Today in Food Commerce: Kroger Expands Bed Bath & Beyond Partnership; Dave & Buster’s Acquires Entertainment Chain

Today in food commerce, Kroger sets up a restaurant supply business in Dallas, and Dave & Buster’s announces the acquisition of Main Event Entertainment, a 50-location indoor entertainment chain. Plus, Nick Scarpino, senior vice president of marketing and off-premise dining at Illinois-based fast-casual chain Portillo’s, discusses restaurants’ evolving digital needs.

Startup Ghost Financial Raises $2.5M in Early Funding

Ghost Financial, a financial services startup, emerged from stealth Tuesday (April 5) and announced it has raised $2.5 million from pre-seed investors to further its banking-style ghost kitchen products.

Kroger Launches Restaurant Supply in Dallas to Ease Market Fluctuation Anxieties

As businesses across industries struggle with supply chain challenges, small, independent players tend to be hit hard. Leveraging its scale to create an additional revenue stream by offering a solution to those struggling in this respect, grocery giant The Kroger Co., parent company of not only its titular brand but also Ralphs, Fred Meyer and others, announced Tuesday (April 5) that its Dallas Division is launching Kroger Restaurant Supply.

Kroger Ups Its Cross-Category Game via eComm Pact With Bed Bath & Beyond

In a statement that stressed, “We’re more than just food,” the nation’s largest grocery store operator, Kroger, announced Wednesday (April 6) that it was expanding its 5-month-old digital partnership with Bed Bath & Beyond in what it is calling a “multi-category omnichannel collaboration.”

Dave & Buster’s Acquires Entertainment Chain as Restaurants Reinvest in In-Person Experiences

With United States COVID-19 case numbers lower than they have been at many points, and with the omicron surge in the rearview mirror, businesses are returning their focus to in-person occasions. Restaurant and entertainment chain Dave & Buster’s, for one, announced Wednesday (April 6) that it is acquiring Main Event Entertainment, a 50-location indoor entertainment chain, for $835 million.

Restaurants Need Unified Tech Solutions to Weather Labor Challenges

Nick Scarpino, senior vice president of marketing and off-premise dining at Illinois-based fast-casual chain Portillo’s, which has 70 locations across nine states, speaks with PYMNTS about how the stickiness of the digital shift is transforming restaurants’ needs.