The National Restaurant Association, Washington, D.C., released a mid-year supplement to the 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report, which illustrates the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry. 

Kerry recently released new dairy-free flavors in its Big Train product family of hot and cold beverage mixes for use by foodservice operators. 

Chicago-based Technomic has released the beverage category sizing report exploring how COVID-19 impacted foodservice beverages. This report is a deliverable of the Away-From-Home Beverage Navigator program, which offers a comprehensive assessment of both hot and cold beverage categories, including market sizing, historical tracking, predicted growth, consumer insights, operator responses, major trends and market dynamics.

To reinforce consumers love for food, Pepsi, a brand of Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo, is upending what consumers expect of the food delivery world, with the launch of Pep’s Place, where the cola comes first. Consumers are invited to first pick their Pepsi beverage of choice, which then prompts curated food items based on that beverage, to enhance the overall meal experience. Pep’s Place is available in select locations around the country for delivery only available through PepsPlaceRestaurant.com and major food aggregators (Uber Eats, Door Dash and Grub Hub).

To kick off the summer season, Dunkin’, Canton, Mass., announced the addition of coconut milk as an alternative to dairy at Dunkin’ restaurants nationwide beginning April 28. With this launch, Dunkin’ will offer new Dunkin’ Coconut Refreshers and the new Coconutmilk Iced Latte. Consumers also can customize hot and iced beverages with coconut milk, joining oat milk and almond milk as non-dairy options.

Recognizing the diverse range of delicious food, rich history and culture that Black-owned restaurants contribute to the American experience, Pepsi, a brand in Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo, introduced Dig In. The consumer-facing, multi-year platform is a rallying call for people to double down on supporting Black-owned restaurants.

Invoking notions of wintery snowcap mountains and the wafting aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Peets Coffee brings some reinvented traditions to coffee-lovers everywhere by debuting new limited-edition hot or iced coffees as was as its bagged 2020 Holiday Blend.