Side Dish, the Breakup Bangs Edition
Hello and welcome to Side Dish, our weekly round-up of industry news, hot goss and things you might have missed. Now, let’s get to it...
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Tyra Banks tries to explain her new “hot ice cream” brand and everyone is still confused.
The New York Times heads to the Big Easy to check on Emeril Jr.s (E.J., if you will) revamp of Emeril’s. TL;DR it’s tasting menu only and has lots of tiny foods.
Vogue is all in on Ojai, calling it America’s new culinary hot spot.
Whole Foods unveiled its 2026 food trend predictions and it’s all about the three Fs: fiber, female and fancy.
The ‘World’s 50 Best Bars’ list dropped. The winner is an Italian bar that’s not in Italy. Discuss amongst yourselves.
After 1,200 reviews and countless wigs, WaPo’s Tom Sietsema is stepping down and finally revealing the face behind D.C.’s most-watched fork.
More restaurants are ditching the written wine list. Pro: more interaction with your server. Con: more interaction with your server.
The L.A.Times clocks Sean Brock sliding into the dining scene and the DJ booth at Darling.
The Bay Area is about to get Gooped.
Just a steak nugget in a chicken tender world. Arby’s is betting big on beef.
Hard pass on the Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice with a jerky beetle garnish.
Turns out dumplings are big business as Din Tai Fung becomes America’s top earning chain, with each store raking in over $27 million a year.
Cue the Swifties overrunning L.A.’s Musso and Frank to find out which booth Tay likes best.
Small space, big tastes as the New Yorker heads to Bartolo in the West Village.
Behind the velvet rope, Drew Nieporent serves the drama, from Nobu’s rise to Tribeca Grill’s glory days.
From Mumbai’s Masque to a noodle bar in Bandra, India’s dining scene is rewriting what fine dining looks like.
The Longest Table turns one Chelsea block into a 1,200-person dinner party, and a cure for city loneliness.
In the clerb is taking on new meaning as hospitality businesses trade nightlife for wellness.
The Michelin guide unveiled its first global selection of keys but some are wondering how they’re paying for all of this.
Chicago reigns again, named the #1 big city in the U.S. for the ninth year running in CNT’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Elephant rides are out, for good. Major travel companies are cutting ties with exploitative encounters once and for all.
Florida retirees and cyberpunk fans agree. Chongqing is the sci-fi megacity you have to see IRL.
A $350K Steinway turned Paso Robles into California’s most surprising jazz destination.
Air Canada’s latest perk? Free beer and wine in economy. Finally, something worth toasting at 35,000 feet.
The Eiffel Tower’s gone dark, again. Massive strikes across France just shut down Paris’s top attraction.
The parks are open, but barely. During the shutdown, national parks run on fumes with staff furloughed and restrooms closed.
Europe’s ditching passport stamps for fingerprints and face scans. Souvenir collectors, beware.
PLAY Airlines grounded. The Icelandic budget carrier shut down mid-flight plan, stranding travelers.
Trace Springsteen’s Jersey Shore: Asbury Park haunts, boardwalk lore and where to stay now.
Chicago’s coolest new art gallery fits in a vending machine.
Hilton just launched Outset Collection, a boutique brand blending local character with global perks.
American Airlines is ditching bag sizers at gates, leaving carry-on calls to agents’ judgment. That should go well.
Martha’s travel rule: always pack two phones, a camera and a plan for fine dining.
If you thought Erewhon couldn’t get any more bougie, you were wrong.
Are you more Lemon Glaze or Confetti Cake? Why do we all smell like donuts these days?
“You’re tacky and I hate you,” is the general gist of Grubstreet’s missive about this cookware brand.
Gen Z continues to lean into analog. Is the Thomas Guide next up for a reboot?
It’s a Frank Sinatra winter.
Financial therapists spill the tea on curbing impulse buys before that “add to cart” hits.
The rich aren’t buying anymore. Luxury rentals from NYC to LA are the new status symbol of flexibility.
Retail’s new buzzword? Third place. Brands want stores to feel like cafés, but can commerce build community?
Forget age gaps. The swag gap is the relationship dealbreaker Gen Z won’t ignore.
Surf camps over shot glasses. Bachelor and bachelorette parties are trading chaos for connection.
Secondhand is the new first pick. With resale booming, more shoppers are ditching stigma for sustainable style.
Cut to: Ralph Lauren is flipping its own closet. The brand’s vintage resale venture turns heritage into high-end hustle.
Nicole Kidman just joined Chanel, debuting breakup bangs in Paris.
Corporate core takes the runway. Tailoring’s everywhere, and this time, it’s about craft over capitalism.
Shein is going brick-and-mortar in France, opening stores inside Galeries Lafayette, and sparking backlash.
Turns out your brain’s got a social limit—about 150 friends, no matter how many followers you rack up.
If butter went to outer space, it would feel like Jakarta’s new Butter Baby.
Will the fisherman aesthetic dominating restaurant design make for smooth sailing into fall?
Lay’s is going under the knife for a rebrand. We’ll see if the yassified new look will get the Cracker Barrel treatment.
Errybody in the club getting...Dommmino’s? Domino’s also rolled out a new, minimal look...and jingle. By Shaboozey.
There must be something in the water because fishy fave Long John Silver’s ALSO introduced a rebrand this week. But, with a…chicken.
On that note, meet the new and improved Flamingo Estate.
Taylor Swift’s “Showgirl” weekend pulled in $33M. But one detail’s flying under the radar: the Showgirl font started in a Nicaraguan classroom.
Patrick Ta went full food-core, teasing his new products across social with mouthwatering flair.
Paris Fashion Week is being called a “game changer.” Here’s why.
Hint: it’s not because of this.
To celebrate the big 5-0, Zara tapped creative pals like Naomi Campbell and Pat McGrath for a limited-edition collection. $2,000 surfboard? Right this way.
Ghia’s founder swapped Glossier-pink tiles for chocolate marble in her dreamy Paris pied-à-terre.
Halloween’s coming fast. Here’s what to wear when you are the party—butter, sardines and all.
Charms and brooches are the new quiet luxury. Sales are up 207%.
Rosewood enters a new era with Discovery Green, a color, and campaign, rooted in wanderlust.
The Cotswolds invasion continues as Sam Edelman brings a gaggle of influencers to live out The Holiday fantasies IRL.
Vogue and Vanity Fair are slimming down print, but bulking up on luxury paper and collectible clout.
People, Inc. acquired Feedfeed, giving more access to food content and the creators who make it.
Welp, Gap has jumped on the creator marketplace bandwagon with its new affiliate platform. It’s getting hard to keep up.
She sells pancakes with punchlines. How Judy’s Family Cafe became the internet’s favorite diner.
AI-powered bot networks are dragging brands like Cracker Barrel into fake culture wars, and CEOs are panicking.
From Lady Gaga to live fandoms, Netflix wants to exist beyond your screen. Will viewers care IRL?
AI won’t replace influencers, it’ll empower them. Here’s how brands are reshaping influencer marketing for 2026.
Butter, but make it Bose. The brand’s SoundLink Plus promo shows viral aesthetics now drive tech sales.
While most schools panic over ChatGPT, students in California are the ones drafting the AI rulebook.
The girls are being real, just not on main. Finstas are back, and the chaos is refreshingly honest.
Spotify and Amazon Ads team up, letting brands buy audio and video spots straight through Amazon’s platform.
