Panera is making big changes. More specifically, it has announced plans to shutter its remaining nine fresh dough facilities over the next two years. Here are some of the soon-to-be impacted communities: (The list above was compiled based on job openings advertised on the Panera website - a complete list of impacted communities is surprisingly difficult to find.) These join communities that recently lost their [...]
Zaxby’s expands to Arizona as fried chicken wars heat up
Zaxby’s - famed across the Southeast for its excellent fried chicken and eponymous sauce - is also opening up its first Arizona store this week. Naturally, it’s in Phoenix - at 37756 N Gantzel Rd - and it opens up on Wednesday. The grand opening celebration will be on August 19th from 10am-2pm, so you might want to wait until then to take in the full ambience. Zaxby’s is one of a trio of fried chicken chains that [...]
Sweetgreen reveals controversial new menu change as sales keep sliding
Sweetgreen’s having a rough year. So rough, in fact, that not only are they predicting a 4-6% drop in same-store sales for the full year… And not only are they trimming the size of their corporate workforce… But they’re also getting rid of their ripple fries! On one level, this makes sense. After all, why was a salad place selling fries in the first place? And management has indicated that the execution [...]
3 Missouri factories close as job losses slam the state
US manufacturing has had a rough 2025. And unfortunately, there are lots of signs that worse could be to come. Missouri is no exception - the economy is being rocked by the closure of three important factories. Here are the details: 3 factories lost We’re seeing these kinds of impacts all across the food and beverage industries, unfortunately, so Missouri is certainly not alone in this. The true impacts [...]
California rapidly loses 5 more factories as economic crisis deepens
[...]
Texas loses 3 more breweries as beloved local brands bow out
The Texas retail downturn keeps claiming more victims. The latest - three beloved local breweries forced to close (no doubt in part because economic pressures have simply proven too much). This continues a trend we saw in 2024 when Texas lost a whopping 29 breweries statewide. Here’s hoping the losses aren’t as severe in 2025. Of course, every loss hurts - and these do more than most! North Shepard Brewing [...]
