News Briefs

[READ MORE: Consumers to use AI tools for holiday product discovery, information]

Casual daytime restaurant chain Eggs Up Grill is highlighting its expansion momentum.

The company signed 11 new restaurant commitments across four franchise groups in the third quarter of 2026, including for both existing and new markets, such as Kansas. Together, the agreements bring Eggs Up Grill to more than 90 units in development nationwide.

"When experienced operators diversify their portfolios with Eggs Up Grill, and existing franchise partners continue to grow with the brand, it validates the trust they have in our model and our ability to scale," said Ricky Richardson, CEO of Eggs Up Grill, which offers customers breakfast, brunch and lunch options. "We're increasingly attracting sophisticated multi-unit, multi-brand operators who recognize the opportunity within the daytime category.”

Eggs Up Grill opened three restaurants during the quarter, in Bonaire, Ga., Spears Creek, S.C., and Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The company added that the third quarter extended its positive same-restaurant sales growth streak to 23 consecutive quarters.

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“Eggs Up Grill has tremendous momentum heading into the final quarter of the year, and our focus remains on finding the right partners who can grow with us for the long term,” added Richardson.

Founded in Pawleys, Island, S.C., Eggs Up Grill operates more than 110 locations nationwide.

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Philadephia-based Gopuff operates its own micro-fulfillment centers and offers more than 5,000 products delivered in as fast as 15 minutes across the U.S. and U.K.

Whole Foods Market is opening a flagship in Los Angeles that will feature several new venues, including a taproom and elevated specialty department.

The 63,082-sq.-ft. store, scheduled to open on Nov. 11, is located in the Bloom on Third shopping center. Situated at the intersection of 3rd & Fairfax, the outpost is a relocation of the original Fairfax store next door, which has open since 2002. (On Nov. 11, Whole Foods will open in Simi Valley, Calif., marking its 96th location in the Golden State. It follows the September openings of two additional stores in California.)

The new flagship, which has a designated parking structure with some 600 spaces, houses a taproom offering wine by the glass and beer on tap, including local selections. While at the bar, customers can also order charcuterie and cheese plates while at the bar from a new charcuterie venue adjacent to the taproom. The taproom will also host events with two currently scheduled from 2-7 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 21, featuring a DJ, wine tasting and special demo activations.

Other features include an elevated specialty department featuring a charcuterie venue offering a menu of pre-curated cheese and charcuterie boards or build-your-own options. There is also a coffee and juice bar offering made-to-order coffee, tea, juices and smoothies.

The product assortment includes more than 1,900 local items from more than 400 California-based suppliers. The store also includes signature Whole Food offerings such as a curated grocery section, full-service meat counter, extensive beverage selection including spirits and more than 780 wines, prepared foods, bakery, and wellness and beauty. 

[READ MORE:Amazon investing $230M in pay, benefits for Whole Foods employees]

Whole Foods Market, which is owned by Amazon, has more than 560 stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

Neighborhood Intelligence will bring supply chain planning processes across its store and distribution network together on a single artificial intelligence platform.

The company formerly known as Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has selected RELEX Solutions to unify supply chain planning in its enterprise, which includes the Bed Bath & Beyond, The Container Store, Kirkland's, BuyBuy Baby, and Overstock banners. Neighborhood Intelligence will implement technology to support forecasting, replenishment and allocation capabilities; as well as merchandise financial planning, open-to-buy, and the RELEX Diagnostics solution.

By bringing AI-driven forecasting, replenishment, allocation, and merchandise financial planning onto a single platform, Neighborhood Intelligence intends to provide its planning, allocation and merchandising personnel a shared view of the business. With that unified foundation, the company hopes to open supply chain visibility to protect in-stock rates, improve sell-through, and make faster and more informed decisions as it continues to grow.

[READ MORE: Bed Bath & Beyond/The Container Store in big pricing move]

"We needed a platform that could allocate across a business growing fast in scale and complexity, all on one intelligent data layer," said Ashley Prado, COO of the retail pillar, Neighborhood Intelligence. "RELEX breaks down the silos between our brands and gives our teams a single place to plan, allocate, and act on the same data, with AI that simplifies and optimizes how our teams work. As we build our ‘Everything Home’ strategy, that foundation is critical to running leaner, and getting smarter about how we serve every customer."

Neighborhood Intelligence is a holding company based in Nashville operating more than 335 stores and multiple online brands across North America.

Grocery shoppers have limited patience when it comes to poor in-store experiences.

That’s according to a new survey from AI-powered frontline workforce platform Axonify’s latest report, which revealed that 42% of consumers say they notice in-store problems more than they used to.

Nearly six-in-10 (58) say a poor in-store experience feels frustrating in the current higher-price environment. Nearly all (92%) shoppers surveyed say grocery prices have risen over the past year, and two-thirds (67%) say they are extremely or very concerned about the cost of groceries.

[READ MORE: Numerator: Prices have increased 35% for low-income households since 2019]

A vast majority (88%) of shoppers report that they shop at more than one grocery store in a typical month, with 69% of that group saying they shop multiple stores to find better prices. 

A large chunk (42%) of respondents said they have cut back on visits to their most-frequented store, with rising prices, long checkout lines, out-of-stocks, and a better experience elsewhere cited as reasons for shopping at different retailers.

"Grocery and retail operators can't control inflation, but they can control how their frontline workers and managers deliver the best in-store experience,” said Melissa Burghardt, CEO at Axonify. “While some operators may consider cutting labor to protect margins, this new data shows the risk of allowing the customer experience to erode when shoppers are already feeling squeezed. Protecting frontline capacity is an investment in the experience that keeps shoppers coming back."

Axonify’s “Eye on the Aisles: Higher Prices, Higher Stakes for Customer Experience” report, the group surveyed over 1,200 U.S. and Canadian grocery shoppers in August 2026. The full report can be found here.