grow its unit count during the quarter, with 17 new stores opening. This growth is the chain’s largest first-quarter unit growth gain, and the Shake Shack revised its guidance for 2026 openings to between 60 and 65 new, company-operated locations, up from between 55 and 60, Lynch said in the investor letter. The company reached 679 units during the first quarter.

“We continue to successfully bring Shake Shack to new and underpenetrated markets, many outside of our historical footprint,” Lynch wrote. “Given our expected strong future cash-on-cash returns, we will continue to accelerate our Company-operated development efforts.”

The company also announced its Project Catalyst on April 1, a multi-year program to remake its technology systems in support of its long-term growth goals. The initiative includes modernizing its restaurant systems, offering its first rewards program and adding proprietary artificial intelligence capabilities into daily operations, the investor letter said.

Source https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/shake-shack-hires-michelle-hook-cfo/819566/

Quick-service pizza sales turned negative last year
The overall industry’s sales cooled to 3%, marking the fourth consecutive year of deceleration, but pizza was the only category in the red.

Quick-service pizza sales have been coming back down to earth since the category’s pandemic highs. In 2025, however, the category slipped below the surface, registering a 0.3% year-over-year sales slide following a nominal gain of just 0.6% in 2024 and an increase of 2.8% in 2023, according to the Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report.

Unit count has followed a similar trajectory, with just a 0.1% gain last year, following 0.6% in 2024 and 1.1% in 2023.

Like much of the industry, the quick-service pizza category’s performance has been all over the map — some big winners, some major laggards and plenty of in-betweens. That said, in 2025, the category’s performance was skewed by an outsized impact from some of its biggest players hemorrhaging sales. Pizza Hut, No. 2, lost 8.2% of its sales in 2025, for instance.

In fact, six out of the top 10 QSR pizza chains were negative last year. In addition to Pizza Hut, they included:

No. 4 Papa Johns, -1%
No. 5, Marco’s, -2.4%
No. 6, Papa Murphy’s, -3%
No. 8, MOD Pizza, -10.6%
No. 10, Hungry Howie’s, -5.2%
Little Caesars (No. 3, 1.4%) and Chuck E. Cheese (No. 9, 0.6%) were steady as it goes, while Domino’s extended its market share dominance with a 4.8% gain and No. 7 Jet’s Pizza provided a bright spot with an 11.5% increase.

Notably, the overall restaurant industry was up just 3% in 2025, marking the fourth consecutive year that Top 500 sales gains decelerated compared to the prior year. Within that overall cooldown, pizza was the only category to turn negative for sales year-over-year.

Every single category in Technomic’s newly released Top 500 report turned in a stronger year-over-year sales performance in 2025, including sandwich, which was up just 0.2%. The QSR pizza category was No. 6, outpaced by burger ($113.3 billion), chicken ($56.3 billion), coffee/café ($53.9 billion), sandwich ($37.4 billion), and Mexican ($35.1 billion) categories, with $31 billion in sales

According to Technomic, much of pizza’s challenges have come from an increase in competition from other food segments. Sales at Asian concepts last year, for example, rose 7.8%, while the Mexican category was up 4.7%. Chicken sales increased 5.3% in 2025, following a 9.1% gain in 2024 and five straight years of double-digit growth prior.

Some of the category’s plateauing is also likely driven by third-party delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats leveling the playing field for a convenience channel once dominated by pizza.

Beyond the top 10
Not only did pizza underperform every other category in 2025, it also had fewer rocket ships. There were 103 out of 500 chains that generated double-digit sales increases in 2025. Just three were limited-service pizza chains:

Lost Pizza Co., a Mississippi-based company founded in 2007, which jumped 15.4% to end the year with $64.3 million and 36 locations (a 16.1% unit count increase)
Crust Pizza Co., a “Chicago-style thin” concept headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, which increased sales by 13.7% to end with $66.4 million and 37 locations (a 15.6% increase)
Jet’s Pizza, a Detroit-style pizza concept founded in Detroit in 1978, which increased sales by 11.5% to end with $613.4 million and 474 locations (a 5.8% increase)
Out of the 35 limited-service pizza chains in the Top 500, 16 gained sales in 2025 versus 19 that registered declines.

The three chains that generated the steepest drops were all fast casual pizza chains, including Blaze Pizza (-9.6%), MOD Pizza (-10.6%) and Pieology Pizza, which fell by a whopping 26.5%.

Blaze named John Owen as its new CEO earlier this year and his comeback plan includes balancing hospitality with speed, while also improving brand awareness both inside and outside of its core markets. Notably, Blaze closed 43 locations in 2024 and is nearly 60 units smaller than it was at the end of 2020.

MOD was sold to Elite Restaurant Group after closing a significant number of locations in 2024. Like Blaze, its system has significantly retrenched, ending 2025 with 447 locations compared to 485 at the end of 2024 and 489 at the end of 2020.

As for Pieology, its challenges accelerated in 2025. In 2024, the California-based chain lost more than 10% of its sales while its system was whittled down to 45 units last year after finishing 2024 with 103 locations. The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November. The company grew to about 150 locations by 2017, including about a dozen international locations, after receiving investments from Panda Express founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng, as well as NBA player Kevin Durant.

Pieology was founded in 2011 and is widely considered to be a pioneer of the fast-casual, build-your-own pizza category, alongside Blaze and MOD, as well as Your Pie, PizzaRev, Uncle Maddio’s, Fired Pie, and others. Of note, the entire category has been struggling for years, with challenges exacerbated by the pandemic and changing consumer habits. Your Pie’s sales fell 3.2% in 2025, while its unit count was down 1.6%. Since 2020, more than 16% of the system has closed. PizzaRev received an investment from Buffalo Wild Wings in 2014 when it had just three locations and had 200 more under development. It grew to over 40 locations but is now down to just four.

Meanwhile, Uncle Maddio’s once surpassed 40 locations and is now down to 11, and Fired Pie filed for bankruptcy in 2024 and is now down to eight locations.

Source https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/quick-service-pizza-sales-turned-negative-last-year

Foodservice Equipment

Equipment and Supplies Sales Post Modest First Quarter Growth
Sales of foodservice equipment and supplies came up short of expectations during the first quarter of 2026. The Business Barometer published by the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry reported sales of foodservice equipment and supplies was 1.0% greater than the same period in 2025. MAFSI members had projected a 3.5% sales increase for the first quarter.

MAFSI members project sales of equipment and supplies will grow 1.5% in the second quarter of 2026.

Looking at sales by product category, supply items was the biggest winner during the first quarter of 2026, with that segment posting a 4.9% bump in sales compared the same period in 2025. The other segments, however, struggled a little. Sales of tabletop items declined 0.5%, while furniture grew by 0.6%, and equipment 0.9%.

By Region, sales shrank by -1.3% Midwest, and grew by 0.9% in the West, 1.3% South, 2.3% Canada, and 2.6% in the Northeast, reflective of regional variations.

In terms of quoting activity, 44% of reps report an increase in this area compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. Also, 41% of reps report no change in quoting activity while 15% report less activity.

In terms of consultant activity, 60% of reps report no change in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. In addition, 23% reported an increase in consultant activity compared to only 17% that reported a decline.

Brand Snapshot: MAFSI
Full Name: Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry
Business Type: Trade association
Membership: Independent manufacturers’ reps
Notable research: The MAFSI Business Barometer is a quarterly survey that serves as a leading economic indicator in the foodservice industry by providing data on regional and national sales trends and forecasts for equipment, supplies, tabletop, and furniture lines.

Source https://fesmag.com/topics/the-latest-news/23640-equipment-and-supplies-sales-post-modest-first-quarter-growth

SilverChef USA Names Vice President, Sales
Dion Ireland steps into the role and will work alongside Jon Jacobs, SilverChef’s president of U.S. operations.

SilverChef USA, part of the Australia-based hospitality equipment financier SilverChef Group, has named Dion Ireland as vice president, sales.

In his new role, Ireland will work alongside President of U.S. Operations Jon Jacobs to further expand SilverChef’s partnerships with commercial kitchen equipment dealers and distributors and help more hospitality operators access the company’s flexible equipment financing solutions.

Ireland, who joined SilverChef in 2022, has held leadership roles across the company’s core markets. In Australia, he was state sales manager for Queensland and the Northern Territory. In the U.S., he held the role of director of business development and enablement. In Canada, he was senior vice president, sales east. Prior to joining SilverChef, Ireland spent seven years working in an equipment dealership in Australia.

