Food & Drink - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

[VIDEO] Cheesemakers Worry about Brie Mold Going Extinct

March 4, 2025

To produce fine French cheeses like brie and camembert, you need milk, time, and one especially important ingredient: mold. For decades, farmers around the world have produced cheese by cloning the mold Penicillium camemberti, but now some are worried that it could become extinct. Along with providing an in-depth look at how brie and camembert are made, this video examines the ways that some cheesemakers are responding to the uncertain future of their business.

Questions:

Why are brie and Continue reading →

Operations Management, Global, Entrepreneurship, Product Development, Food & Drink, Supply & Demand

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

American Consumers Are Eating a Record Amount of Meat Sticks

February 27, 2025

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Meat sticks have come a long way since the invention of the Slim Jim in 1929. Sales of the savory snack topped $3 billion in 2024, a jump of 10 percent compared to the previous year. More than 40 million households buy them annually, making meat sticks the fastest-growing category in snacks. These days, meat sticks come in all sorts of styles: short or long, fat or slim, snappy or soft. They’re made with bold flavors like jalapeno, taco, teriyaki, Continue reading →

Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Product Development, Product Distribution, Food & Drink, Trends, Supply & Demand, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Waffle House Adds 50-Cent Surcharge for Eggs

February 7, 2025

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The breakfast chain Waffle House is famous for serving customers a cheap and hearty breakfast at any time of day. In fact, the 24-hour eatery is so reliable and affordable that emergency officials use it as an informal gauge for judging severe weather: if the area Waffle House is closed, then the natural disaster must be extremely severe. But one thing the famously dependable chain couldn’t predict is soaring egg prices, which have driven it to add a 50-cent Continue reading →

Marketing, Ethics, Pricing, Supply chains, Product Distribution, Restaurants, Waffle House, Food & Drink

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] How TGI Fridays Became a Shell of Its Former Self

November 22, 2024

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In the 1980s, the casual restaurant chain TGI Fridays skyrocketed to success thanks to its singles-bar atmosphere and talented bartenders who performed tricks while pouring drinks. As the company expanded, however, it rebranded into a family restaurant, starting a long decline for the once-promising brand. This video looks at the rise and fall of TGI Friday’s, which finally filed for bankruptcy this month after a long search for a savior.

Questions:

How did TGI Friday’s change after it rebranded from Continue reading →

Marketing, Franchising, Entrepreneurship, Product Development, Branding, Promotions, Product Distribution, Food & Drink, Supply & Demand

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Slowing Inflation Means a Slightly Cheaper Thanksgiving This Year

November 21, 2024

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Although consumers have had to contend with high food prices throughout 2024, families across the country will at least pay less for Thanksgiving dinner next week than they did last year. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost of Thanksgiving for 10 people will amount to $58.08, or about $5.80 per person. That marks a 5 percent drop from 2023. The decreased cost is good news for families who have faced high food prices over the last Continue reading →

Product Development, Pricing, Transportation, Product Distribution, Agriculture, Thanksgiving, Holidays, Food & Drink, Supply & Demand, Labor costs

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Companies Cut Back on “Endless Options” Strategy

November 19, 2024

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Hormel makes 71 different kinds of pepperoni. In addition to the widely popular original pepperoni slices, grocery shoppers can also choose diced, thick-sliced, mini-sliced, low-sodium, low-fat, turkey pepperoni, and more. The spin-offs may not sell as well as the original, but they do help to attract customer attention for the overall brand. More products mean more shelf space at stores, which gives customers more opportunities to find and buy Hormel products. The company also hoped this strategy would make shoppers Continue reading →

Marketing, Operations Management, Product Development, Branding, Promotions, Retail, Supply chains, Packaging, Product Distribution, Food & Drink, Supply & Demand

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Soda Surges in Popularity after Decade-Long Decline

November 12, 2024

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Nearly ten years ago, soda seemed to be losing its appeal with consumers as public health campaigns warned against sugary soft drinks and schools took soda out of vending machines and off of lunch menus. After per-capita consumption of soda among Americans fell to a new low in 2015, Coca-Cola and Pepsi started expanding their product lines to include diet sodas, flavored water, and energy drinks. With so many healthy choices available, industry insiders began to assume that consumers who Continue reading →

Marketing, Product Development, Branding, Promotions, Pricing, Coca-Cola, Product Distribution, Soda, Food & Drink, Supply & Demand

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Outbreak at Boar’s Head Disrupts America’s Deli Industry

October 25, 2024

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Before causing the worst listeriosis outbreak in the U.S. since 2011, Boar’s Head was best known as one of the most recognizable — and most ruthless — deli-meat brands at the supermarket. The company started in 1905, when founder Frank Brunckhorst started selling deli meats out of a horse-drawn carriage in Brooklyn, New York. As it expanded into a $3 billion per year business, Boar’s Head made aggressive moves to protect its reputation for high quality. The company sued competitors Continue reading →

Marketing, Operations Management, Ethics, Manufacturing, Product Distribution, Food & Drink

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] Why Walgreens And CVS Are Shutting Down Thousands Of Locations

October 24, 2024

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Walgreens and CVS stores are common sights on American street corners, but in the coming years there will be significantly fewer of them around. The video below takes a detailed look at the recent struggles faced by U.S. pharmacy chains as they plan to shut down thousands of locations nationwide.

Questions:

Why are Walgreens and CVS closing thousands of stores over the coming years? What are some factors that have contributed to their problems?
How can entrepreneurs help prevent “pharmacy deserts”?

Chocolate Prices Are Scarily High This Halloween

October 22, 2024

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For millions of Americans, Halloween is all about eating candy. And there’s no variety of candy more beloved than chocolate. According to national surveys, the average American’s favorite Halloween candy is a chocolate treat like M&Ms, Snickers, or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. But this year, you may notice less chocolate in your family’s trick-or-treat stash. That’s because cocoa prices are at record highs after three years of poor crops. The price of cocoa has doubled since the start of 2024 Continue reading →

Marketing, Product Development, Promotions, Supply chains, Packaging, Product Distribution, Agriculture, Halloween, Holidays, Food & Drink, Supply & Demand

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution