Side Dish, the Too Much Merch 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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• For a cool $1.88, Heinz will handle the gravy this holiday season. Squeezable gravy...yum.

• Don’t worry, AI can’t replace chefs can it? Woohoo - yes it can. And it has.

• Would you pay $945 for a caviar advent calendar?

• Meet 2025’s best new restaurants in America, according to Eater, a list bold enough to put Alabama in the spotlight.

• Not to be outdone, Robb Report gives us ‘The 100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21st Century.’ Casual.

• Fashion’s new favorite accessory is dinner. Luxury brands doubling as restaurants are turning caviar into a marketing strategy.

• Soup season is leveling up with the Starbucks Soupuccino, one part soup, one part cappuccino and hints of truffle.

• Wine Enthusiast looked in the crystal bowl to predict what we’ll be drinking in 2026. “Sensory maximalism” is the new buzzword. Yus.

• Communal tables, tiny ’tinis and the rise of the Table Captain. Resy’s 2025 report proves dining is now a team sport.

• Seattle just dethroned NYC as the priciest place to eat out, even a Denny’s Grand Slam runs high, says this new study.

• If your dream role includes the words “all you can eat,” this is the job for you. Dress code includes elastic waists.

• Cafes that moonlight as bars and dessert lounges? 2025’s coolest spots are restaurants that aren’t.

• Erewhon hits NYC at last and Grubstreet goes all in on its cult delivery-only smoothies.

• United claims a window seat is a location, not a guarantee of scenery, which is bold of them, honestly.

• Welp, the Buckingham Palace Christmas market was a bust.

• Is Seoul the new beauty tourism capital? Why women are flying to Korea for ‘well-wging’ treatments.

• UO Club Holiday, an igloo/sandcastle shaped pop-up lounge, has landed at Chicago O’Hare Airport. If you’re in the Windy City, stop by for giveaways, games and chill.

• The World’s 50 Best Hotels have been announced, with a clear winner in terms of region. Hint: it’s not the U.S.

• Delta’s getting in the City Guide game with Delta Locals, a new trip inspo platform curated by locals.

• If you’re heading to Doha from L.A., you can snag a taste of Curtis Stone’s new menu for Qatar Airways.

• At Miami’s luxe track club, “unwinding” means taking a $300K McLaren to 170 mph which feels very billionaire self-care.

• 2026 is all about nature escapes and earlier dinners because apparently, we’re all turning into chic outdoorsy retirees.

• Skip the food tour, book the perfume pilgrimage itinerary to Grasse, Florence, Dubai and beyond.

• Hilton just dropped a new ultra-elite tier. Diamond Reserve promises suite upgrades and late checkout on lock.

• Vegas just got a glow-up. MGM Grand’s $300M remodel brings disco glam, smarter rooms, and 111 new suites.

• The Siren Hotel just went analog. Drop your film rolls in the lobby box and get them developed through their new film service.

• Thanksgiving traffic is about to snap. AAA expects 81.8M travelers, making this the busiest holiday on record.

• The administration just scrapped plans for airline delay compensation, leaving travelers on their own again.

• Forget toilet paper, New Yorkers are hoarding ziti....

• when they’re not in line at Meadow Lane. Raw chicky nugs, be damned!

• Now you can see what 6-7 smells like as Sol de Janeiro rolls out a limited edition Cheirosa 67, a fruity amber perfume mist you all asked for (literally?)

• If you’d like a calm and quiet Thanksgiving, don’t read these 61 hot takes to fight about from the New York Times.

• Holiday gift guide season has begun. With lists like, “What to gift the dog who has everything!” Vogue ponders if gift guides are going out of style.

• Case in point, the New Yorker shares, “A Holiday Gift Guide: Tools, Treats, and Trifles for Food Lovers.”

• Taking it up a notch, Town & Country has “46 Gourmet Food Gifts for Everyone on Your List.” TBD if our mailman likes the Big Night Glitter Trio.

• Bloomberg shares 100 gifts that blend nostalgia, glamour and holiday joy. Becuase nothing says holiday joy like a Lagos Bug Brooch.

• PUNCH gifts us with ‘The Ultimate Gift Guide for Every Kind of Drinker.’ Touché

• The newest luxury flex: birding.

• Betty Crocker wants you to get Super Moist.

• Yahoo! wants you to oil up your keyboard with Graza. We want Graza to settle down with the collabs.

• And if that’s STILL not enough merch, Dr. Pepper is launching a ‘fresh take” on streetwear and tailgating styles. Mmmkay.

• H&M is leaning into the vintage movement with a new Bev Hills store with “pre-loved” resale clothing.

• Tamagotchi who? Say hello to Raising Cane’s new GigaPet, Cane. Serve her meals, play fetch...not sure on that one.

• There’s a cheesy new diva who just signed with one of Hollywood’s biggest agencies.

• Bows are back, big time. From Wuthering Heights to Dior, get ready to tie one on this winter.

• Luxury’s latest upgrade is unplugging, proving that silence might be the hottest status symbol.

• Glutton for punishment Meghan Markle just won’t quit as she rolls out ‘With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration.’ Sigh.

• Tiger King says inmates love Hilary Duff’s “Mature” making it the wildest prison radio hit of the year.

• Overwhelmed parents are turning to $8,000 detox camps and screen-time coaches to tame kids’ tech.

• For better sleep, the 10-3-2-1-0 rule wants you to rethink caffeine, screens and that last email.

• More couples are letting AI write their wedding vows, sparking a debate over authenticity, trust and what “personal” even means.

• Gen Z is ditching desk jobs for billionaire side-gigs.

• Consider this your sign to twin with your pet.

• For the friend who speaks in memes and screen grabs, bookmark this gift list for the chronically online.

• The internet calls Diet Coke a “millennial cigarette,” but experts say the science doesn’t back the drama.

• Slobs and the disheveled, your time has finally come. Cluttercore is a thing.

• Fashion girls are ditching leopard for wood grain.

• The Longchamp x Gloverall drop proves even heritage bags want a British countryside moment this fall.

• Ralph Lauren built a winter barn in Chelsea, London. This holiday pop-up serves