“Dion spent years helping operators make smarter equipment decisions from behind the dealership counter,” says Jacobs in the release. “He understands why flexibility matters to a first-time restaurant owner choosing between a combi oven and keeping three months of rent in reserve.”

SilverChef Group operates across Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and Canada and has more than 389 employees.

Source https://www.fermag.com/articles/silverchef-usa-names-vice-president-sales/

MAFSI Barometer: Sales Show Slim Progress
Overall sales for Q1/26 increased by 1.0% versus Q1/25.

Overall sales for Q1/26 increased by 1.0% versus Q1/25, according to the MAFSI Business Barometer, a nonfood sales/trend indicator for the foodservice industry. The result fell well short of the 3.5% forecasted.

By product category, sales were -0.5%, tabletop; 0.6%, furniture; 0.9%, equipment; and 4.9%, supply.

By region, sales shrank by -1.3%, Midwest, and grew by 0.9%, West; 1.3%, South; 2.3%, Canada; and 2.6%, Northeast.

Quoting and consultant activity improved in Q1/26 versus Q4/25. SpecPath shows 880 specified projects in Q1/26, compared with 1,013 in Q1/25, about a 13% drop.

MAFSI reps are forecasting for Q2/26 modest growth of 1.5%, led by the West, 4.3%; Northeast, 4.0%; Canada, 2.1%; South, 0%, and Midwest, -0.8%.

In his summary, Michael R. Posternak, chairman of PBAC 3.0 LLC, says industry worries are led by “inflationary pressures which dampen demand, including, food, gasoline, tariffs, and transportation, as well as concerns of the effects of the midterm elections and the war with Iran.”

Click here to view the full Q1/26 MAFSI Business Barometer report.

Source https://www.fermag.com/articles/mafsi-barometer-sales-show-slim-progress/

Tabletop & FOH

The Secret to Summer Staffing
Summer hiring can be an operational beast for restaurants. It’s faster, higher-volume, and holds higher-stakes than typical hiring cycles because operators are often bringing on multiple people at the same time, sometimes with little notice, and those employees need to be ready to hit the ground running on day one.

Rather than prioritizing restaurant experience, operators and owners should be looking for skills like adaptability, a willingness to learn quickly, and comfort working within a structured environment, said Evan Welch, VP of Implementation at HungerRush. Hiring managers should also think about cultural fit and energy, especially during high-traffic summer moments when the guest experience lives and dies by the attitude of the person behind the counter, he added.

“Summer staffing pools are often younger, with a higher concentration of high school and college students looking for seasonal work. Scheduling flexibility has to be built into the plan from day one. That’s not a workaround, it’s the reality of summer hiring. The operators who handle it best aren’t scrambling to fill gaps; they’ve built coverage models that assume some fluidity.”

Standardizing Workflows
For operators, it means having standardized workflows, intuitive technology, and clear role definitions in place before the first summer new hire walks through the door, Welch noted. For example, an integrated POS platform should do more than process orders, it should take the pressure off new employees by offering an intuitive user interface that’s fast to learn and easy to use from day one.

“When your systems are designed to guide staff through the work in real time, new hires don’t need weeks of shadowing to become functional. They can contribute from day one because the technology is doing a lot of the coaching.”

While it’s advantageous for operators that this generation has grown up with technology, the best restaurant tech makes tech savviness irrelevant and operators should always hire for hospitality first, Welch said.

“They’re comfortable learning new systems quickly, adapting to digital workflows, and navigating tools that older or less tech-familiar employees might find intimidating. If your systems require a learning curve, that’s a technology problem, not an employee problem. Every employee delivers a great guest experience from day one. That’s the bar technology should clear.”

Rethinking Tech
Operators turning to technology for better hiring and onboarding practices aren’t just buying better software, they’re rethinking how technology fits into the flow of a shift, Welch added. When an ordering system has built-in workflows, clear prompts, and a user-friendly design, onboarding becomes less about teaching technology and more about teaching the restaurant’s culture.

“Building a culture where experienced staff feel personally invested in the success of their whole team, not just their personal performance, tends to help new employees get up to speed faster and stay longer,” said Welch. “On the technology side, when systems are easy to use and don’t create friction for experienced staff, they’re much happier to help. The frustration often comes when experienced employees have to compensate for tools that are hard to navigate. Remove that friction and you remove the biggest barrier to a team that actually pulls together.”

Focus on the Guest
Operators are leveraging digital training modules and real-time reporting dashboards that help managers identify where new staff are struggling, he said.

“The goal is technology that coaches staff in real time so managers can stay where they’re needed most: on the floor, with their guests.”

Focusing on the guest experience is critical because summer is when experiential dining expectations peak, Welch said, adding that a slow order, a confused server, or a missed modification doesn’t just cost that table, it costs the review, the return visit, and the word-of-mouth that follows.

“The operators who win in the summer season are the ones whose systems make every shift run like their best shift. When your technology handles the complexity, from routing, timing, to order accuracy, staff can focus on what guests actually remember: feeling seen, being taken care of, and wanting to come back.”

Source https://modernrestaurantmanagement.com/the-secret-to-summer-staffing/

The Latest Fashion Isn’t in Your Closet — It’s on the Table
Interior design is taking over dining rooms, where the dishes and glassware are just as important as the food.

As the cost of dining out continues to rise, everyone from college students to empty-nesters is looking for ways to recreate the restaurant experience at home. And they’re doing it creatively, with a surge of interest in artisanal tabletop products found in thrift stores and high-end boutiques alike.

Interior design has always been an expression of taste, but it’s now top of mind at dinner parties, where the platter that holds the fancy green salad is just as vital to articulating the host’s style as the food itself.

“I don’t remember it ever being like this,” said Sue Fisher King, of the rush for tabletop goods in her namesake San Francisco housewares emporium, which she has operated since 1978. Her customers used to live for decades with the plates and cutlery they received as wedding gifts, she said, but these days they “buy them for themselves because it’s fashion.”

Kerrilynn Pamer, who owns the skin care brand CAP Beauty, prefers the “coziness and comfort” of hosting dinners at her Los Angeles home.

Personalized tableware, like this ceramic mug with a design of Ms. Pamer’s dog, can be a colorful way to merge form and function.
Sales of tabletop goods like flatware have recently ballooned, she said, while accessories of the past, like napkin rings, are also seeing a revival among some of her youngest clients.

“I think there is an inherent want for coziness and comfort,” said Kerrilynn Pamer, who has been hosting more dinner parties at her Los Angeles home.

Ms. Pamer, 55, the founder of the skin care line CAP Beauty, described pairing her collection of ceramics and tabletop objects with homemade food as “one of the most intimate, kind, supportive acts.”

It can also be a cost-cutting measure. An evening out in Chicago can cost around $400, said Devin Kirk, accounting for child care costs, taxis and the meal itself. Mr. Kirk, the chief creative officer of the housewares boutique and online store Jayson Home, said that he and many of his friends are now spending that money on serving platters and other tabletop items that can cost around $150 apiece, and using them to elevate even the simplest meals. “It’s more fun to me,” said Mr. Kirk.

Ms. Pamer described combining special tableware with homemade food as “one of the most intimate, kind, supportive acts.”

Mr. Kirk and other retailers say that sales of tabletop items — everything from tapered candles to plates — are rapid-fire growth drivers, outpacing other categories of décor like bedding and decorative objects.

Don Macciocca, West Elm’s senior vice president of merchandising, is so bullish on these household accouterments that he called the dining room table a “renewed destination in the home.”

With demand surging, West Elm is planning an expanded rollout of tabletop products with designs that, contrary to the brand’s reputation for minimalism, will show a wider range of pattern and color — and prices. It’s an effort to reflect the change in culture around setting the table, toward one that enables a greater sense of individuality.

Podcast host Monica Padman said that setting her table allows for a certain creativity and projection of style, much like her love of fashion.
In decades past, most dinner party tables would be set in matching motif applied to everything from soup tureens to dessert plates. On today’s tables, it’s common for no two forks to match. Sometimes the only thing place settings have in common are the people who picked them out.

