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Beverages

Marketing

Taco Bell is taking on the beverage business

 By Jonathan Maze on Jun. 27, 2025

The Mexican fast-food chain is introducing a line of Refrescas beverages nationwide and it plans to expand its Live Mas Café to another 30 restaurants in Southern California and Texas by this fall.

Beverage

7 global tea trends getting ready to trickle onto U.S. menus

 By Patricia Cobe on Jun. 25, 2025

Tea drinks are starting to give coffee some stiff competition as Americans get better acquainted with these beverages from around the world, according to a report from Technomic.

Food

Spinoffs of the TikTok-famous Dubai Chocolate Bar surge on chain restaurant menus

By Patricia Cobe on Jun. 23, 2025

The classic flavor combination of chocolate, pistachio and crisp phyllo is showing up in everything from shakes to doughnuts, matcha and desserts.

Financing

'The world needs Starbucks:' How Brian Niccol plans to revive the coffee chain

By Jonathan Maze on Jun. 18, 2025

The Starbucks CEO detailed his “Back to Starbucks” plan to 14,000 cheering leaders of the coffee shop giant in Las Vegas this month. And he said the effort is important far beyond the company.

Operations

Fuzzy's Taco Shop looks to frozen cocktails and table service to drive sales

By Lisa Jennings on Jun. 12, 2025

Planting the flag as "fast-casual plus," the Dine Brands-owned chain has a new unit scheduled to open next week that will reveal the brand's ongoing evolution with a step closer to full service. Look for more action in the bar.

Financing

Starbucks is handing the keys for its improvements to store managers

By Jonathan Maze on Jun. 11, 2025

The company is giving managers more say in new product and operations tests at an early stage. It is also giving them more say as the company increases staffing levels this summer.

Financing

Dutch Bros wants to sell more food to sell more beverages

By Jonathan Maze on Jun. 05, 2025

The drive-thru beverage chain’s expanded menu test is now in 32 locations. While it comes with a lower profit, the company believes it can capture more beverage occasions. But it won’t mess up operations.

Financing

With CosMc's, McDonald's bows to reality

By Jonathan Maze on May 28, 2025

The Bottom Line: It was always unlikely that CosMc’s would be much more than a few test locations, thanks to competitive and financial reality in the fast-food beverage business.

Operations

McDonald's plans to close its CosMc's locations

By Jonathan Maze on May 23, 2025

The fast-food giant will instead introduce beverages from the test concept into “hundreds” of McDonald’s restaurants as a test this year. The CosMc’s restaurants will start closing in late June.

Beverage

Beverage giants Pepsi and Coke wade into the 'dirty soda' movement

By Joe Guszkowski on May 17, 2025

Both companies are showing off plussed-up versions of their branded soft drinks at the National Restaurant Show this year as beverage-focused restaurant concepts take off.

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