Good-ish restaurant industry news (really!)

Congrats to all the James Beard Award semifinalists! This year's awards includes a few new categories —  Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. Considering the shaky state of drink sales, we'd say these are welcome additions. 

But our favorite thing about covering the James Beard Awards is how supportive local newspapers are when restaurants in their area are nominated (Cincinnati and Minnesota — plus Wichita with its first-ever nom — we're looking at you!). There's nothing like your city's restaurant gems getting the recognition they deserve.

On the menu:

💠 Remembering André Soltner and Charles Phan
💠 The beef brewing between José Andrés and President Trump
💠 Should restaurant operators feel optimistic?
💠 Word of the day: Inherivation

We're remembering: Chef André Soltner, who ran the beloved New York City restaurant Lutèce, died earlier this month. The French chef is remembered for his unpretentious attitude and cuisine. 

And San Francisco chef Charles Phan, who opened pioneering Vietnamese restaurant Slanted Door in 1995, died last week. "Charles was a trailblazer, a dreamer who refused to settle for the status quo," his family said in a statement.

What we're following: The strange beef brewing between chef José Andrés and President Trump. After Trump announced that he had fired the chef and humanitarian who served in Biden's administration on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, Andrés noted he had already submitted his resignation, as his two-year term was up.

What we're chuckling about: Restaurant industry and marketing exec David "Rev" Ciancio has some "advice" for restaurant tech vendors who cold pitch operators — mainly, don't ask for a meeting right off the bat. Instead, explain the solution you have for their problem. Restaurants are inundated with emails from vendors, but what they really need are partners, Ciancio argues.

Plus: Food and Wine has a comprehensive list of organizations helping the Los Angeles hospitality and restaurant industry recover from the historic wildfires. 

For restaurants, flat or stable is good news

Alicia Kelso over at Nation’s Restaurant News poured through new restaurant data and found there’s reason for very cautious optimism. The industry is “stable to improved,” William Blair analyst Sharon Zackfia says. And consumers are generally returning to that elusive pre-pandemic “normal.” A few other slivers of good news: Restaurant industry traffic turned positive in the fourth quarter of 2024 for the first time all year, according to Revenue Management Solutions. Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings said it expects a low-single-digit increase in restaurant spending this year, while traffic is expected to be flat or slightly negative. Bloomberg Intelligence found credit card debt rose at a slower pace toward the end of the year, while credit card delinquencies also fell, which should lead to more restaurant spending. We’ll take it. (Nation's Restaurant News)

“Inherivation” and other global trends to know

 We perused Technomic’s 2025 Global Trends report and a few restaurant industry predictions stood out:

• “Inherivation.” This term describe something that independent restaurant do really well — develop innovative new products based firmly on inherited cuisine traditions and standards.
• Dessertified snacks. Fries topped with ice cream, anyone?
• Alt-protein. Consumers' endless desire for protein is leading them towards alternate sources like ostrich and frog legs. 
• Polarizing produce. Think: pineapple on pizza or cilantro on anything. These ingredients are certainly good for creating social buzz. (Technomic’s 2025 Global Trends)

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Percentage of U.S. consumers are interested in trying Haitian cuisine.(DataEssential)

💠 Denver is losing restaurants at an alarming pace 

💠 L.A. Restaurant week reservations support wildfire relief

💠 How Trump’s tariff threats could affect the wine and spirits industry

"We seem to have found the maximum amount of craft beer that Americans want to consume."

- Zach Geballe, co-host, producer, sommelier, wine director and bartender.

(🎧Vinepair Podcast)

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