Monica Padman, who hosts the podcast “Armchair Expert” with the actor Dax Shepard, likes to serve martinis in a mismatched collection of glasses sourced at historic bars, like the Connaught Hotel in London and Bemelmans Bar in Manhattan. She recently moved into a house and feels the “pull” of hosting, partly because setting her table allows her a certain creativity and projection of style, much like her love of fashion. “I get a lot of self esteem from cooking and presenting and hosting people,” she said.

Today’s popular tablescape often resembles an expensive country retreat, with an emphasis on rustic materials like stoneware and hand-turned wood. While some tables tend toward all neutrals, and others bright patterns, the overall look of the moment is characterized by “not being too precious,” said Helen Johannesen, a partner in the Los Angeles grocery, cafe and housewares store Cookbook Market, which counts colorful Japanese glassware ($11) and Colombian stoneware pitchers ($80) among its best-sellers.

Ms. Johannesen added that Americans’ love of cooking, honed during the pandemic, has merged into this moment of at-home entertaining.

The trend for tabletop goods is even taking root among an audience that, a decade ago, might have preferred paper plates. While older shoppers may spring for a full table’s worth of products, said Sofia Stephens, a founder of the Los Angeles housewares and provisions store Bucatini, younger clients are purchasing a single Ginori oval dish ($220) or one place setting of Sabre flatware ($94) to spruce up at-home meals.

The trend is often on display at the potluck dinners that have become a weekly cost-saving tradition for Jillian Minahan, a senior at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Ms. Minahan, 23, said that she and her friends approach each meal as an opportunity to showcase plates and glasses found at local thrift stores — an expression of personal style as much as a move toward more eco-conscious dining.

“It’s always real wine glasses and genuine ceramic bowls,” Ms. Minahan said of the tables at those meals. “The only time I use Solo cups is if I’m having more than 20 people over.”

Misty White Sidell is a Times reporter covering shopping and fashion trends.

Source https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/realestate/tableware-home-design.html

Why Outback is Reducing Table Counts for Servers
Bloomin’ CEO Michael Spanos says smaller stations mean less stress and better service, marking the latest step in a total brand refresh.
Bloomin’ Brands is reworking how service happens at Outback Steakhouse.

The company began rolling out a new service model in April that reduces table loads for servers during peak hours. After testing the approach, Bloomin’ CEO Michael Spanos said a four-table-per-server ratio during busy dayparts produced a more consistent and enhanced experience than the previous one-server-to-six-table setup.

He said the thinking behind the change came directly from what the company was hearing from employees in the field

“What I heard from our servers and we know from the past is our servers want to own the guest relationship,” Spanos said during the company’s Q1 earnings call last week. “And that’s how the model was set up.”

He also framed the shift as a way to ease pressure on workers during the busiest parts of the day.

“If you’re used to having six tables as a server during the peak dinner hour and somebody else calls out, that stress level is really high,” he said. “That’s not a good guest experience, and it’s not a good team member experience.”

The obvious question is what happens to server earnings when table counts come down. Bloomin’ said its testing showed overall compensation and tips were about the same, with tips actually ticking slightly higher on a per-check basis because of differences in tip-share structure versus the old server/server-assistant model.

“We see our servers making the same, especially on a shift basis, which is really important,” Spanos said, adding that early feedback from guests has been encouraging. “We really like what we’re seeing in terms of intent to return, attentiveness of the server, and likelihood to recommend the server.”

The service-model change is arriving alongside an updated managing partner compensation program that also began rolling out in April. The new structure is designed to keep total pay competitive with local markets while tying compensation more directly to restaurant sales and profit growth.

Those spring rollouts are the latest pieces of a broader turnaround plan for Outback that management says is starting to gain traction beneath the surface. The strategy has centered on more consistent execution across food, service, experience, and value, with leadership arguing that guest metrics should improve before traffic fully follows.

Outback’s first-quarter performance was mixed. The brand posted comp sales down 0.3 percent, with traffic down 2.4 percent. Bloomin’ said severe winter weather created a meaningful drag on the quarter, and executives also emphasized they are trying to be more balanced in 2026 between protecting check and driving traffic rather than chasing less-productive volume. Spanos pointed to improving trends as the quarter progressed, saying March improved compared with January and February, and April stepped up again from there.

What gives the company confidence is that guest sentiment at Outback continues to strengthen. Guest metric scores improved year over year for the third consecutive quarter in Q1, with brand trust rising 4 points, service 6 points, value 5 points, atmosphere 5 points, food 4 points, and intent to return 4 points.

“Given that our average guest visits approximately twice per year, we expect the cumulative impact of these initiatives to become increasingly visible in traffic momentum as more guests experience the improvements we have made,” Spanos said.

A major part of that effort has been rebuilding Outback’s food credibility, particularly around steak. The company launched a new steak lineup in November and said the cuts and burgers are scoring well in menu satisfaction and reorder intent. The steak push is being reinforced by a heavy focus on consistency, with operators using Ziosk tabletop data and guest feedback to coach performance by shift and by restaurant, while monthly steak reviews and training are meant to improve execution across the system.

Value has also remained central to the turnaround. Bloomin’ said it is focused on improving the “what you get for what you pay for” equation, and Outback’s Aussie Three Course platform has become a key part of that strategy. About 60 percent of guests are trading up from the $14.99 entry point into the $17.99 and $20.99 tiers, while roughly 20 percent are also adding dessert.

Spanos said the offer is resonating across income groups, helping more value-conscious and older guests manage their checks while also encouraging younger and higher-income diners to move into the premium tiers.

“I actually like where the guest and the consumer is right now,” he said. “They’re engaging in our brands. They’re seeing casual dining and eating out as a very affordable luxury. And we’re going to keep dialing in on what you get for what you pay for to keep the guests engaged.”

The turnaround extends beyond menu and pricing. Bloomin’ is planning targeted refreshes across nearly all Outback restaurants by the end of 2028, with spending expected to average $350,000 to $400,000 per location. The focus is on guest-facing elements such as seating, lighting, paint, and exterior touches. The company is also expanding char-grill capacity to support the steak lineup.

Marketing, meanwhile, is set to become a bigger part of the story later this year, with increased spending expected in the back half once Bloomin’ is more satisfied with in-restaurant execution. Spanos told investors the campaign will be built around a sharpened Outback identity centered on steak leadership, craveability, and a casual, fun environment rooted in the brand’s Aussie positioning.

“Marketing will bring them in,” he said, “but consistent execution brings the guest back.”

At the company level, Bloomin’s total revenues rose about 1 percent year over year to $1.06 billion. U.S. comparable restaurant sales increased 0.9 percent, while traffic declined 1.8 percent. Average check rose 270 basis points versus 2025, and pricing was about 5 percent in the quarter. Off-premises sales accounted for 23 percent of total U.S. sales, in line with the same period last year. Executives said the business absorbed an estimated 240-basis-point weather impact during the quarter, driven by winter storms earlier in the period.

Bloomin’s other brands provided some brighter spots in the quarter. Carrabba’s posted comp sales growth of 1.3 percent, marking its fifth consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales gains, which the company tied to its continued emphasis on in-restaurant experience. Spanos pointed to wine dinners, a revamped happy hour, and day-of-week offers as examples of the kinds of experiential and occasion-driven promotions helping the brand.

Bonefish Grill delivered the strongest performance in the portfolio, with comp sales up 6.1 percent and traffic up 3 percent. The company said the brand has steadily improved traffic through day-specific promotions such as Martini Mondays and Bang Wednesdays, along with prix-fixe lunch affordability offers.

Fleming’s also stayed in positive territory, posting comp sales growth of 0.8 percent for its seventh consecutive quarter of positive comps, though traffic was down 2.9 percent. Bloomin’ said the brand has benefited from leaning into special occasions and experiential events while maintaining a focus on elevated service.

Source https://www.fsrmagazine.com/feature/why-outback-is-reducing-table-counts-for-servers/

Food & Beverage

Caribou Coffee Builds Out Leadership Team to Drive Long-Term Plan
Caribou Coffee, the national operator of premium coffeehouses, today announced the expansion of its executive leadership team with the appointment of four seasoned leaders. The move brings industry-tested expertise in supply chain, marketing, real estate development and technology and is a key step in Caribou’s organizational realignment to deliver on its strategic plan for long-term success.

“You don’t bring in new talent to an already robust leadership team just for the sake of it,” said Scott Kennedy, CEO, Caribou Coffee. “Our organizational realignment late last year created the need for both new and elevated executive leadership roles and capabilities. The business line leaders are exceptional talent that we have attracted, who believe in the brand and our vision, and who have the knowledge, capabilities and experience that will help us further deliver on the long-term strategy that has been in development for some time.

