Ask a restaurant operator what keeps them up at night in 2026 and you might expect the usual suspects: labor and food costs. According to CORE's newest research, that answer has changed. The number-one worry now is traffic—getting people through the door at all.
That shift is at the heart of a broader reinvention at CORE (formerly CORE Foodservice), a leading away-from-home agency that has just unveiled a new name, a new website and an expanded toolbox built for a marketplace that no longer behaves the way it used to.
Why CORE Rebranded Now
Away-from-home channels have seen dramatic changes in consumer demand and behavior, leaving operators, manufacturers and distributors scrambling to keep pace. CORE's answer is a rebrand that reflects broader capabilities—expanded channels, AI support tools and what it calls industry-leading operator insights.
"We have grown with intention, expanding our solutions to meet the challenges our partners are facing and providing a one-stop shop for all of their needs," said Travis King, president, CORE. "Our bold new name and look better reflects who we are today and leads us into the future."
Even amid a complex economy, the agency reports year-over-year growth—no small feat in a foodservice landscape squeezed on every side.
Legacy Roots, Innovative Vision
Founded in 1981 as an independent California food broker, CORE has evolved continually—but never more dramatically than since joining Acosta Group in 2021. Over the past five years, the agency has:
- Brought San Francisco-based consultancy The Culinary Edge into the organization
- Completed its Canadian footprint through a strategic acquisition
- Launched an adult beverage division—the first in the industry to do so
- Expanded its away-from-home channels, from retail/grocery perimeter to convenience
"We identified the need to redefine our business to better meet and anticipate market demands," King said. "Our 'core' philosophy has not changed—we work side-by-side with our partners to ensure success—but we're bringing a much sharper, broader toolbox to the table."
The agency is also building multiple AI models designed to benefit clients—spanning context on consumer behaviors, associate training and consumption trends.
An Adult Beverage Division Built for the Menu
CORE positions its new adult beverage division as a natural extension of decades of work in the beverage channel—and a direct play for menu relevance across dayparts.
"Now we can bring a team of culinarians and mixologists to operators, working independently or in tandem, consulting on menu development and LTOs and showcasing product usage across multiple dayparts and items to create new on-trend purchase drivers," King said.
Deeper Operator Insights, Curated for Use
Having a pulse on the away-from-home channel—consumer decision drivers, operator pain points, and the economic impact on spending—is critical for both operators and manufacturers. Just as important, CORE argues, is synthesizing that data into clear takeaways and action steps.
Twice a year, The Culinary Edge releases its Pulse Report, surfacing insights from operators nationwide. The summer 2026 edition delivered the headline finding: traffic, not labor or food costs, is now operators' biggest concern.
Welcome to the 'Occasion Economy'
According to Graham Humphreys, president of The Culinary Edge, the industry is now operating in an "occasion economy." Consumers no longer think in channels or segments—they think in needs.
Whether it's a quick lunch, a family feeding solution, a personal indulgence, or a way to socialize with friends, it all comes down to the need state, Humphreys says. And the options have never been broader. Consumers are spending a little less overall, but the bigger shift is that they're spending selectively and being far more deliberate about where they fulfill each occasion.
"Every occasion is an auction, and the future," said Humphreys, "is about winning the occasion."
"This deep dive into operator and consumer mindsets allows us to bring valuable insights to our clients, charting trends and anticipating the course for the future," King added. "It's a great example of how CORE brings an informed, integrated and holistic approach to a complicated, ever-changing business."
Why It Matters
For operators, manufacturers and distributors, CORE's rebrand is less about a new logo and more about a reframing of how growth happens in away-from-home foodservice. The "occasion economy" thesis has concrete implications:
- Stop thinking in channels, start thinking in need states. If consumers are choosing based on the job to be done—quick lunch, family meal, indulgence, socializing—menus, LTOs and marketing should map to those occasions rather than to legacy segment definitions.
- Traffic is the new battleground. With labor and food costs no longer the top worry, the differentiator is convincing selective, deliberate diners to choose you. That elevates menu innovation, beverage attachment and daypart strategy from nice-to-have to core traffic drivers.
- Adult beverage is an underused profit lever. A dedicated culinary-and-mixology team consulting on menu development and cross-daypart product usage points to real incremental purchase drivers for operators willing to build beverage into the occasion.
- Curated data beats raw data. The Pulse Report model—insights synthesized into action steps—signals where operator intelligence is heading. Buyers and executives should demand analysis they can act on, not dashboards they have to decode.
The takeaway for the F&B industry: in a market where "every occasion is an auction," the brands and operators that win are the ones designing deliberately for the exact moment a consumer is trying to solve.
Want more on how agencies, operators and beverage strategy are reshaping the away-from-home channel? Explore our coverage of menu profitability tools for hospitality operators and how national chains are winning with beverage innovation. Then weigh in below: is your team building menus around channels—or around occasions?
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
