The Drive-Thru: Whole Foods shortages, Davos, and delivery drama
Hello!
Welcome to another week of The Drive-Thru, Business Insider's weekly roundup of the biggest stories in restaurants and retail. If someone forwarded you this email, you can sign up here to get The Drive-Thru in your inbox every Friday.
This is going to be my last week writing The Drive-Thru for a while. On Monday, I am heading to Asia on a two-month reporting trip. If you have any recommendations for places to visit or retail stories I should be checking out in Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, or Bali, shoot me an email at ktaylor@businessinsider.com!
Okay, enough about me - let's get into the news of the week.
Whole Foods shortages
Hayley reports customers are complaining about food shortages at Whole Foods. The photos speak for themselves -there are massive empty holes on shelves that should be filled with products.
Whole Foods said that its supplier of private-label beans, grains, lentils, and rice unexpectedly closed, leading to shortages of those items nationwide. Plus, Whole Foods is facing some weather-related issues that temporarily impacted its supply of lettuce from California.
BI does Davos
Cadie is at Davos this week, talking to executives about retail and more.
YUM China CEO Joey Wat discussed turnover and automation, as well as how the fast-food giant is approaching delivery. AB InBev exec John Blood revealed Budweiser's parent company's plan to take on White Claw and other trendy seltzers. Blood also discussed AB InBev's incubator program designed to help fund startups seeking global sustainability solutions.
Read all of BI's Davos coverage here.
Nike's Vaporfly sneakers are a StockX hit
Shoshy reports on Nike's Vaporfly sneakers' success on StockX. A StockX representative confirmed that 17 different Vaporfly models have sold on the platform in the last two months, six of which rank among the company's top 2,000 best-sellers.
The sneakers' popularity is tied to controversy. A ban on the shoe from World Athletics, which oversees international running events, could be announced in the next few weeks. And, with controversy comes more interest from resellers.
Restaurants grapple with delivery
Delivery is a massive topic of discussion in the restaurant industry right now. This week, I tried to connect the dots on some of the questions that chains are trying to answer.
A few scoopy details in the piece - McDonald's, which has national partnerships with UberEats and DoorDash, plans to expand its Grubhub partnership nationally in the near future, and a yet-to-be announced national partnership with Postmates is in the works. The chain is also testing a "McDelivery Center" intended to help workers organize the multiple tablets connected to different delivery partners.
Read the full story on "tablet hell" and potential price increases for customers here.
Taste test of the week: McDonald's vs. In-N-Out
Irene took on two fast-food industry icons, with a comparison between McDonald's and In-N-Out.
Her take: "While McDonald's food didn't taste bad, it tasted far less natural than In-N-Out's perfectly constructed burgers."
Read the full fast-food faceoff here.
Everything else you need to know:
- McDonald's is reportedly suspending business in certain Chinese cities as the coronavirus death toll rises.
- Here are the Pier 1 stores that are closing. And, the Bed, Bath & Beyond closures.
- Fairway filed for bankruptcy and is planning to sell its stores.
- McDonald's franchisees are jealous of Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich.
- Lots of bizarre details emerged on a WhatsApp account belonging to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia reportedly being used to hack Jeff Bezos' phone.
- Axe-throwing bars are becoming a thriving business as millennials search for outlets for their rage.
- Inside Walmart's thriving TikTok account.
- I don't think that grocery store robots should have birthday parties, sorry!
- Mr. Peanut is dead, and I, for one, think he got what was coming to him.
Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up to receive The Drive-Thru in your inbox every Friday here!