“This process began in late 2025 with the promotion of Matt Reiter to the new role of Chief Commercial Officer and continues today with the true synchronization of technology, development, operations, and marketing. What that means is less friction across every touchpoint, greater enterprise efficiencies and a real ability to create value for both our guests and our partners going forward.”

Marketing and Development

Caribou’s Vice President of Brand & Marketing, Kristen Goldberg, comes from a long line of retail and CPG roles, including most recently, Shutterfly. She started her career with Dunkin’ as a client and worked at powerhouse brands including Pillsbury and Cheerios at General Mills, and Dunn Bros. Coffee. Goldberg will lead the charge developing and executing brand marketing strategy and creative that drives guest traffic and builds brand equity with consumers.

In a new Caribou executive role as Vice President of Market Development and Real Estate, overseeing market planning, site selection, design and construction, Kyley Yanker brings a deep cross-section of QSR category experience from Starbucks, and prior to that from McDonald’s, Tim Horton’s, Tropical Smoothie.

Technology and Supply Chain

Joining Caribou as Vice President of Technology from Sleep Number, Soumil Deshmukh is a veteran with 25 years of experience in the tech industry. In this newly elevated executive role, he will focus on a mandate to further integrate and modernize Caribou’s enterprise platforms and capabilities, positioning technology as a true business partner and a catalyst for performance and long-term success through enhanced guest experiences and coffeehouse support.

Caribou’s operations team promotes Mike Iannuzzelli to Vice President of Supply Chain. He will be responsible for building and maintaining supply chain capabilities and redundancy that supports growth across all channels while enhancing and optimizing logistics support. Mike has proven experience leading teams in supply chain logistics, transportation, engineering, production, warehouse operations, category management and food safety from his previous roles including Holiday Station Stores, Frito Lay and Kraft General Foods.

“These are investments not just in the right discipline expertise for our evolving strategic direction but in people who bring exceptional depth and understanding to the crucial job of building Caribou’s new road map for the future. It’s a bright one that includes refining our market development strategies and truly optimizing technology, operations and supply chain across our current and future coffeehouse portfolio. Watch this space.”

For more information visit www.cariboucoffee.com.

Source https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/caribou-coffee-builds-out-leadership-team-to-drive-long-term-plan/

Flavored alcohol posts gains as traditional beer, wine and spirits decline
Bump Williams Consulting’s Dave Williams discusses category trends and NIQ data at CSP’s Cold Vault Forum

Flavored alcohol continues to chip away at traditional beer, wine and spirits sales in convenience stores.

This insight comes from Dave Williams, president of Bump Williams Consulting, Shelton, Connecticut, who spoke Wednesday at the CSP Cold Vault Forum by Informa. The three-day forum took place May 11-13 in Lombard, Illinois.

Citing NIQ data, Williams said that flavored alcohol beverages—including flavored malt beverages (FMBs), hard seltzers, prepared cocktails and wine-based cocktails—accounted for roughly 21% of total beer, wine and spirits sales in U.S. convenience stores in the year through April 18.

He said sales of flavored alcohol reached about $1.9 billion, up 4.6% from a year earlier, while traditional beer, wine and spirits sales totaled $7.2 billion and declined 2.7%.

“Among flavored alcohol categories, prepared cocktails posted the strongest growth, rising 41% to $242 million, followed by wine-based cocktails, which increased 25% to $227 million,” he said.

Williams said FMBs remained the largest flavored alcohol segment at $911 million in sales, though revenue fell 4% year over year.

“Hard seltzer sales were nearly flat, down 0.3% to $438 million,” he said, adding that growth within flavor, however, is not universal, but that cocktail-style flavored malt beverages remained resilient.

“Smaller pack sizes and single-serve formats are gaining share in higher-end alcohol products,” Williams said, citing NIQ data.

The shift is visible across beer, wine and spirits, including single-can cider packages, which grew 3.7%, he said.

Source https://www.cspdailynews.com/beverages/flavored-alcohol-posts-gains-traditional-beer-wine-spirits-decline

Sales grow at Black Rock Coffee Bar, despite some bad weather
The coffee chain said that “strategic densification” in its crucial Phoenix market also created some same-store sales headwinds

Poor January weather and new stores slowed sales at Black Rock Coffee Bar but didn’t quite stop them.

The Scottsdale, Arizona-based chain said same-store sales rose 5.2% in the first quarter, or 14.4% on a two-year basis. That came despite some tough January weather that hurt that key metric by 0.6%.

New stores hurt, too. A “strategic densification” in the Phoenix market, the company’s biggest, resulted in a 160-basis-point headwind to same-store sales as customers shifted business to new stores from existing locations.

“We had really good opportunities,” Rodd Booth, Black Rock’s chief financial officer, told investors on Tuesday. “They were within five miles of some existing stores. It’s really a way to grow within Phoenix. We like the sites very much.”

Revenue at the company increased 23.7% to $55.5 million. Net income quadrupled to $1.8 million, or 2 cents per share. Adjusted EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, grew 23.5% to $7.4 million. Traffic to the chain’s shops declined 0.6%.

The results did not quite meet investors’ expectations and the company’s stock declined 2% in after-hours trading.

Black Rock generates strong profitability on a per-store basis. Store-level profit margin was 29.6% of sales in the quarter, the company said. That’s one of the strongest margin results among publicly traded restaurant chains.

The coffee shop chain, which went public last year, operates 190 locations, after opening nine in the first quarter. The company gets 55% of its sales through coffee and 25% of its sales from energy drinks, company executives said. Food, which like energy drinks is a growing channel for the chain, represents 13% of sales. Digital sales now represent 17% of sales.

Mark Davis, the company’s CEO, told analysts on Tuesday that the company’s customers skew higher income. He said the economy, and competition, has not really hurt the chain’s results, suggesting that weather and new stores held sales back.

“We have not seen a slowing of momentum whatsoever,” Davis said. He said the company also didn’t feel any impact at the chain’s Colorado stores when McDonald’s tested energy beverages there in the fall.

Black Rock generated $200 million in system sales in 2025, according to data from Restaurant Business sibling company Technomic. That was up 24.5% compared with a year earlier.

The company has had a tough introduction to the public markets despite generally strong sales, due in part to some issues with delays on new unit openings. Its stock price is down 50% so far this year and 59% since the IPO. Black Rock has set a plan to get to 1,000 locations by 2035.

Source https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-finance/sales-grow-at-black-rock-coffee-bar-despite-some-bad-weather

Beyond Meat puts protein drinks at the center of turnaround plan
CEO Ethan Brown said it’s been acting as a “beverage company in hiding,” with a board of executives from Coke, Boston Beer and more.

Beyond Meat is betting that a move into protein drinks will turn around sales and bring consumers back to plant-based meat.

President and CEO Ethan Brown said in an earnings call last week that the company is uniquely positioned to compete in the rapidly expanding functional beverage market because of its experience with formulating plant-based protein.

Earlier this year, the company announced Beyond Immerse, a protein-packed sparkling beverage, which was made available for a limited time through Beyond’s e-commerce site. Immerse is launching across New York this summer, through Beyond’s partnership with distributor Big Geyser.

On the call last week, Brown said the beverage is meant to tap into consumer demand for drinks with added fiber, vitamins and electrolytes in addition to the high-protein content.

Beyond Immerse is the first product to launch under Beyond’s broadened scope, with the company recently changing its name to Beyond The Plant Protein Company to reflect its ambitions outside of alternative meat. After early success, the company expanded Immerse to include more flavors.

Brown said Beyond has been acting as “a beverage company in hiding,” and the company has a board of “tremendous expertise.” Board members include former Coke CFO Kathy Waller, Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman, and Boston Beer founder and CEO Jim Koch.

The company is “leveraging that expertise” to ensure the move into beverages is done “in the smartest way possible,” Brown said.

In its 18-year history, Beyond has faced lawsuits over trademark and labeling concerns, among other issues. It has also dealt with financial challenges as demand for plant-based meat has significantly fallen.

During its first quarter, Beyond’s net revenue fell 15% to $58.2 million.

