News by Bo

Dia's Market & Deli, at 812 Justin Lane in North Austin, closes at the end of November after 10 years in business — it opened in June 2016. Owner David Hopper said renewing the lease just doesn't make economic sense. The shop was known for its sandwiches, $12.99 on the lunch menu and $8.25 at breakfast, plus local wines and craft beer. No closing specials or final day have been announced yet. Source: https://austin.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/dias-market-deli-closing

Guest House, the Austin-born dinner spot known for tableside Wagyu and caviar cones, opens its Dallas location Wednesday, November 18, at 1900 Cedar Springs Road in Uptown. Dinner runs Sunday through Thursday 4 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 4 to 11 p.m., and reservations are live now for parties up to six online. Dallas is its fourth location, after Austin, Las Vegas, and Scottsdale. Source: https://cravedfw.com/2026/11/02/guest-house-opens-in-uptown-november-18/

Former UFC fighter Kevin Lee opened Braised on November 1 at 1499 Regal Row, Suite 205, in Dallas, inside PREP Dallas. The menu is slow-cooked comfort food: braised oxtail, barbecue beef short ribs, chicken pot pie, short-rib lasagna, lamb chops, slow-cooked chicken wings, and peach cobbler. His brother Keith Lee, the food critic, was there for the grand opening, the first 30 customers got free meals, and opening day sold out. Source: https://afrotech.com/keith-lee-grand-open

Amazon Grocery launched its $25 Thanksgiving meal November 2: an 8-pound Butterball frozen turkey plus sides and pumpkin pie ingredients, on sale November 2 through November 26 while supplies last in more than 2,300 cities and towns with Same-Day Delivery. Frozen turkey runs $0.79 a pound November 1 through 26, and fresh turkey $0.99 a pound November 14 through 26. The catch: Amazon says it feeds up to 6, about $4.17 a person — Walmart's $35 basket feeds 10 at $3.50 a person.

The Fort Worth City Council approved plans October 27 for a new Japanese steakhouse from Colorado-based Aspen Hospitality Group at 2509 Merrick St., near Camp Bowie Boulevard. The 2,396-square-foot restaurant sits on a vacant lot at Merrick and Birchman Avenue, north of Interstate 30. No name or menu yet — those are still in development — and Aspen is also planning a Trattoria & Pizzeria somewhere in Fort Worth. Source: https://www.europesays.com/japan/116705/

Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11, and the free meals are confirmed for 2026. Chili's is serving a free meal from a limited menu (dine-in only), Golden Corral is doing a free thank-you buffet and drink from 4 p.m. to close, and Bob Evans has a free item from a seven-item veterans menu. Red Robin has a free Red's Big Tavern Burger with bottomless fries, Denny's a free Original Grand Slam until noon, and Starbucks a free tall hot or iced coffee — bring proof of service and

Starbucks reported $9.14 billion in quarterly revenue, missing the $9.23 billion analysts expected, while adjusted earnings of $0.80 per share beat the $0.71 estimate. Same-store sales rose 7.2% year over year, and the company guided fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS to $3.20 at the midpoint, above estimates. The chain ended the quarter with 41,607 locations, up from 40,990 a year earlier. Bo's take: the stores are busier — Wall Street just wanted a bigger top line. Source: https://st

The FDA raised GF Blends' gluten-free flour recall to Class I on October 28 — its highest risk level, meaning serious health consequences or death are reasonably probable. The Truly AIP All Purpose Baking Mix Flour (15.3 oz), Truly AIP Rustic Bread Mix (14 oz), and EAT G.A.N.G.S.T.E.R. Pizza Crust and Flat Bread Mix were sold nationwide on Amazon, eatgangster.com, and trulyaip.com through September 12, 2026. The mixes were made with plantain flour certified gluten-free that t

Kroger plans about 110 new stores by 2029 in three redesigned formats — 99,000, 75,000, and 50,000 square feet — built around fresh food, prepared meals, and online grocery orders, with less room for apparel and general merchandise. The company plans more than 100 new ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals over the next year, plus a $5 billion customer-value push through 2029 on lower everyday prices and simpler promotions. Digital shelf labels already in about 1,100 stores wil

Starting November 1, Nashville's half-cent grocery tax cut takes effect, cutting what Nashvillians pay in grocery tax by 22%. That works out to roughly $72 a year in savings per shopper and about $9 million in total relief, according to Mayor Freddie O'Connell's office. The statewide 4% grocery tax stays in place, and the city plans to make the local cut permanent. Source: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/davidson/2026/10/31/nashville-grocery-tax-cut-takes-effect/9

