Survey: Why Consumers Are Moderating Alcohol Intake During “Dry January”
Nearly one-quarter (23%) of U.S. consumers who drink alcohol are actively moderating or abstaining from alcohol in January through participation
Five Guys Joins ezCater Platform, Scaling Its Corporate Catering Program
Five Guys is bringing approximately 800 of its locations onto the ezCater food tech platform, which will give the fan-favorite burger brand access to high-value corporate catering orders from workplaces nationwide.
Stand-Out Solutions for Seven Common Mistakes by Hospitality Businesses
When times are tough, it’s natural to default to what feels safe, seems productive or has worked before. Sometimes, those instincts can keep us stuck.
Here’s a fresh look at the most common mistakes made by operators—and what stand-out hospitality businesses do instead.
Edamame Ham Frittata
A frittata is nothing more than an open-faced omelette and is, in fact, much easier to make. It’s also a natural repository for leftovers from the fridge—particularly any kind of pasta. This one uses edamame, olives and two kinds of cheese. Any combination of cheeses will work, preferably a sharp one and one that melts well. Omit the ham for a vegetarian dish.
How to Turn Packaging Into a Revenue Driver (Not Just Another Cost)
Most catering operators treat packaging as someone else’s problem. You hand off specs to your supplier, they negotiate prices, and you move on to things that feel more exciting.
But packaging plays more of a role in a catering business than operators tend to realize. It directly affects your reorder rates, client acquisition costs and average order value. When you approach it strategically, it stops being a line item to minimize and starts generating measurable returns.
Original Café Beaujolais Black Bean Chili
Surely no old-time Café Beaujolais preparation is found in more fans’ freezers around the country than this one, a stick-to-your-ribs vegetarian chili so satisfying and easy to make. To my amazement, Julia Child ordered this homey dish when she visited the Beaujolais in the mid-1980s. Topped with grated cheese and served with warmed corn tortillas, it was a healthy, economical meal that we wound up making by the boatload for a very long time once word got out about Julia’s choice. —Margaret S. Fox
MIBE Summit: Helping Hospitality Leaders Reach New Heights in 2026
With the Rocky Mountains as its backdrop, the upcoming MIBE Summit—taking place Jan. 25-27 in Denver—is embracing a theme that feels especially fitting.
“It’s called ‘Unleash Potential,’ and it’s the idea that we’re all summiting our own mountain,” says Anthony Lambatos, the founder of MIBE (Make It Better Every Day), a culture-building and training organization for business leaders. “We all have our own challenges. How are we going to get to the top?”
Sustainable New Year: How Caterers Can Go Green in 2026
Focus on your trash. It may sound unsexy, but it’s a game-changing place to start if you’re serious about making your catering business more sustainable in 2026.
That’s one of the tips from Steve Short, a longtime sustainability expert who’s the COO of the Steve Short Culinary Team and Atlasta Catering in Phoenix, and a member of the CFE News advisory board. CFE News asked Short for the practical guidance he’d give other caterers looking to make meaningful sustainability changes in the new year.
Caterer Close-Up: Mary Rohan of Miami’s Bill Hansen Catering
Black-and-white photos of the beach line the walls of Mary Rohan’s office at Bill Hansen Catering in Miami. They’re a calm counterpoint to the constant motion outside the door—and a clue to the flavor point-of-view she brings to one of the city’s busiest catering operations: Caribbean-inspired cooking with a global lens.
Event Spotlight: Preview of Antigua and Barbuda’s Culinary Month 2026
On Nov. 19, 20025, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) hosted an exclusive media preview to celebrate the official launch of Culinary Month 2026 at the prestigious Platform by the James Beard Foundation at Pier 57 in Manhattan. The intimate dinner brought together top‐tier U.S. media, culinary influencers and industry tastemakers for an immersive introduction to the flavors, talent and creative spirit that define Antigua and Barbuda’s culinary identity.