Consumer skepticism around plant-based meat never truly faded, and Brown said that Beyond has innovated with plant-based protein “under more scrutiny than any other company ever.” That could make it easier for the company to develop in adjacent product categories like protein drinks, which is more palatable to shoppers, Brown said. The company is looking to move out of what Brown called a “cloud of misinformation” that he claims impeded its growth.

“I believe that because we’ve chosen to confront challenges, criticism, and incumbent industry campaigns against us by innovating more intensely, taking perceived weakness and seeking to create strength from it, we’ve developed disciplines and capabilities that allow us to produce winning products in adjacent categories,” Brown said.

The expansion into beverages could also convince consumers to try Beyond’s core category of plant-based meat.

Source https://www.fooddive.com/news/beyond-meat-turnaround-plan-functional-beverage-food/820116/

HVAC & Plumbing

Robert Madden Industries Announces Acquisition of AC Supply Co.
Over 65 Years of HVAC Supply Experience Continues Throughout Tarrant County Expanded DFW Footprint Supports Robert Madden Industries’ Mission of Building Dependable Partnerships

Robert Madden Industries announced its acquisition of AC Supply Co., expanding its presence across Tarrant County and strengthening its service capabilities throughout the greater DFW market.

Founded more than 65 years ago, AC Supply Co. has built a strong reputation in the HVAC supply industry by serving contractors and customers throughout Tarrant County with reliable products, knowledgeable support, and a commitment to service. Robert Madden Industries is honored to continue that legacy while welcoming AC Supply Co. customers and employees into the RMI family.

“At Robert Madden Industries, our mission is Building Dependable Partnerships,” said Ron Madden, President of Robert Madden Industries. “This acquisition gives us the opportunity to continue AC Supply Co.’s long-standing service to Tarrant County while building new relationships rooted in trust, respect, integrity, and commitment. We are excited to welcome AC Supply Co. customers and employees and look forward to earning their trust through dependable service and strong support.”

Effective May 11th, AC Supply Co. locations will begin transitioning to Robert Madden Industries stores. The AC Supply Co. Westside, N. Fort Worth, and Arlington locations will remain open and begin operating as Robert Madden Industries stores. The Downtown Page Avenue location is closed effective immediately. With this acquisition, Robert Madden Industries will now serve the DFW market with five locations, including the newly added Westside, N. Fort Worth, and Arlington stores, along with existing RMI locations in Grand Prairie and McKinney. AC Supply Co. customers will have access to pricing, product support, inventory resources, and service through Robert Madden Industries’ expanded branch network.

“Robert Madden Industries shares our belief in taking care of people – employees first, customers always. That alignment made this decision easy and gives us a lot of confidence in what’s ahead.” said Bryan Boyd, Vice President-General Manager of AC Supply Co. Robert Madden Industries looks forward to learning from the experienced AC Supply Co. team, especially in the areas of supplies sales and packaging processes. The acquisition brings together two knowledgeable teams with a shared commitment to serving HVAC contractors with dependable support, quality products, and strong customer relationships.

“In DFW, we have focused on developing our equipment business over the past three years, and AC Supply Co. brings the Parts & Supplies expertise that allows us to immediately serve both customer bases in a more complete way. As we move through this transition, our focus will remain on supporting customers, listening to employees, and creating a smooth experience for everyone involved. We see tremendous value in the knowledge and experience of the AC Supply Co. team and are excited about the opportunities ahead,” said Casey Yates, Vice President of Robert Madden Industries.

Robert Madden Industries remains committed to its core values of trust, respect, integrity, and commitment and looks forward to continuing AC Supply Co.’s more than 65 years of HVAC supply experience throughout Tarrant County.

For more information about Robert Madden Industries, visit rmadden.com.

About Robert Madden Industries

Robert Madden Industries is a family-owned HVAC distributor founded in 1979. The company serves contractors and customers across Texas, Oklahoma, Eastern New Mexico, Northwest Arkansas, and the greater DFW market. Guided by its mission of Building Dependable Partnerships, Robert Madden Industries is committed to providing dependable service, quality products, knowledgeable support, and strong customer relationships built on trust, respect, integrity, and commitment.

Media Contact:

Robert Madden Industries

Lair Wells

806.441.0766

Lair.Wells@rmadden.com

Source https://hvacinsider.com/robert-madden-industries-announces-acquisition-of-ac-supply-co/

Modern Coils, New Risks: Rethinking HVAC Cleaning Practices
Experts say modern HVAC equipment demands more careful cleaning methods, better chemical discipline, and closer attention to coil type and operating environment.

On the surface, it seems simple enough — if a coil is dirty, hit it with some chemical, scrub, and rinse. But with modern equipment, carelessness can lead to damaged equipment, shortened lifespans, and drastically reduced efficiency.
Implementing proper coil cleaning techniques is becoming more critical as newer HVAC systems incorporate thinner tubing, more delicate microchannel designs, and overall larger coil surfaces.

Industry experts and manufacturers are signaling that contractors need to move beyond old habits and adopt a more deliberate approach to coil maintenance.

Best Practices
Educational platform provider HVAC School founder Bryan Orr laid out the process they use to train students.
First, start with a visual inspection. If a coil looks dirty, the assumption should be that it needs attention.

“That said, some coil designs can hide loading better than others,” Orr said. “Spine fin coils are a good example. They can accumulate debris in a way that may not immediately look severe while still affecting operation.”
After that, it’s best to confirm with system performance data rather than just relying on appearance alone.

“On the condenser side, a dirty coil will often show up as elevated head pressure and a higher compression ratio,” Orr said. “We use tools like measureQuick to help students compare those readings against expected operating conditions for that equipment and refrigerant.”
It’s also important to look at the equipment in context — system age, equipment design, and efficiency rating all matter here.
“In general, higher-efficiency equipment often operates with lower compression ratios under normal conditions, so abnormal increases can stand out more clearly when you know what ‘normal’ should look like,” Orr said.

Caution on Cleaners
Chemicals are alluring. They can certainly get the job done, but a lot of caution needs to be exercised.
Orr said one of the biggest tendencies he’s seeing in less experienced technicians is rushing the job and assuming stronger chemical concentration and more pressure automatically mean a better cleaning.
“That is not true,” Orr stressed. “Over-concentrating cleaners, using the wrong cleaner, or applying too much pressure can damage the coil, harm surrounding materials, and create unnecessary risk for the technician and the customer’s property.”
A better philosophy is a combination of patience, using the right cleaner at the proper dilution, as little pressure as necessary, and making sure the job is done thoroughly and safely.
“Especially on modern equipment, and especially on microchannel coils, proper technique matters,” Orr said. “The phrase I repeat all the time is: Clean it till it’s clean.”
Author, instructor, and HVACR service contractor Joe Marchese said one of the biggest mistakes he’s seen in the field is that people are not following the directions on the bottle, regardless of the product chosen.
“Technicians generally do not read manuals well or the directions listed — I think that causes most of the issues in the field,” Marchese said. “They either use the wrong product for the job or do not follow the directions.”
From the manufacturer’s perspective, chemical usage needs to be thoroughly thought through before use.
Brooke Russell, aftersales and quality senior manager at Güntner, noted that chemicals containing chlorine, and other chemicals ending in “-ine”, can present major issues with coils, predominantly on the cold side with air units in food preparation rooms.
“Because of the possible growth of bacteria at warmer temperatures in these types of rooms, a large percentage of customers and end users prefer to wash and sanitize with chlorine-based products,” Russell said.
“The high cost of food recalls underscores the need for bacteria prevention, and if chlorine products are used without a proper maintenance program and quality cleaning procedures, contamination and corrosion of air units becomes inevitable.”

Other Environmental Considerations
Not all mechanical rooms are created equal. While all units contain air coils, one room needing enhanced consideration is found within the food industry.
Given that many food prep areas are cleaned daily — especially when chlorine-based cleaning products are used — it is important that the chemicals be thoroughly washed off during the cleaning program.
“Many times, only the equipment below the air units are cleaned in the process, and the sanitizing chemicals are not washed off,” Russell said. “Airflow from the unit fans will eventually pull the chemicals into the air units and begin the process of corrosion.”
In many process rooms, shoes are sprayed with a sanitizing chemical upon entry. Russell noted that this chemical also migrates to the air unit coils.
“When the air units are also chemically cleaned in these types of rooms, the entire air unit must be rinsed inside and out after the chemical cleaning,” Russell said. “This must be done without spraying into the fans to prevent damage.”
Phil Rains, applications engineer at Bosch Home Comfort, added that a very strong acidic cleaner will pose an increased risk for corrosion and could weaken the structure.
“And while you don’t want to neglect your rinse, high-pressure water cleaning is another concerning method that will quickly wear your tubing and pushes debris even deeper into the coil,” Rains said.
Hand scraping tools and wire brushes can also be too aggressive. Instead, Rain recommends hand pump sprayers, coil-specific cleaners, soft cleaning brushes or combs, and vacuums with soft attachments.
Russell also discouraged the use of drain pan tablets, which are placed in air unit drain pans to react with moisture. This creates a chlorine-type fog intended to disinfect the drain pan and prevent Listeria.
“The makeup of the tablet chemicals will cause corrosion,” Russell noted.

