Rick Zambrano 
Pizza Hut has debuted The Hut Lane, a new order-ahead drive-up option. The Yum Brands pizza concept has activated 1,500 locations nationwide with these digital pickup windows. Franchise partner Flynn Restaurant Group, which purchased 900 restaurants recently, has committed to outfitting many of the locations with a Hut Lane, which are similar to drive-thrus, but for order-ahead only.
Cava Grill, Bartaco, and True Food Kitchen were top chains in the Fishbowl Emerging Brands 2019 report. Fishbowl’s annual rankings examine and measure sentiment for restaurant industry chains that had five to 75 units at the time it developed its analysis. Cava rose from the #10 spot last year to be the top chain this year. And True Food Kitchen slipped to #3 from the top spot in 2018. These chains show strong potential for innovation and differentiation, says Fishbowl, adding that it used rich data to develop its results.
Food innovation firm, CCD Helmsman, released its list of nine “2019 Food Trends That Matter.” Kara Nielsen, vice president, Trends & Marketing, for CCD Helmsman is one of the most respected trendologists in the country and is part of the team that dove into what’s emerging and trending in the food industry. The trends (see poster on page 12) are broken down into three categories: on the horizon, coming into view, and in view. Among those on CCD Helmsman’s list of food trends are Aussie influence, meet fruit meat, mushroom RX, abra-cassava, coffee cascara brews, nutrition of the sea, the veg spread, plant cheese choices, and egg power. Restaurant C-Suite dove into a few of these trends that have a high-impact on foodservice operators and restaurants with Nielsen.
