Today in restaurant and grocery tech news, large restaurant brands enjoy their 2021 success, while United Kingdom grocery shoppers suffer the impact of new border controls. Plus, convenience stores reckon with the rise of ultrafast delivery.
UK Consumers Face Food Shortages in 2022
Next year could bring food supply disruptions and empty grocery store shelves to people in the U.K. thanks to new European Union border controls, British food industry officials are warning. As The Telegraph reported Wednesday (Dec. 29), the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) says stricter controls on plant and animal products imported into the UK from the EU — set to go into effect Jan. 1 — could create significant delays at Britain’s ports.
For Large Restaurant Brands, 2021 Was Better Than Normal
2021 was a good year for major restaurant chains, not only in contrast to the devastating year before, but also by pre-pandemic standards. The rapid innovation of the previous year, increasing off-premises availability and upgrading digital platforms allowed restaurants to continue to benefit from elevated digital ordering even as consumer mobility increased, and diners satisfied their pent-up demand for on-premises experiences.
Ultrafast Delivery Aggregators Change the Landscape for Convenience Stores
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Ultra-fast delivery is expanding throughout the United States and around the world, posing questions for convenience retailers that, if not answered quickly, could become a significant threat to their existence. After all, so much of convenience stores’ value prop comes from their geographical convenience, a benefit that becomes largely irrelevant when consumers can get items they need delivered straight to their door.