Modern Equipment Considerations
Today’s units are engineered for energy efficiency and sustainability – meaning the copper tubing is often thinner than in older units, putting even higher importance on regular, proactive maintenance to prevent issues and increase longevity.
Rain said this means coils may bend more easily or present a higher risk for microleaks. What’s more, modern coils use very small internal channels that are quick to block, making them increasingly vulnerable to corrosion.
“Luckily, this is easy to combat. Rather than heavy cleaning spaced out, try periodic cleaning and annual inspections,” Rains said. “Also, ensure you’re using manufacturer-approved cleaners and noting what type of coil you have, because that will impact your cleaning process.”
In many cases, higher-efficiency equipment has larger condenser coils and more surface area.
Orr noted that this can make the coil somewhat more forgiving in the early stages of loading, because the system does not always show severe compression ratio changes as quickly as older, smaller coils might.
“The maintenance need is not necessarily new, but the performance impact is still real, especially when the goal is to keep the equipment operating at its designed efficiency,” Orr said.
Where he does think the conversation has changed is with the microchannel coils, which he said require more care in cleaning and handling.
“They tend to foul at the surface, and in my experience, they are more sensitive to damage from excessive water pressure and over-concentrated chemicals,” Orr said.
“That means technicians need to be taught not just to clean coils, but to clean them appropriately for the coil type they are working on.”

Selling and Performing Maintenance
The pitch for coil cleaning as part of a regular maintenance plan is fairly simple — if it’s not done, there’s going to be an expensive mess and downtime.
“The No. 1 cause of compressor failures is from overheating. One of the causes of a system running at elevated temperatures is a dirty condenser,” Marchese said.
“Not cleaning a condenser will definitely lead to a non-operational system, and depending on the system design and safeties incorporated, can lead to a failed compressor — which is a costly repair for any system. It is basically pay-me-now or pay-me-later kind of discussion,” he said.
The right maintenance schedule depends on the customer — should it be calendar-based, condition- based, or tied to operating environment.
Rains explained that a dirty or high-load environment needs more regular cleaning, whether it’s an industrial site or a greasy restaurant, or one with stricter hygiene protocol, such as a hospital.
“Certainly, prioritize condition-based monitoring, where you’re tracking indicators and taking steps based solely on the health of your unit, not just when it’s time to clean,” Rains said. “Calendar-based monitoring helps create a safety net, making sure your unit will never be forgotten.”
All three methods should work in tandem; meaning the environment is analyzed, monitored in real-time, and regular inspections are scheduled as a baseline.

SIDEBAR: Small Mantra Before Maintenance
Rains provided a handy checklist for each step of the process that can be utilized before tackling a job.
“Before cleaning, make sure you know what coil type you’re working with – evaporator versus condenser, for instance. From there, you can establish a better understanding and baseline,” Rains said.
“Then make sure your power is shut off, and drain is clear, and all surrounding components are either covered or prepared for any drainage.”
While cleaning, use appropriate techniques. Clean from the inside out and ensure water pressure is low to moderate. Apply cleaner proportionately and spray with airflow direction. If there are bent fins, straighten them.
Once complete, make sure to rinse thoroughly and remove any cleaner residue. Then remove any coverings placed and restore power. Be sure to test the system before calling it a day, inspecting the drain system, airflow, and pressure.
What separates good technicians from great technicians is the little things. Document the project with notes and photos, and educate the customer on what was done and the next steps.

Source https://www.achrnews.com/articles/166195-modern-coils-new-risks-rethinking-hvac-cleaning-practices

Report Shows Heat Pumps Viable in Commercial and Industrial Markets
Heat pumps can provide efficiency, but complexities may hinder adoption

Heat pumps are often associated with moves toward residential electrification, but a new study shows they may be beneficial for light commercial and industrial retrofits.
A report from the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative states that heat pumps can be applied to oil and gas upstream and downstream operations, delivering from two to four times more efficiency than fossil fuel systems.

“The report aims to help companies identify where heat pump technologies can deliver efficiency gains and emissions reductions across their operations, in support of OGCI’s strategic focus on solutions to help decarbonize society,” the OGCI said in a press release.
Heat pumps transfer heat from lower-temperature sources to higher-temperature applications using electrical energy. As such, they convert waste heat into a usable resource, thereby increasing overall system efficiency and reducing the need for additional energy input.
The OGCI used real-world examples to support its findings, including offshore heating, crude stabilization processes, and operations in remote or unconventional fields. A variety of systems were examined as well, from mechanical vapor compression to hybrid configurations.

According to the report, high-lift heat pumps beyond 212°F of lift remain small-scale and economically unattractive against larger, lower lift applications. An exception is steam production, where post-heat pump compression can be cheaply employed.
“Utilization of water and steam as the working fluid in a closed loop, where appropriate, was shown to produce an economic advantage via decreased [capital expenditure] due to cheaper compression technology,” the report said.
Applications for up to 446°F outlet temperature can be obtained with a mechanical vapor recompression system provided with a heat source of “sufficiently high temperature, such as column overheads,” according to the report.
The report concludes that heat pumps, by and large, outperform electrode boilers in most applications, opening the door for commercial and industrial use. These include offshore oil heating, onshore heavy oil recovery, de-ethanizer reboilers, and steam generation, among others.
“The heat pump shows strong economics for this application despite a high capital cost and mediocre COP due to the moderate lift required,” the report says. “By comparison, the electrode boiler is much cheaper, but results in a lower [net present value] and slightly lower [internal rate of return] over the project due to a much greater power consumption.”

Barrier to Entry
There are still barriers to overcome. High upfront costs and limited installer familiarity may hinder adoption, while infrastructure and electrical capacity constraints may further stifle widespread implementation.
The report goes out of its way to note that many applications require a custom process design, meaning projects will be highly engineered and process-specific.
Refrigerant transitions also play a role. The report indicates that a variety of refrigerants are needed for scaling heat pump adoption, so contractors will need to stay up to date on refrigerant regulations.
“A diverse range of refrigerants offers various options for heat pump applications, each with specific advantages and considerations regarding efficiency, environmental impact, and operational characteristics,” the report says.
Most heat pumps operate efficiently in low- to medium-temperature ranges below 212°F. Those that reach higher temperatures aren’t as widely deployed. As such, proper system sizing is crucial to obtain efficient operations.
Despite these challenges, the report highlights an opportunity for HVAC contractors looking to rise above the competition. Industrial heat demand is a large share of global energy use, and heat pumps could address this gap.
The report suggests areas where energy prices are high, and policies that offer strong support for heat pumps and electrification are prime markets for these applications.
“The top economic performers were large, mostly downstream, distillation columns that could be integrated with low or low-moderate lifts between overheads and reboilers,” the report said. “Upstream heating was shown to also have feasible economics and an attractive scale.”

Source https://www.achrnews.com/articles/166188-report-shows-heat-pumps-viable-in-commercial-and-industrial-markets

Controls Engineering & IoT

McLane expanding driverless truck runs in Texas
The popular supplier is automating long-haul transport between Dallas and Houston, with additional routes focused on restaurants to be added later this year.

Dive Brief:
McLane Company has partnered with Aurora Innovation, a self-driving technology company, to expand driverless truck transport in Texas, the companies announced on Wednesday.
The partnership began with a pilot in 2023. Since then, Aurora Driver, Aurora’s autonomous system, has logged more than 280,000 autonomous miles and delivered 1,400 loads for McLane, according to the press release.
Autonomous trucks are approved for the roughly 240-mile route between Dallas and Houston, and McLane plans to add routes to other distribution centers in the Sun Belt by the end of the year. The rollout is focused on restaurants right now, but is expected to expand to other businesses in the future.

