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Restaurant Grapevine

Patrick Moore

• 5 min read
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Restaurant Grapevine
The Grapevine is where restaurant suppliers discover what's next!

Week of October 16-22, 2026

The Pipeline: What's Opening Next

Our research desk is tracking 714 new pre-opening restaurant leads published since October 14. Here are six openings suppliers should have on their radar:

  • Kinkan — Los Angeles, CA (November 2026). Chef Nan Yimcharoen built a loyal following in East Los Angeles with Thai cooking shaped by Japanese technique, including chirashi bento boxes for takeout. The brand also runs a market concept and a bento takeout operation in Hermosa Beach, so this Westside restaurant adds yet another format to a growing group. Construction problems have already pushed the schedule back, so the date could slide. Expect demand for seafood and specialty Asian ingredients, takeout packaging, and kitchen and POS systems.
  • H Mart — Sacramento, CA (December 2026). The largest Asian supermarket chain in the U.S., with more than 90 stores, is preparing its first Sacramento store, a Korean supermarket with a six-restaurant food court. The planned lineup includes Korean hot dogs, tteokbokki and Korean-Chinese noodle dishes. Its California footprint so far is San Francisco, San Jose and Dublin, so this is a push into a new metro, though no public opening date has been confirmed. Grocery, produce, refrigeration, packaging and food court equipment suppliers all have a reason to pay attention.
  • Bacio di Latte — Walnut Creek, CA (December 2026). Milan-born brothers Edoardo and Luigi started the gelato brand in 2011 after traveling Italy to learn traditional recipes, and every shop makes gelato fresh daily with ingredients sourced from Italy and other specialty suppliers. This Bay Area shop follows recent openings in Santa Monica and Valencia, and the brand is also heading into New York City. Look for demand in dairy, specialty ingredients, cups and packaging, display freezers, and the espresso and affogato bar.
  • Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar — Columbia, SC (February 2027). The casual, beachy seafood brand started in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, in 2007 and began franchising in 2014. It has about 18 other locations across six states, and Columbia would be number 19, run by two local franchisees. The menu centers on oysters, shrimp, seafood platters and po'boys, backed by a cocktail program. Seafood, fryer oil, bar and beverage, patio furnishings and POS suppliers should all take note.
  • Texas de Brazil — Gainesville, FL (March 2027). Salim Asrawi, who came to the U.S. from Lebanon, opened the first Texas de Brazil in Addison, Texas, in 1998, and the family-owned churrascaria now runs more than 50 U.S. locations plus international sites. Gaucho-style servers carve beef, pork, lamb, chicken and sausage tableside, and a full bar rounds out lunch and dinner service. The Florida opening is slated for spring 2027. Protein, bar and beverage, tableware, linen and uniform suppliers have the most to gain.
  • Burtons Grill & Bar — Doylestown, PA (July 2027). Kevin Harron founded Burtons in Hingham, Massachusetts, in 2005, and the privately held scratch-kitchen chain now has roughly 25 restaurants across ten East Coast states, plus a small sister brand, Red Heat Tavern. It is best known for a dedicated gluten-free and allergy-friendly program, with separate equipment and protocols to limit cross-contact, and it serves brunch at every location. This is a further step into Pennsylvania as the chain keeps building out the Mid-Atlantic. Allergen-safe ingredient, dedicated smallwares, bar and brunch-program suppliers are the natural fits.
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Why it matters for suppliers: From a Brazilian steakhouse to a Korean food court and a gelato counter, these openings will each buy across POS, kitchen equipment, packaging, signage, insurance, and food and beverage, and most of those decisions are made well before opening day. RAR follows each opening from the first announcement and holds verified decision-maker contact information for the people making those calls, so subscribers are in the conversation while it still counts. To see how RAR works, email Patrick@RestaurantActivityReport.com.

Starbird takes its chicken to the Midwest. The California-based fast-casual chain opened its first Chicago-area restaurant in St. Charles, Illinois, on October 19, the first of five planned for the market with Keystone Management Group. It also holds franchise deals for 15 units in Washington state and 36 in Texas, its largest agreement to date, and ended 2025 with 17 locations and $59.4 million in sales, up 28.2% per Technomic. The strategy pairs large markets with experienced multi-unit operators. (Nation's Restaurant News)

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Why it matters for suppliers: Fast-growing chicken concepts buy poultry, fryer oil, packaging and kitchen equipment in volume, and multi-unit franchisees tend to consolidate vendors as they add markets. Suppliers that can serve several new regions at once, especially in Chicago, Texas and the Pacific Northwest, have an edge.

Market Signals

Tropical Smoothie Café signs a 40-unit deal for New York and Connecticut. Aurify Brands, a New York multi-concept operator that already franchises Five Guys, Wingstop and Le Pain Quotidien, formed a new holding company, Aurify Kingstar, to open the units, with the first expected in early 2027. Tropical Smoothie is entirely franchised, on track to open its 1,800th unit before the end of 2026, and was acquired by Blackstone in 2024 for $2 billion. No dollar value was disclosed for the deal. (Nation's Restaurant News)

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Why it matters for suppliers: A 40-unit Northeast build-out means a steady order stream for fruit, dairy, packaging and equipment. Operators that run several brands often reuse the vendors they already trust, so the time to introduce your company is before the first lease is signed.

Labor & Costs

Golden Corral is closing more restaurants than usual. The buffet chain confirmed above-normal closures in 2026 but would not give a total, and media reports identify at least seven, with franchisees pointing to rising costs and in one case saying the site could no longer operate sustainably. Technomic data shows chain sales up 15% from 2022 to 2025 even as the unit count fell from 362 to 348. Six new restaurants are in development, and several closed sites will reopen under new ownership. No labor-specific story ran this week, so this one covers the cost side. (Nation's Restaurant News)

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Why it matters for suppliers: Large-format and buffet operators are squeezed on food and labor costs at the same time. Products that cut waste, simplify portioning or lock in steady pricing are an easy conversation right now, and any account with closed locations deserves a quick check on open invoices.

Technology & Innovation

Olo launches a commission-free ordering app. The Olo App, launched October 20, is a free consumer app for pickup and delivery with more than 250 restaurant brands, including Waffle House, Five Guys and Del Taco, and plans to add all 800-plus Olo customers. Olo says it avoids the 15% to 30% commissions that third-party marketplaces charge restaurants, so operators do not have to mark up menu prices. Customers pay a 5% network fee, plus a delivery fee on delivery orders, and restaurants keep access to their order data. (Nation's Restaurant News)

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Why it matters for suppliers: A shift toward direct ordering changes what restaurants buy. POS, loyalty, delivery-management and packaging vendors should watch how quickly brands move volume onto owned channels, since integrations and packaging needs follow the orders.

Breaking News

Wendy's franchisee Meritage closes 13 more restaurants and could close up to 60 more. Meritage Hospitality Group has closed 33 restaurants since late September, following 60 earlier this year and its September 17 Chapter 11 filing, and court documents allow up to 60 more through mid-November. If it does, it will have shut 120 of the 374 locations it once operated. The closing units average under $900,000 in annual revenue, less than half the Wendy's system average, and lenders hold $155 million in secured debt. (Nation's Restaurant News)

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Why it matters for suppliers: If you sell to Wendy's franchisees, check your open invoices now, since they may become unsecured claims in the bankruptcy. Used kitchen equipment and furniture from the closures will also head to the secondary market, which is an opening for resellers and refurbishers.