Coffee with a twist: Coffee isn’t just coffee anymore. At the National Restaurant Association Show this week, attendees could sample pistachio “coffee,” coffee made with mushrooms and coffee chews. Peppertux Farms makes its Pistachio Coffee with pistachios and premium arabica beans. The latte is rich and creamy, the supplier said, but made with no dairy, no syrups and no pistachio sauce or any artificial flavors. It also makes a decaf version that is made only with roasted Turkish pistachios, organic coconut milk powder and monk fruit extract. Four Sigmatic’s Focus Organic Coffee is made with lion’s mane mushrooms and yacon. The blend gives users mental clarity and energy, the company said. It has another blend made with lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms. And finally, if you don’t want to drink your coffee, why not eat it? Dry Brew’s The Coffee Chew provides the caffeine and flavor of a cup of coffee in a single bite. They have a chew with 65 milligrams of caffeine, like a cup of coffee, in addition to double shot and decaffeinated versions.-Hannah Hammond
A viral TikTok births a new Coca-Cola beverage: Sprite’s newest summer limited-time offer is Sprite + Tea, a category-crossing drink with an unusual backstory. The beverage, which is available in regular and zero-sugar varieties, started its life as an intern research project but then it exploded on social media. “When it blew up on TikTok with millions of views, it was a gut check that we were on the right track,” A.P. Chaney, the beverage maker’s senior creative director, said in a press release. “Because you never go wrong when you listen to consumers and tap into what they’re doing by becoming part of their everyday.” The original inspiration for the drink? A viral trend of people steeping tea bags in Sprite. This is why it pays to keep an eye on social media. You never know when it might inspire the next big thing. – Heather Laley
Gas stations: Where dreams begin: Whoever said dreams can’t start in a gas station is wrong. Enter Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. Established in 2014 in a 700-square-foot gas station in Dunwoody, Georgia, the chain now boasts multiple locations across Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. On Thursday, the company announced it is ranked number six on Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers and Shakers of 2025 list, which is given to brands leading the fast-casual restaurant industry. “As one of the youngest Black men to ever make the Top 100 Movers & Shakers list, the impact and inspiration that this award will have on future entrepreneurs who come from a similar background is not lost on me,” said Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks Founder and CEO Derrick Hayes. -Diane Adam
The legacy of Jack the Donkey: Haffner’s, which began as one gas station in 1925, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary with a history lesson of its mascot, Jack. Jack the donkey joined the convenience store’s logo in 1948. The first design featured a standing donkey, symbolizing reliability and trust, and then in the 1950s, the first kicking donkey logo was launched, a reference to the high-octane gasoline Haffner’s was offering at the time. Throughout the years, the donkey logo was reimagined four more times. And, if you were wondering, Jack’s favorite cocktail is Jack and Coke, his favorite novel is Don Quixote and his favorite snacks are Mississippi mud ice cream, carrot cake and raspberry slushies. -Rachel Gignac
Win big with PepsiCo: Win $20,000 for drinking a Pepsi product? PepsiCo’s new Bottle Lotto Sweepstakes is a nationwide cash sweepstakes. Launched earlier this month across all 50 states, consumers can buy a specially marked 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Starry, Mug or Aquafina and go to bottlelotto.com to play a scratch card-style game revealing potential cash prizes. The special bottles include a banner at the top that reads: “YOU COULD WIN CASH PRIZES INSTANTLY” and have a QR code directing users to the site. The inside of the cap has the bottle’s unique code that can be entered at the website, where the user can play a scratch card game and see the prize. “Win or lose, collect a token for more chances to win and automatically get entered into the $20,000 weekly sweepstakes,” PepsiCo said. Every 60 seconds, there’s a chance to win one of three prizes, plus every code is an entry into the weekly $20,000 jackpot. The three prizes are a grand prize (13 winners), an instant prize (128,879 winners) and “Collect to Get” tokens (4,608 winners). -Chuck Ulie
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