According to a new report for the retail real estate developer, Cushman & Wakefield, the U.S. will have 300 food halls by 2020, up from 70 currently. Do see the food hall phenomenon offering positive benefits to retail, or are they simply temporary “placeholders” for more valuable tenants?

Inspired by the cat café phenomenon, although operating much differently, the first dog café has opened in lower Manhattan. What do you think of the appeal and feasibility of the Boris & Horton dog café concept?

Few restaurants are less associated with healthy eating than McDonald’s. But as American dining trends skew healthier, the chain is taking steps to revamp one of its most iconic offerings to make it better for its patrons. Is McDonald’s going too far, or not far enough, with its proposed attempts at healthier offerings for kids?

With many relying on basic $5 or $6 meals such as chicken, a scoop of mashed potatoes and green beans to drive prepared foods sales, grocers aren’t doing enough to take share from restaurants. Do you agree that a significant upgrade in prepared food offerings would pay off for grocers?

McDonald’s plans to bring back and expand its Dollar Menu with the introduction of a “$1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu,” a move expected to spark a price war in the fast-food space. Will the “$1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu” work better than the “Dollar Menu” for McDonald’s?

Tiffany & Co. has renovated the home and accessories section on the fourth floor to add The Blue Box Café, its first-ever dining concept. How might the café enrich the Tiffany experience?

While some retailers get criticized for blaming the weather for poor results, Papa John’s is being called out for blaming the national anthem protests at NFL games this season for disappointing sales. Is its NFL sponsorship becoming a liability for Papa John’s?

Pop-ups keep getting more popular. Now one location is using the retail model to rethink an already popular type of brick-and-mortar experience — the café. Do rotating restaurant pop-ups offer as good of a prospect to local brands as non-food retail pop-ups, or do they face bigger challenges?

Arby’s is renowned for sandwiches stacked with thin-sliced roast beef. But the chain recently offered an option that was uncharacteristically gourmet, both for itself and quick-service restaurants in general – a venison burger. Does the success of Arby’s venison burger indicate room for game meats to become regular offerings at quick-serve restaurants?

In Brussels, Belgium, Burger King launched a branded bus service that picks up customers throughout the capital city and takes them to the only Burger King location there. Does the concept of a shuttle bus for a store/restaurant have value beyond PR in cities with large populations of non-driving citizens?

Kroger, the largest operator of supermarkets in the U.S., see an opportunity to grow its share of the food business with a new restaurant concept, Kitchen 1883, which it bills as offering “a fresh take on new American comfort food.” Do you think consumers are more willing to eat out at restaurants associated with grocery stores today than in the past?

Hoping greater volume makes up for any lost margin, Postmates, the on-demand delivery app, last week made it much easier for members of its $9.99-a-month subscription model to gain free delivery. Will a subscription service work better for Postmates versus the standard fee-per-order model?

Virtual currencies have been big news for years in the tech world. Now, the Russian wing of one of the world’s biggest fast food chains is trying to cash in on the virtual currency trend – by debuting its own cryptocurrency backed by the Whopper. Is there unique promotional value in positioning a loyalty points program as a cryptocurrency?

While many larger retailers are partnering with digital start-ups, Hy-Vee has formed separate partnerships with Wahlburgers Restaurants and Orangetheory Fitness. Do you see more potential benefits or risks from these kinds of collaborations?

Throughout most segments of retail, courting a Millennial audience has become a top priority and is seen as a path to current and future profits. But one restaurant chain’s Millennial-targeted rebranding has brought nothing but shuttered locations. Where did Applebee’s go wrong in its attempt to court Millennials?

Joining Budweiser and other major advertisers, McDonald’s has ended its a 41-year run as a sponsor of the Olympics. What do you think is the primary reason McDonald’s ended its sponsorship deal with the Olympics?

Although it’s in the grocer’s DNA, Hy-Vee recently redoubled its commitment to prepared foods. Is the combination of sit-down restaurants and grab-and-go prepared foods a viable positioning strategy for supermarkets?

