Mr. Worldwide Opens a Restaurant
....in a Walmart
Good morning. Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and is excited for March. This is the point of winter where we all get antsy and those living in cold climates fly somewhere just to feel the warmth of the sun on their skin. As for me, I’m going to settle for a hot tub and sauna this month.
☕Dutch Bros, the New Starbucks
Dutch Bros has secured its spot as America’s #3 coffee chain. It’s twice as profitable as Starbucks, per location and Wall Street analysts expect the bottom line to improve. Consensus estimates call for adjusted earnings per share to increase at a compound annual rate of 21% over the next three years. Although, Starbucks posted revenue of $6.6 billion in 2023 which will be very hard to catch up to. But hey, ever say never. Nike is an Oregon-based company that started as an underdog and look at them now. We love a good underdog story.
🙂Pitbull’s New Restaurant Will be in a Walmart
Yup, Mr. Worldwide is opening a restaurant called Miami Grill in Las Vegas. But it’s not on the strip, but techincally can’t even be called off strip because it’s not techincally within city limits. Rather, the neighboring city of Henderson will house the Walmart which will house the establishment serving burgers, gyros, and wings, among other hand-held things. It’s giving Buc-ee’s but worse.
🚗Wendy’s Tries Out the Uber Model
Wendy’s announced Uber-style Surge Pricing at all locations by 2025. Not everyone is keen on this plan and customers have been vocal about their disapproval. In response, the CEO promised never to raise prices during peak hours just price drops during slow hours. Mhmm, tough to believe.
🛒Whole Foods Tries Out Small Concept Stores in Manhattan
The health food store has opened multiple small concept stores in New York City to cater to urban audiences. Target tried the same thing but ended up closing thirteen stores last year after the format posed challenges. I could see this working for whole foods if they have a solid salad and hot bar. So many people go there for a quick lunch, which is something Target couldn’t claim.
New Products
🥔Graza Released Potato Chips
The brand known for their squeezable olive oil bottles launched their first product in the snack category: a potato chip.
🍸Coca-Cola Expands Topo Chico into Mixers Category
The soda giant is releasing a non-alcoholic line of cocktail mixers including Ginger Beer, Tonic Water and Club Soda. The brand claims that consumers were already using topo chico as a mixer in beverages at home, so this allows them a bit more range in their drink making.
💦GoodBelly Launches Prebiotic Sparkling Waters
GoodBelly, known for their wellness shots and supplements to support healthy digestion, has ventured into the sparkling water category. Their cans feature prebiotics from Agave and come in three flavors. Olipop and Poppi are prebiotic sodas. I see them making the jump from sparkling water to soda real quick.
🐰Lesser Evil Popcorn is Feeling Festive
The better-for-you popcorn brand released a new sugar cookie flavor for Easter. Which is suspiciously like Boom Chicka Pop’s frosted sugar cookie flavor they released for Christmas.
🥚SmartSweets Made Easter Candy
Low-sugar candy brand SmartSweets unveiled two limited-edition easter flavors with only 3g of sugar per serving. As parents are more conscious of their children’s sugar intake, Berry Bunnies and Tropical Eggs still have fun packaging that kids would gravitate towards but way less sugar than traditional candy.
🍳Le Creuset Wants You to Grill
The cast iron cookware brand know for their skillets and dutch ovens has launched their first outdoor collection. Specifically designed for use on an open flame, the new products include an Outdoor Skillet, a Square Grill Basket and a Pizza Pan. Lodge and Staub look out.
Enjoy your Monday!