DIGEST - The Food & Beverage Feed

Here, our editorial team serves up a few substantial and functional news bites. Just enough to feed reflection on the evolving world of foodservice.

From brand repositioning and product innovation to shifting consumer habits, here is a selection to know what's cooking in the ever-boiling foodservice sector:

Daily Selection (23/10)

“The Horeca sector is on its last legs in Brussels” (DH): Reading between the lines of the explanations behind the closure of the emblematic Canard Sauvage in Watermael-Boitsfort, one sees a restaurant scene on the brink. Soaring costs, shrinking margins, and increasingly cautious customers have pushed Brussels’ eateries to exhaustion. The capital’s culinary landscape is being hit by a wave of closures, a symptom of a deeper fatigue running through the sector.

Horeca meets job seekers (Nieuwsblad): In Flanders, however, a breath of creativity: a “mobile test kitchen” now tours towns and cities, sparking curiosity among job seekers and offering a hands-on way into the industry.

Carte blanche (La Libre): Beyond the economic challenges, the debate is also cultural and nutritional. Voices are growing louder for junk food to be treated like tobacco, through regulation and public awareness campaigns aimed at curbing excesses.

Meanwhile, in “The Vegetarian’s Disillusion” (De Standaard), a Flemish essayist recounts his return to meat after ten years of abstinence, a quiet countercurrent to the plant-based orthodoxy of recent years.

Across the Atlantic, Coca-Cola is riding the wave of sugar-free and protein-enriched drinks (FoodNavigator), increasingly favored by users of GLP-1-based treatments. The company is reshaping its portfolio around performance and moderation.

Choice Cuts (23/10)

A shooting star in the Guide

Gastronomy journalist Franck Pinay-Rabaroust has noted the discreet “death” of the Green Star, the culinary distinction introduced in 2020 to honor “the most committed actors in eco-responsible gastronomy and their concrete initiatives.”

On Bouillantes, he points out that “during the Michelin Guide Switzerland ceremony on Monday, October 20, the event’s host announced the removal of the Green Star as a category from all selections.”

Indeed, Michelin’s international websites have quietly erased all traces of it, as if the Green Star had never shone at all.

The French remain devoted to wine, but ‘no-low’ drinks gain ground

According to the barometer conducted by GL Events, organizer of the Aux Vignobles! fairs, one fact stands firm: wine remains the French favorite (Monde-Epicerie-Fine). With 76% drinking red and 70% white, the country’s winemaking tradition stands strong, while sparkling wines dominate festive occasions.

The average spend per bottle reaches €15.42 and climbs easily for a favorite pick. At the table, wine still reigns supreme, whether red, white… or alcohol-free. Indeed, the kingdom of wine is opening to new trends: low- and no-alcohol beverages are steadily gaining traction, with 57% of respondents saying they consume them. Alcohol-free beer (45%) leads the way, followed by dealcoholized wine (26%) and mocktails (19%). A way to balance pleasure, moderation, and health without sacrificing taste.

Notably, 87% of French consumers still place great importance on food-and-wine pairings.

Coke and the luxury of a power brand (WSJ): Coca-Cola’s 6% revenue growth comes mainly from price hikes rather than volume — a sign of brand strength that allows certain players to pass rising costs down the line.

Raw chocolate emerges as a trend to watch (Confectionery News): Less processed, more “authentic,” and perfectly aligned with the new codes of premium indulgence.

Chef’s Suggestions (21/10)

By taking control of Just Eat Takeaway (JET) and finalizing its acquisition of Deliveroo, Prosus and DoorDash are reshaping the global competitive landscape (FoodDigital). These moves aim to create giants capable of extending their services beyond food delivery — though they raise regulatory concerns about market concentration and consumer choice.

In the UK horeca sector, rising costs, notably higher staff wages and social contributions, are squeezing margins, while cash-strapped consumers cut back on dining out. Against this backdrop, the company operating Pizza Hut UK has entered administration, leading to the closure of 68 restaurants and 11 delivery sites, with 1,210 jobs lost (Reuters).

The QSRP Group, parent company of O’Tacos and G La Dalle, the French chain often described as a McDonald’s lookalike, is testing a hybrid format (TendancesRestauration). By merging both offers under one roof at a pilot site in Calais, QSRP aims to attract new customer flows, diversify consumption moments, and help franchisees share operating costs.

Beef prices are rising (Linéaires), driven by livestock disease outbreaks, prompting consumers to adopt a “less but better” mindset and pushing restaurateurs to rethink menus for more efficient use of proteins.