🌶️ Spice It Up: Spicy Foods Go Mainstream Across America

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Learn from this investor’s $100m mistake

In 2010, a Grammy-winning artist passed on investing $200K in an emerging real estate disruptor. That stake could be worth $100+ million today.

One year later, another real estate disruptor, Zillow, went public. This time, everyday investors had regrets, missing pre-IPO gains.

Now, a new real estate innovator, Pacaso – founded by a former Zillow exec – is disrupting a $1.3T market. And unlike the others, you can invest in Pacaso as a private company.

Pacaso’s co-ownership model has generated $1B+ in luxury home sales and service fees, earned $110M+ in gross profits to date, and received backing from the same VCs behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

Invest for $2.90/Share

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

🍽️ What’s Cooking?

From Loo to Bistro: Barry Island Transforms Old Toilets into Dining Spaces

In a bold reinvention, a century-old public toilet block on Barry Island (Wales) will be transformed into a new restaurant complex. Developers are underway this week, signaling a creative reuse of heritage architecture that’s sure to draw curiosity and foot traffic.​ ​Read more.

🃏 Running a Smoother Kitchen

Use Aroma Cards to Speed Dish Identification at Pickup

Place small cards with scent samples near pickup windows. For example, citrus, garlic, or herb scent cards allow servers and cooks to quickly match orders to dishes by smell—no need to scan screens in busy rushes. This stops mix-ups, speeds handoffs, and keeps noise low during peak service.

🚀 Scaling Up

Spice It Up: Spicy Foods Go Mainstream Across America

Spice has taken over U.S. restaurant menus. A recent Atlantic report found that more than 95% of U.S. eateries now offer at least one spicy item, with Gen Z and global flavors driving demand. This is part of a broader "benign masochism" trend— diners want the thrill of safe levels of heat, and chains are responding fast. Read more.

🦾 Fresh Ideas

Automated Bowl-Making Rolls Out at Cava

Cava is investing in Hyphen’s automated makeline technology to produce grain bowls efficiently. The system minimizes labor, maintains quality consistency, and offers scalability for busy fast-casual kitchens. It’s an operation upgrade worth watching if you want to boost throughput with automation. ​Read more

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