The 2017 Food Safety Summit, held last week in Chicago, featured panels and keynote presentations that focused on how food safety professionals are coping with the Food Safety Modernization Act and the increased likelihood companies and their leaders will be subject to more intensive scrutiny. Do you expect that food safety regulation will get more rigorous or less so in the next few years?

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is holding up rules requiring businesses that sell prepared foods to post signage with calorie counts, some chains have decided to display the information anyway. Would foodservice companies that post calorie counts see a business benefit from displaying that information?

According to research from JLL Retail, many malls are finding few challenges replacing department stores as anchors. What’s more, the new tenants generally pay much higher rent. Do you see ample options for malls looking to replace department store anchors at all levels of mall properties?

IKEA is considering opening standalone cafes and restaurants in urban centers, according to Fast Company. The move would come as managing director Michael La Cour has a made number of investments in the chain’s food department. What are the pros and cons of IKEA opening standalone cafes or restaurants?

McDonald’s latest commercial doesn’t mention its name or display its logo. The spot is part of McDonald’s first unbranded marketing campaign in which it attempts to use the power of the Coca-Cola brand and Google search to drive traffic — particularly younger consumers with smartphones. Will McDonald’s unbranded campaign prove successful in driving sales of Coke at the chain’s restaurants?

In a deal that seems to have materialized almost overnight, Panera Bread Company announced yesterday that it had reached a definitive agreement to sell its business to JAB Holdings in a deal valued at $7.5 billion. Will Panera Bread be more successful as privately held than it was as a publicly traded company?

With the integration of touch screen ordering kiosks into big chains, there has been a lot of speculation about how technology will ultimately reshape fast food — both for the customer and the employee. Will tech innovations meet the needs of QSRs, grocery stores and department store food courts and lead to fully-automated food prep?

A Canadian Broadcast Corporation program’s report showing the chicken used in Subway’s sandwiches contained large concentrations of soy filler has prompted the chain to start a public relations battle and take the broadcaster to court. Has Subway made the right or wrong move in pursuing damages against the CBC?

The major news about McDonald’s coming out over the past year has depicted a chain revamping its look and feel to try to dump its budget image and compete with fast-casual restaurants. But its latest move seems to indicate that McDonald’s still wants – or needs – to compete on price. Is McDonald’s betraying its avowed goal to be seen as a “progressive” burger company by focusing on low-price offerings?

Recent sales evidence suggests the allure of being able to get a McMuffin or McGriddles sandwich anytime may be waning. What does McDonald’s plan to do next? Offer more Big Mac choices, of course. What do you see as the fundamental challenges facing McDonald’s as its seeks to cultivate new generations of customers?

Social media has changed how brands communicate with their customers, not just in terms of where and how they interact with them, but in the voice they use, as with Wendy’s recent Twitter gamble — which was a big win. What makes Wendy’s use of a sarcastic voice on Twitter a “win” while other brands might fail doing the same thing?

Burger King has made a lot of moves locally and globally to reposition as a fun, cool fast food chain since the arrival of CEO Daniel Schwartz in 2013. Now the company is piloting something abroad that brings cutting-edge entertainment technology to the concept of the kids meal toy. Will retailer-branded, in-house augmented reality games work to draw kids and adults into stores?

Luby’s, the Texas-based cafeteria chain, will bring its famed Mac & Cheese to retail for the first time. But the dish will only reach the frozen food aisles of another Texas institution, H-E-B. Do you see grocers partnering with local restaurants or food trucks as a solid strategy for achieving growth?

McDonald’s last week announced plans to roll out table service to all of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants. After customers place their orders at a touch-screen kiosk and pick up a digital location device, orders will be delivered to their tables. Will touchscreen ordering and table service improve the McDonald’s experience?

In recent years, a veritable flood of patent applications has re-imaged the decades-old and staid format of the drive-thru lane. How can newer technologies reimagine the drive-thru? Should speed be the primary goal in improving the drive-thru experience?

Coming off a quarter in which McD’s posted a 1.8 percent increase in same-store sales in a softening market, some wonder how long the chain will continue to see a bump from all-day breakfast. Do you think all-day breakfast can continue to lift McDonald’s or are menu changes needed to keep from sliding back?

