What's Cooking
Industry insights and helpful tips served hot.

New from Hot Stuff Kitchen: Loaded Mac & Cheese Bowls
We’re excited to announce a new limited-time offering from Hot Stuff Kitchen: Loaded Mac & Cheese Bowls, arriving in market late November 2026. Available in two craveable varieties, BBQ Beef Brisket and Hot Honey Crispy Chicken, these hearty bowls combine creamy mac & cheese, protein-forward toppings, bold sauces, and comforting flavors into a portable meal solution.

Can consumers eat from your foodservice program multiple times per week?
Consumers may love a signature indulgent item, but if operators want customers visiting multiple times per week, they need menus that support a wider variety of needs, occasions, and preferences.

Is Lunch Still Lunch?
Increasingly, consumers are replacing or supplementing traditional lunches with smaller eating occasions, snacks, and portable meal solutions.

A Tale of Two Markets
Today’s foodservice environment rewards focus more than expansion.

The Fall of the Roller Grill and Rise of Better Merchandising
What’s interesting isn’t that the products are changing. It’s that the presentation is changing.

Big Questions for C-Stores in 2026 and What They Mean for Operators
Operators are being asked to do more with less while finding new ways to win and retain customer trips.