Dive Insight:
Automated long-haul trucking routes would help McLane better weather driver shortages and turnover, helping maintain a consistent experience for the businesses they’re supplying. The automated vehicles handle the “middle mile” stretch between business destinations while McLane’s drivers handle local deliveries to customers.

“Autonomous technology helps us drive greater efficiency across the supply chain, while our drivers remain focused on the critical last mile—and continuing to serve as the face of our company to customers,” said Susan Adzick, president of McLane Restaurant.

McLane has more than 80 distribution centers across the U.S., but regulations governing driverless trucks vary from state to state, which may limit how many of those sites McLane can connect to its automated network.

The trucks use Aurora’s Driver system, which is rated as a level 4 system on SAE International’s automation scale. Level 4 means the vehicle can operate without a driver under limited conditions. By comparison, a system with level 3 automation needs a driver to take over at the system’s request, while level 5 can operate without a driver in any conditions.

Source https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/mclane-expanding-driverless-truck-runs-in-texas/819833/

Rockwell Automation, Actemium Deploy AI to Cut Refrigeration Energy Use by 17% in Frozen Food Production
Autonomous PlantPAx-powered application continuously improves refrigeration systems to help reduce energy costs and equipment strain

MILWAUKEE, May 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, is helping make one of the most energy-intensive systems in frozen food manufacturing more efficient. Its PlantPAx® modern distributed control system (DCS) powers a new autonomous AI-application developed by PartnerNetwork™ member Actemium which continuously selects energy‑efficient operating configurations for industrial refrigeration equipment.

Actemium
Actemium created the solution, known as Real-Time Coefficient of Performance (RtCOP), for a large producer of frozen french fry products. To date, RtCOP helps the food producer increase energy efficiency by 17%, delivering an estimated $130,000 annual savings per site. The solution also reduces strain on refrigeration assets, helping improve long‑term equipment reliability.

RtCOP functions like an always-on virtual operator, continuously analyzing system capacities, efficiencies and environmental conditions in real time to determine and implement energy-efficient combinations of compressors, condensers and evaporators.

“Autonomous optimization can help food producers conserve energy, reduce costs and ease demands on their workforce,” said Jim Gillis, general manager, Actemium Atlantic Canada. “Energy‑based equipment ranking that is performed continuously and consistently is something human operators simply can’t do in real time. This solution has the potential to transform refrigeration across food manufacturing.”

The solution runs on Rockwell Automation’s PlantPAx DCS, which provides real-time data access, processing speed and system transparency to enable continuous, autonomous optimization.

Industrial refrigeration accounts for up to 70% of a plant’s electricity consumption, making it one of the largest opportunities for energy optimization in food manufacturing. Historically, these systems are operated to meet cooling demand rather than maximize energy efficiency, in part because operators lack the time and tools to continuously evaluate performance shifts.

“Solutions like RtCOP are increasingly needed as food producers face skills shortages, particularly in specialized areas like refrigeration, and pressure to operate more efficiently and sustainably,” said Kris Dornan, Commercial Marketing Manager, Rockwell Automation. “Technologies like the PlantPAx modern DCS make AI-driven autonomous applications possible, and experienced partners like Actemium make them happen.”

Actemium is helping the food producer scale the solution across its fleet of refrigeration plants. Key performance indicator (KPI) dashboards enable site-to-site visibility into performance and benchmarking of system efficiency. Read more about Actemium’s journey with Rockwell Automation here.

Learn more about Rockwell Automation’s suite of products for food and beverage production here.

About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 26,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries as of fiscal year end 2025. To learn more about how we are bringing Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.

About Actemium
Actemium delivers bespoke solutions and services to clients across 40 countries. Its multi-disciplinary network combines the expertise of 400 local business units with a global approach to create value throughout the entire industrial life cycle. Actemium’s 24,400 experts share with their clients the strong conviction that industry is key to building a sustainable world and strive to make a positive contribution to global performance. For more information, visit www.actemium.com.

SOURCE Rockwell Automation, Inc.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rockwell-automation-actemium-deploy-ai-to-cut-refrigeration-energy-use-by-17-in-frozen-food-production-302766214.html

KEENON Robotics Showcased Autonomous Cleaning Innovation at Interclean Amsterdam 2026
At Interclean Amsterdam 2026, KEENON Robotics showcased how next-generation automation is reshaping facility management (FM) through Sustainable Intelligence and Multi-Robot Collaboration. As labor shortages, rising operational complexity, and higher expectations around consistency continue to challenge the FM industry, KEENON presented a professional cleaning fleet built for more autonomous, scalable, and efficient operations.

AI Patrol Inspection for more responsive cleaning

A key highlight was KEENON’s AI Patrol Inspection capability which enables robots to identify common dry and wet debris, automatically switch cleaning modes, and calculate the shortest response path. This allows robots to move beyond fixed-route cleaning and respond more dynamically to real-time operational needs.

A differentiated product lineup for diverse environments

KEENON showcased the KLEENBOT series as a complete portfolio for different commercial scenarios. KLEENBOT C55 is designed for large spaces above 3,000m², offering strong capacity, longer runtime, and broad coverage for demanding environments such as factories and logistics hubs. KLEENBOT C40, aimed at mid-sized commercial settings including supermarkets, hotels, offices, and hospitals, stood out for KEENON’s pioneering dry-wet separation design. Built around its signature triple-brush system, the C40 separates dry and wet waste in a single workflow, addressing long-standing user pain points such as odor caused by mixed waste and the difficulty of cleaning wastewater tanks, while also improving maintenance convenience and overall cleaning efficiency. KLEENBOT C30 is tailored for premium settings such as hotels and offices, delivering a quieter, water-free dry-cleaning solution for surfaces ranging from marble to carpets.

Effective Multi-Robot Collaboration, Better Service Efficiency

Beyond individual products, KEENON highlighted the value of Multi-Robot Collaboration. With a portfolio spanning cleaning, delivery, and humanoid robots, KEENON demonstrated how different robot types can work together in coordinated deployments to improve service efficiency and operational responsiveness in complex commercial environments. From 10 to 20+ robots operating in single venues to a mixed fleet of 8 robots across 6 types at facilities like a franchised luxurious hotel, KEENON delivers proven multi-robot efficiency.

From specialized robots to a broader vision

KEENON closed the showcase by reinforcing its broader strategy of combining general-purpose humanoid robots with specialized service robots. Backed by 16 years of robotics innovation, the company continues to scale real-world deployment while advancing its long-term vision of “10 Billion + 1 Robot”—a future in which every person is supported by a robotic partner.

Source https://www.issa.com/industry-news/keenon-robotics-showcased-autonomous-cleaning-innovation-at-interclean-amsterdam-2026/

Jan/San & Disposables

Hantavirus and Beyond: Is the Cleaning Industry Ready for What’s Coming?
Biohazard incidents can happen anywhere—schools, offices, healthcare facilities, public spaces, transportation hubs, and commercial buildings.

When cleaning professionals encounter blood, bodily fluids, infectious materials, or other potentially hazardous contaminants, the stakes climb well beyond routine cleaning. For ISSA members and the global cleaning and facility services industry, knowing how to properly respond to biohazard situations is about safety, risk reduction, worker protection, compliance, and public health.

It is also, right now, about visibility. A recent hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship drew heavy media attention, yet one question went almost entirely unasked across the coverage: Who is doing the cleaning?

To examine that gap and what the industry needs to do about it before a busy summer arrives, Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, senior director at ISSA, shared tips on readiness, responsibility, and the opportunity in front of the value chain.

A missing piece in the headlines
Macgregor-Skinner said the recent hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship has alarmed him, not because of what was reported, but because of what was not.

“There’s one big thing that’s missing out of all the stories that we’ve been reading, is ‘who’s doing the cleaning?’” he said. “Are they trained to clean up infectious disease materials, biohazards? Do they have the correct PPE to protect their safety?”

Passengers were moved from the ship to buses, then onto a plane, then either to hospitals or to their own homes for quarantine. At no point in the public conversation, Macgregor-Skinner said, did anyone address how the contaminated spaces were handled.

“There’s been no mention of how we clean up biohazard materials, you know, urine, vomit, diarrhea, contaminated surfaces, indoor air,” he said. “We’ve had no mention of who cleaned the ship, who cleans the buses, who cleans the plane, who cleans the hospital rooms, and who cleans the homes.”

