#throwbackthursday A coffee mug, from the late 70’s when I managed a Little Caesars Pizza Parlor There were about a 12 parlors in the Detroit area They had tables & benches, a bar & live entertainment on the weekends Mark Fidrych signed free autographs at my store one time!

It’s interesting to see that a McOpCo is utilizing @cosmcs stock for 6 different McCafé syrups. Most of our ingredients are private-labeled (with McDonald’s on them), so it’s interesting to see who the actual vendors are sometimes.

Food cost is a killer right now My base food % (price you charge - cost) has risen to an alarming rate. It peaked in March 2026 & went down but now on a sharp ascension back up this month. To put in perspective, food cost was 200 bps lower just two years ago and we were worried it was getting out of hand then. I would still say that food cost is still the #1 concern in the restaurant industry.

Chipotle recently opened first store in Mexico in Monterrey and NYT has interesting detail on expansion plans: ▫️didn’t localize menu (used same ingredients, spices, salsa and hot sauces as US) ▫️chose Monterrey because highest purchasing power per capita in Mexico, has a big shopping mall culture and close business ties with Texas (3hrs from border and considered Mexico’s most American-ized city) ▫️prices are 20-30% lower than in US, though ▫️ Chiptole wants to offer fast casual option between street taqueria (average person in Mexico lives 5 minutes from one) and high-end Mexico dining Chipotle stock down ~50% to $47B since the end of 2024 and needs expansion story. Taco Bell tried twice to enter Mexico but failed (I guess that is Taco Bell…not exactly apples to apples). Chipotle hoping better luck at selling Mexicans their own cuisine. 200 people lined up for Monterrey opening…and Chipotle looking to add 6-8 stores over next year in the city (drop in bucket compared to 4,000 global locations)….then try to expand to Mexico City. That city gonna be a challenge. One local dude NYT interviewed said “I don’t go to a restaurant to eat tacos. The tacos we eat in Mexico City are the ones people sell on the street, on the corner.” *** Full read here: nytimes.com/2026/07/31/world…

As the cost of soda syrup continues to be outrageous, 7-11 is adding its own in-house brand in bottles. This expands on what they currently do with many frozen carbonated flavors. What's interesting is that it's with core flavors targeting Coke and Sprite, the last ones I would have thought of, as these have the most brand loyalty. It’s actually puzzling. I have said all along that it's only a matter of time before brands turn to in-house flavors like Buc-ee’s. I wonder when it hits their fountain, it’s a smart move with SOME flavors. Would you buy their in-house Cola to save 50¢? franchise.7-eleven.com/franc…

The entrepreneur who helped grow Chipotle to thousands of restaurants is now doing sandwiches. Just 5 restaurants are open so far, all in NYC, but Dallas is on his roadmap. dallasnews.com/food/restaura…

P. Terry's 21st Anniversary Giveaway! 🥳🎉 One winner receives: - Anniversary T-Shirt - Tea Token (free tea w/ purchase all year 👀) - P. Terry's YETI Cup - $21 Gift Card - Sticker Pack To enter: 1️⃣ Follow us 2️⃣ Like this post 3️⃣ Tag 3 PT buddies Ends 8/12. Good luck! ❤️

I agree with this SBO on several points. Restaurants can lock in “contract” pricing if they go exclusive with one brand. Want both Coke and Pepsi? You pay a premium with zero discount, both companies play that game. The soda business is expensive. It does not cost “pennies” to produce a soft drink. The cheapest non-contract price I’ve seen lately is $130 for a 5-gallon bib of Coke (ten years ago it was about $55). That puts the syrup-only cost at roughly 3.4¢ per ounce. You still have to add CO₂, the cup/lid/straw (which is a meaningful part of the cost), and the equipment. On top of that, I’m charged 20¢ of every dollar for percentage-based rent, marketing, and royalties…and I haven’t even gotten to wages yet. Personally, the only Pepsi product I really want is Mountain Dew. Other than that, you almost never hear someone say “Give me a Pepsi.” When someone orders a Diet Coke and is offered Diet Pepsi instead, the most common reply is “No, just give me water.” I’ve called it the drink mafia before. The territory players flexing those carbonated muscles can make it a pretty dirty (and expensive) game. By serving Pepsi, IMO, you lose more business than gain. What say you?

The situation is dynamic and uncertainty is high, but if this new data is to be believed, we could be in for a dangerous night. Fresh 12z HRRR shows additional 6-12" rain totals between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon #atxwx #txwx

In the dead of summer, an ice cream shop at @thestarinfrisco is closing. Why? The owners think there's more opportunity to open a cocktail bar there. Details: dallasnews.com/food/restaura…

The Las Vegas Sun describedthe city’s buffets as its “regional cuisine” in 2019, when there were still around 70 on the Strip, but since the MGM Grand closed its last one in May, only about a half dozen remain. The Disappearing Las Vegas Buffets nytimes.com/2026/07/07/dinin…