Restaurants Turn Up the Heat with Comfort Foods, Value Deals, and Returning Favorites

New year, new menus — restaurants are kicking off the year with fresh spins on classics and brand-new culinary creations.

In Expana’s latest Foodservice Round Up of the Year, "value"was pinned as the buzzword of 2025. Customers want (and need) quality without breaking the bank.

That theme looks set to retain its prominence heading into 2026.

With QSRs taking the lead in what’s been coined the "Value Wars," restaurants like Applebee’s and Chili’s have leaned heavily into “2 for” deals, often pairing an appetizer...

Restaurants Embrace the Autumn Shift

The chill is in the air, and as we welcome a new, crisp month, the industry is gearing up for consumers to embrace autumn flavors and seasonal recipes. With the arrival of the new season, people are swapping their cookout favorites and salads for bonfires, comfort food, and Sunday wings.

Retailers are ahead of the curve, rolling out smoky and savory specials to capitalize on the shift, while some focus on attracting budget-conscious customers amidst rising food and labor costs.

More McValue

Starting September 8, McDonald’s will expand its...

General Mills Announces Plans to Remove Certified Colors from All US Cereals

General Mills today announced plans to remove certified colors from all its U.S. cereals and all foods served in K-12 schools by summer 2026. Additionally, the company will work to remove certified colors from its full U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027.

For nearly 160 years, General Mills has been providing families quality, great-tasting products across its beloved portfolio of brands.

This change impacts only a small portion of General Mills' K-12 school portfolio

The Retail Rundown: Seafood Leads Memorial Day Retail Ads; Weather Poses Challenges

Seafood leads retail protein promotions heading into Memorial Day weekend, accounting for 28.7% of total featured protein ad volume. Pork follows at 25.9%, with beef at 21.3% and chicken at 19.3%.

Egg feature volume is virtually absent amid sluggish retail demand. Warmer weather is prompting a shift toward fruit and cereal for breakfast, while elevated, though easing, shelf prices continue to dampen consumer interest, according to Expana.

Within the seafood category, fresh and frozen fillets represent the largest share of advertised items at nearly 28%. Raw shrimp...

Post to Close Cereal Manufacturing Facilities in Ontario and Nevada

Post Holdings has announced that it will close two of its cereal manufacturing facilities in Cobourg, Ontario and Sparks, Nevada, by the end of December 2025.

The company said the closures, affecting about 300 employees, are part of its plan to reduce capacity in its cereal production network. Post said it would shift production to other facilities.

"The ready-to-eat cereal category continues to decline. To respond to this, we are reducing excess manufacturing capacity and optimizing our North American plant network to better utilize our production capacity," 

Applegate Farms, LLC Launches New Ready-to-Heat-and-Eat APPLEGATE NATURALS® Breakfast Sandwiches

The makers of APPLEGATE®, the nation’s leading natural and organic meat brand, are continuing their foray into the breakfast conversation with the launch of their fourth breakfast-product innovation in the last 19 months. Introducing, APPLEGATE NATURALS® Breakfast Sandwiches.

With 58% of U.S. adults eating breakfast at home and 18% eating on the road or at work3, this is Applegate’s fourth breakfast innovation in two years, building on the brand’s commitment to provide high quality, protein breakfast options...