The FDA warned October 30 not to buy or serve Once Upon a Farm Tractor Wheels Organic Toddler Soft-Baked Bars, a potentially fatal choking hazard sold nationwide at Walmart, Target, Costco, and online. The warning covers all flavors, quantities, and varieties, including all lot codes and expiration dates. The FDA received several reports of toddlers ages 1.5 to 2.5 suffering complete airway obstruction after eating the bars, because the chewed product reportedly forms a dry,

Vitality Works Inc. recalled one lot of 365 Whole Foods Market Standardized + Full Spectrum Blend Ashwagandha Capsules on October 30 for possible Salmonella contamination. Check the bottom of the white 120-count bottle for lot 2025-26227, expiration 10/13/2028, and UPC 9948252099 — only that lot is recalled. It sold November 24, 2025 through October 20, 2026 at Whole Foods stores in 30 states plus D.C., including Texas, and on Amazon.com. No illnesses have been reported, and

DoorDash announced October 29 it will acquire Instacart in a deal worth about $17 billion, paying $65 a share — a 26% premium to Instacart's October 22 close — mostly in cash. The deal still needs Instacart shareholder and regulatory approval, with closing expected late 2027 or in the first half of 2028, and the two companies will keep operating separately until then. DoorDash plans to keep the Instacart brand and app, combine DashPass and Instacart+ into one membership, and

Numerator's latest 12-month data (ending September 30, 2026) puts Costco at 8.4% of U.S. retail food and beverage sales, up 0.5 points, passing Kroger at 8.2%, down 0.2 points. Walmart still leads at 20.3%, up 0.2 points, while Albertsons slipped to 4.5%. Kroger is answering with a $5 billion push on lower prices and tighter operations, including corporate workforce cuts. Bo's take: Shoppers are voting with their carts, and right now value is winning. Source: https://perishab

Chili's same-store sales are up 52% over three years, including a 10% gain in the latest quarter, with traffic up 28% and average unit volume at $5 million as parent Brinker invests in faster throughput. Wingstop went the other way: domestic same-store sales fell 5.4% in the third quarter, its sixth straight quarterly decline, and the chain is leaning harder into value and marketing to turn it around. Bo's take: One chain figured out the value game, the other is still looking

Meritage Hospitality Group, one of Wendy's largest franchisees with 314 restaurants in 15 states, has closed 33 locations since filing Chapter 11 on September 17, and reports say up to 60 more could close by November 13. Court filings blame profitability problems and record beef prices, and the company owes Wendy's nearly $25 million. Bo's take: When beef prices break the math, the menu board can't fix it. Read Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2026/10/21/wend

True Food Kitchen filed Chapter 11 on October 4 in Houston and closed 12 of its 46 restaurants that day, leaving 34 across 14 states open while the company pursues a court-supervised sale. The chain, built around anti-inflammatory eating with an Oprah Winfrey investment in 2018, had just $1.6 million in freely usable cash at filing, and Oprah remains a minority investor but is no longer on the board. Bo's take: Healthy food still has to pay the rent. Read Source: https://www.

SLR Food Distribution recalled Wise Wife Brand Ground Cinnamon on October 29 after a Connecticut lab sample tested high for lead. The jar is 110 grams (3.88 ounces), clear plastic with a black screw-top cap, UPC 0688474302754, best before 4/25/2027, sold in 14 states including Texas between September 8, 2025, and June 28, 2026. No illnesses have been reported, and the company says throw it away or return it for a full refund. Bo's take: Check the jar, not just the brand — thi

Restaurant Brands beat third-quarter sales estimates October 29, led by Burger King US comparable sales up 8.4% in the quarter ended September 30. Whopper Wednesday, 2 for $5, and 3 for $7 deals plus new drinks like matcha pulled in diners who might otherwise eat at home. Overall company comparable sales rose 3.8%, beating the 3.25% analysts expected, while Popeyes comparable sales fell 2.2%. Burger King is still spending up to $700 million through 2028 on remodels and kitche

Billionaire Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund Management and partners offered $7.35 a share in cash for Wendy's on October 28, a deal worth about $1.4 billion. Trian already owns 16.3% of the chain and says Wendy's needs a turnaround best done out of the public eye. The offer is about a 20% premium to Tuesday's close, and shares jumped 15% to $7.10 on the news. Wendy's pulled its annual forecast in August as cost-conscious diners cut back. Bo's take: When the value menu stops pulling