A business opportunity hiding in plain sight
The silence around cleaning, Macgregor-Skinner said, is exactly where the industry needs to step in. He leads the Making Safer Choices program at ISSA and works in exposure science, the study of how people become infected or sick from the indoor environments they occupy.

“If no one’s going to talk about cleaning in an infectious disease outbreak like hantavirus on a cruise ship that got so much media attention, then it’s up to ISSA and our members to create awareness,” he said. “I think right now we have an enormous business opportunity across the value chain of the clean industry, if they can do this one thing.”

That one thing is closing what he calls the knowing-doing gap. Manufacturers, distributors, facility managers, anyone who sells, buys, or uses cleaning products and equipment, must know how to clean up vomit, diarrhea, urine, and blood—and has to be able to explain how they make indoor spaces safe and prevent infections.

Why this summer matters
Macgregor-Skinner pointed to a convergence of events that will make the next several weeks unlike any recent summer for the industry. The FIFA World Cup brings 104 games over a six-week period across 48 teams, with an estimated 10 million people traveling to mass gatherings. In the middle of the tournament falls July 4th and the 250th anniversary of the United States.

“Cleaning industry workers, people across the value chain for the clean industry, will not be taking vacation this summer,” he said. “It’s going to be too busy.”

That volume of activity, across stadiums, hotels, restaurants, convention centers, buses, trains, planes, and cars, raises the baseline risk substantially. And the hazards themselves do not change based on the venue.

“Anything that is wet that comes out of a person’s body has the potential to cause harm,” Macgregor-Skinner said. “Vomit, diarrhea, urine, mucus, pus, saliva, blood. You can clean it. Professionals can clean it properly and safely, so it’s no longer a hazard from any surface—that’s hard surfaces, soft surfaces, porous, non-porous, carpet, tile, wood, you name it, but we have to tell the world how we’re doing it.”

The reactive cycle has to end
A recurring frustration in the industry is the blip pattern: a cruise ship outbreak, a news cycle, a brief spike in conversation about disinfection, and then a return to baseline. Macgregor-Skinner said the professional cleaning industry should not operate that way.

“We are seeing communities, we’re seeing people, they’re still leaving a lot to chance,” he said. “They’re crossing their fingers, and they’re hoping for the best. The professional cleaning industry does not do that. We manage air, water, and surfaces in the built environment. We clean and maintain them and disinfect them to ensure that they are safe for every user that goes into that indoor space.”

Don’t assume anything about what’s in front of you
The word biohazard, Macgregor-Skinner pointed out, is a combination of biological and hazard. Cleaning professionals need to treat every bodily fluid as an unknown.

“We don’t make things up, we don’t assume, and just because you don’t know, you don’t think, oh, there’s no bacteria, there’s no viruses, there’s no parasites, there’s no toxins,” he said. “Don’t assume that. They could be there, and they could pose a threat to your health and hurt you.”

That posture drives two practical questions for every worker on every job. Are you wearing the correct personal protective equipment to protect your eyes, nose, and mouth? Are you using the correct cleaning equipment, tools, and products to clean safely?

What the industry needs to do now
When asked what he wants the industry to do next, Macgregor-Skinner did not ask for a checklist. He asked for a conversation.

“It’s absolutely critical that the cleaning industry comes together under a community of practice, that’s what we do under the Making Safer Choices program,” he said. “They need to not just say they know there are hazards. They know there are risks, they know how to use safe cleaning methods, they have to tell people how they’re going to do it. And then they actually have to do it, and they have to do it consistently every time.”

His own preparation work has been underway for more than a year, in coordination with federal, state, and local governments and the facilities tied to the FIFA World Cup and July 4th celebrations. The window has not closed for the rest of the industry to join in.

“It’s still not too late for the cleaning industry right now to say, right, across the value chain, manufacturers, distributors, anyone who sells cleaning equipment and products, cleaning companies and their workers, facility managers, just anyone who cleans, can you safely clean up vomit, diarrhea, urine, blood?” he asked. “If you say yes, then work with ISSA so we can tell that story. We can show that we know what to do before the emergency becomes and quickly turns into a disaster.”

The payoff, he said, is both protective and promotional. The public gets to enjoy the mass gatherings ahead. The industry gets to be seen for what it does.

“The cleaning industry will not be taking a vacation this summer,” Macgregor-Skinner said. “We will be working, and people have to know what we do.”

It is, he added, an exciting time if the industry chooses to act like a team.

“If we come together as a community of practice, if we just tell people, this is how we clean, and this is how we do it safely.”

Biohazard incidents can happen anywhere—schools, offices, healthcare facilities, public spaces, transportation hubs, and commercial buildings. When cleaning professionals encounter blood, bodily fluids, infectious materials, or other potentially hazardous contaminants, the stakes climb well beyond routine cleaning. For ISSA members and the global cleaning and facility services industry, knowing how to properly respond to biohazard situations is about safety, risk reduction, worker protection, compliance, and public health.

Source https://www.issa.com/articles/is-the-cleaning-industry-ready-for-whats-coming/

Georgia-Pacific reshapes executive leadership with communications and sustainability changes
The company has appointed John Mulcahy and David Brabham to new strategic roles as it prepares for the retirement of Sheila Weidman after 38 years with the company

Georgia-Pacific announced a series of changes to its executive leadership structure, with new appointments in communications, public affairs and sustainability as part of its organizational continuity strategy.

Effective immediately, the company appointed John Mulcahy as senior vice president of communications, public affairs and donor relations. He assumes the role following more than 30 years within the organization, where he has held positions related to customer relations, category management, strategy, supply chain and sustainability.

Mulcahy joined the company in 1987 and most recently served as vice president of responsible management, leading initiatives focused on developing and implementing sustainability strategies, promoting responsible forestry practices and driving improvements in corporate environmental performance.

The appointment comes as Sheila Weidman prepares to officially retire on June 5 after 38 years with the company. Throughout her career, she held multiple leadership positions of increasing responsibility and was a member of Georgia-Pacific’s executive leadership team for more than two decades.

As part of the reorganization, David Brabham was appointed vice president of the responsible management division. He brings more than a decade of experience in sustainability, corporate policy and responsible resource management within the company.

Before this appointment, Brabham served as senior director of customer relations and responsible management for the company’s pulp, packaging board, recycling and pine solutions divisions, building extensive expertise in environmental strategy and sustainable resource stewardship.

Through these leadership changes, Georgia-Pacific aims to strengthen its strategic direction in key operational areas as it enters a new phase of corporate development.

Source https://tissueonlinenorthamerica.com/georgia-pacific-reshapes-executive-leadership-with-communications-and-sustainability-changes/

Sofidel Wins Silver Stevie Award for Sustainability Achievement
Sofidel, a global provider of paper for hygienic and domestic use, was named the winner of a 2026 Silver Stevie Award for Achievement in Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) in the 24th Annual American Business Awards.

“For more than 60 years, we have focused on reducing our environmental impact through continuous innovation, lowering emissions, minimizing waste, and advancing more sustainable manufacturing processes,” says Riccardo Balducci, Group Sustainability Director at Sofidel. “This recognition reinforces our belief that sustainability is not a single initiative, but a responsibility embedded in how we operate and how we create long-term value for our customers, communities, and the environment.”

Over 250 professionals worldwide participated in judging more than 3,600 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry across a wide range of categories, including Startup of the Year, Executive of the Year, and Best New Product or Service of the Year, among others. Sofidel was nominated in the Achievement in Environment, Social, and Governance category for manufacturing.

The Silver Award for Achievement in ESG recognizes Sofidel’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, innovation, and responsible growth. Through targeted initiatives, Sofidel reduced CO2 emissions, minimized waste, and created sustainable manufacturing processes. Backed by 60 years of progress, Sofidel continues to set a strong example for ESG leadership within the tissue industry.

“Organizations across the United States continue to set a high standard for innovation and performance,” notes Stevie Awards President Maggie Miller. “The breadth and quality of nominations submitted to the 2026 American Business Awards reflect a dynamic and competitive business environment, where organizations are finding new ways to drive growth, deliver value, and make an impact.”

To learn about the other 2026 Stevie winners, click here.

Source https://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/Sofidel-Wins-Silver-Stevie-Award-for-Sustainability-Achievement–32733

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