After appearing in Happy Meals for only a short time, McDonald’s has pulled the fitness trackers from Happy Meals in response to complaints. What can retailers learn from McDonald’s public relations crisis surrounding the fitness tracker and promotions aimed at children?

The offer of free burritos hasn’t been enough to help Chipotle Mexican Grill win back customers, so maybe free beer and margaritas will do the trick. Do you think Chipotle can be fixed at this point? What will it take to put the retailer and brand back on a growth track again?

Since last year’s announcement of a turnaround plan, McDonald’s changes and upgrades seem to have grown in scope with each subsequent move. Can McDonald’s succeed in reinventing itself as a fast-casual restaurant in the U.S.?

Only three percent of the U.S. adult population have tried a meal kit delivery service within the last year, according to a NPD Group study. Do you see the potential for broad adoption of meal kit delivery services, or will their appeal remain limited?

Starbucks announced earlier this week that it was part of a group making an investment in Princi, an artisanal Italian bakery. Do you think Starbucks and Princi will be able to maintain the quality of product now served in five locations when extended to thousands?

As anyone who has ever watched a Chick-fil-A commercial knows, anthropomorphized cows support poultry as a food source. Chick-fil-A welcomes this support and is launching Cow Appreciation Day starting today at participating restaurants. What is your analysis of Chick-fil-A’s “Eat More Chikin” campaign and Cow Appreciation Day event?

While all-day breakfast has helped boost sales at many McDonald’s, franchisees initially pushed back over multiple concerns. Now the company has announced a move to expand its all-day breakfast menu. Will the addition of new breakfast items to its all-day menu have a significant affect on McDonald’s business going forward?

Since 2008, New York foodies have talked up the “cereal milk” dessert at Momofuku Milk Bar. Now one of the oldest cereal manufacturers has gotten hip to the trend. Will Kellogg’s Times Square cereal café be a success?

Barnes & Noble last week said it plans to introduce an elevated restaurant concept at four of its stores. The restaurants will be led by an executive chef bringing food, beer, wine and tableside service with full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. What do you think of Barnes & Noble restaurant concept?

According to a new NPD Group report, Millennials give grocers higher marks for freshness and quality than their quick service restaurant competitors. How do you see the demand for prepared foods changing supermarket operations in the years ahead?

Burger King, according to reports, is testing a new menu item that includes the ingredients of its Whooper sandwich wrapped in a flour tortilla instead of on a soft sesame seed bun. Is Burger King just spinning out standard line extensions with its recent Whopper-based rollouts or is something more creative going on?

With the foodie culture currently eclipsing any fashion craze, many malls are revamping their food courts to more closely resemble trendy urban food halls as a way to drive traffic. Can food become a significant traffic driver for malls amid the ongoing foodie craze?

Following a February company-wide closure in response to a series of E. coli and norovirus outbreaks, free entrées were offered to anyone who texted “RAINCHECK” and subsequently provided their zip code. To what degree does Chipotle need freebies and discounts to win back customers?

At Chick-fil-A,devotees have been known to camp out days in advance to be among the first in line when a new location opens its doors. Now, come reports the chicken chain has been running a “hush-hush” invitation-only rewards program. What is your reaction to details about Chick-fil-A’s invitation-only rewards program?

Kohl’s is abandoning its recent in-store cafe concept and will be closing the two test locations in the next few weeks. Has a cup of coffee become a more important part of the shopping experience over the years? Do cafes and eateries not make sense for some stores and channels?

Grocery retailers and foodservice operators have been among the leaders in the business community offering hope to food banks and charities. A case in point is Starbucks, which earlier this week announced the launch of FoodShare. What are the biggest impediments in the way of grocers and foodservice operators donating unsold food to charities?

Watch out Starbucks! McDonald’s is ready to launch its first full-fledged loyalty program later this year or early in 2017. How receptive will consumers be to McDonald’s loyalty program? Do you think McD’s should largely mimic Starbucks’ My Rewards program?