Flying Squirrel wins best burrito award
Food & Wine magazine has named the Flying Squirrel restaurant in Chattanooga as the best eatery in Tennessee for burritos.
In its newest edition, the culinary magazine said the Korean barbecue burrito served by the Flying Squirrel “is a solid brunch offering” and gave the restaurant and its entree the top burrito award in the state.
Food and Wine editors acknowledged that the burrito comes in many styles: Tex-Mex, San Francisco Mission, Colorado green chili-smothered, Durango and others. But in Tennessee, the Flying Squirrel on the southside of Chattanooga with its award-winning design also took the top award for its burrito offering.
“The food is worth the trip alone, but the vibe is also what makes this spot so special, and epitomizes the hipness of Chattanooga,” the magazine said in its ratings of top burritos in each state.
AllianceBernstein gets aid for move
Tennessee officials want to award $17.5 million for financial firm AllianceBernstein Holding LP to relocate its global headquarters from New York.
The move is projected to bring 1,050 jobs and an investment topping $70 million to Nashville.
An agenda for the Tennessee State Funding Board’s meeting Wednesday shows the proposed grant amount.
AllianceBernstein, which manages about $549 billion in assets, has been stationed in the country’s main financial hub for five decades and plans to maintain a presence there.
The company has about 3,500 employees and offices in 22-plus countries. Company officials say the workers coming to Nashville make between $150,000 and $200,000 on average.
Its new building should be complete before the end of 2020, with the full transition done by the end of 2022.
Soft drink sales grow during 2017
The U.S beverage industry increased sales by $2.1 billion in 2017, with carbonated soft drinks and bottled water leading the way.
A newly released annual report by industry publication Beverage Digest showed retail sales jumped to $135.7 billion last year.
The report noted a shift in strategy by beverage companies, with a focus on increasing how much money they make rather than how many items they sell, which has previously been used to measure consumer demand.
“Value has become an important metric to consider when judging beverage industry health and performance during the current era of premiumization and market fragmentation,” the report read.
Last year, Coke announced the new strategy.
“This transformed strategy is grounded in giving the consumer the choices and packages they want, for the occasions they want, at prices they are willing to pay,” a company report read in part.
The company recently introduced new flavors and smaller packaging to its Diet Coke brand in an effort to attract a new generation of drinkers.
The strategy seems to be working as the company’s latest first quarter results showed higher returns from the sale of the rebranded carbonated drinks, which drove the company’s growth.
NAFTA talks fail to reach agreement
The top trade representatives of the United States, Mexico and Canada have ended the latest round of talks on renegotiating the North American Free Trade without a deal, days before an unofficial deadline to get any deal through the U.S. Congress.
Mexico’s Economy Secretary said Friday working groups from the three countries would meet again Monday. But Thursday marks the last day under procedural deadlines to get a vote under the current U.S. Congress.
Mexico disagrees with U.S. attempts to get higher regional content rules and orient production to higher-wage U.S. and Canadian factories.
A Mexican official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said the trade representatives would remain “on call.” But he said it was difficult, and suggested the U.S. would have to show more flexibility.
Ford truck output returns next week
Ford expects to restart production of F-Series pickups May 18 at two factories that stopped making trucks due to a fire at a parts supplier plant.
A spokeswoman says Friday that production should resume in Dearborn, Michigan, and Kansas City, Missouri. Super Duty pickup assembly in Louisville, Kentucky, will remain idle but workers will keep producing big SUVs.
Earlier this week Ford temporarily laid off 7,600 workers after a May 2 fire at Meridian Magnesium Products in Michigan. A spokeswoman says Ford is working with Meridian and others to get parts.
Also Friday, Mercedes said it ran out of Meridian parts at its SUV plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As a result, production was canceled Thursday and Friday. No layoffs are expected. Employees will work next week on a limited schedule.