Research & Insights

Kinetic12 Articles

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October 28, 2026

From Supplier to Partner: Five Ways Suppliers Can Build Trust, Create Greater Value and Activate Growth

You finally get the deal across the finish line. It took months. You convinced your own organization to sharpen the price, worked with R&D to reformulate, negotiated the economics, and brought the operator a solution that met the target. Procurement...

September 30, 2026

The C-Store Reframe: Five Forces Reshaping the Race to Own the Occasion

She stopped for milk. He pulled in for gas. Neither planned to make a foodservice decision. Both walked out with dinner. That small behavior change says more about where foodservice is headed than another channel growth chart. Consumers are moving...

August 27, 2026

THE ‘MORE’ TRAP — PART TWO: Why Alignment Is the Way Out

“We’re increasing operational discipline across the business.” Seven words. One mandate. And a challenge that reaches far beyond operations. Part One of The ‘More’ Trap explored the external side of the paradox: operators need growth, traffic and value, but have...

July 29, 2026

THE ‘MORE’ TRAP — PART ONE: Why the Next Era of Restaurant Growth Starts with Doing Less

“Focus on traffic and profitability.” Five words. Two imperatives. And increasingly, one inseparable challenge. What we’re finding is that more is seductive. It looks like action. It fills the pipeline, creates activity, and gives every function something new to point...

June 29, 2026

What’s Working: Five Drivers of Chain Success in the Second Half of 2026

Restaurant operators continue to navigate a challenging operating environment. According to Kinetic12’s recent Emerging Chain Survey, the top business issues facing chains in Q2 2026 were weak traffic, pressured profitability, and ongoing pricing challenges. While these headwinds remain significant, leading...

June 10, 2026

Beverages Are Making a Boom. Here’s What We Saw at NRA — and Why It Matters

One thing’s for sure: beverages are making a boom. At this year’s National Restaurant Association Show, beverage innovation was everywhere — and not in a small, side-menu kind of way. What we are seeing is a major shift in how...

April 29, 2026

What the Sysco–Restaurant Depot Deal Signals, and Five Actions to Stay Ahead

Restaurant Depot has long served a distinct role in foodservice: not simply as another distributor, but as a pressure valve for independent operators. When pricing tightened, fill rates slipped, or traditional broadline delivery proved too rigid, Restaurant Depot offered another...

January 28, 2026

The Making of a Memorable Customer Experience

Reinvention wins attention in 2026. Experience wins belief. It’s 5:47 p.m. A guest sits in the car, phone in hand, scrolling. They’re probably not asking, “Where should we eat?”They’re likely considering, “What will feel worth it tonight?” That question is...

January 6, 2026

Kinetic12 2026 Predictions

The 6 Forces Reshaping Food & Hospitality in 2026 The food and hospitality industry is entering a defining period—one shaped not by a single disruption, but by multiple macro forces converging at once. Elevated interest rates, shifting household structures, labor...

December 23, 2025

2025 Year in Review: A Retrospective on Progress, Pressure & Possibility

As 2025 comes to a close, the foodservice industry finds itself at a pivotal intersection—one shaped not only by economic pressures and shifting consumer expectations, but by the choices operators and suppliers made this year to adapt, accelerate, or stand...

October 29, 2025

The Clock Is Ticking: Why Foodservice Manufacturers Must Act Now

The Foodservice Landscape Has Changed—Permanently The U.S. foodservice industry is entering a period of structural transformation. While foodservice continues to outperform retail in recent months, total channel growth in 2025 is projected at only +0.9% and +1.1% for 2026, according...