Sector Pulse
Curated news from the HoReCa industry.
DK Agency Launched: Azerbaijan's First AI-Powered HoReCa Platform
DK Agency has officially started operations: Azerbaijan's first AI-powered HoReCa B2B platform, established for restaurant, cafe, hotel and catering operators. The goal is simple — to provide sector entrepreneurs with not estimates, but data and decision support.
The opening of the Culture Days of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus took place in Baku.
Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, speaking at the TRNC Culture Day event held in Baku, announced that significant progress has been made towards the start of charter flights between Azerbaijan and the TRNC.
DK Agency Launched: Azerbaijan's First AI-Powered HoReCa Platform
DK Agency has officially started operations: Azerbaijan's first AI-powered HoReCa B2B platform, established for restaurant, cafe, hotel and catering operators. The goal is simple — to provide sector entrepreneurs with not estimates, but data and decision support.
Bir qəzet elanından başlayan uğur hekayəsi...Ruslan Quliyevin əziz xatirəsinə
Azərbaycan Sağlamlıq və Termal Turizmə Dəstək Assosiasiyasının prezidenti, “Milenium Konqres Turizm” şirkətinin rəhbəri, Turan Qastro Turizm tahsil merkezinin tesisçilerinden , turizm mütəxəssisi Ruslan Quliyev vəfat edib.
Traffic Drops, Check Increases in the USA: Which Figure Should the Azerbaijani Entrepreneur Look At?
In May, restaurant traffic weakened in the US. According to Jefferies/Placer data, declines of approximately 250 basis points in the fast-food segment, 200 in the burger category, and 520 in chicken restaurants were recorded. The pizza segment remained almost stable.
Chinese robots serve in Japanese hotels and restaurants.
**What happened**
Personalized Wellness Campaign at Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali
**What happened:**
Chinese whisky THE CHUAN enters the global market via Hong Kong.
What happened?
### What happened? Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise network opened its 1700th cafe and signed agreements for 900 new stores. The brand's total value reached $1.5 billion. The secret to their success is simple: encouraging smoothie customers to also order food at the same time. ### Why is it important? This shows that cross-selling in the food and beverage sector is a key driver for growing franchise models. In Azerbaijan, many cafe chains focus only on drinks or only on food, whereas combining these two areas can increase customer traffic and average check size. ### Lesson for Azerbaijan's HoReCa/franchise Local entrepreneurs should focus on menu diversification. For example, offering light snacks at juice and smoothie venues can both boost sales and cause customers to spend more time in the establishment. ### Risk If cross-selling is not managed properly, the brand identity may weaken. Customers come to the venue only for smoothies; if food offerings create confusion, the quality of the core product may take a back seat. ### DK's view Cross-selling accelerates growth in franchising, but in Azerbaijan it is more critical to maintain the simplicity of the concept.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened its 1700th branch and signed a contract for 900 new locations; the brand's value reached 1.5 billion dollars. The mechanism behind the growth is simple: directing customers who come for smoothies to also order food — i.e., cross-selling.
Explora Journeys: New strategy in the luxury cruise industry
### What happened
Shanghai revives its night economy with 200 events
Shanghai city launched a series of night events called "Shanghai Tonight" on June 6, 2026. As part of the program, around 200 events will be held in shopping malls, coastal areas, parks, museums, and neighborhoods. The events are under the slogan "Beyond Expectation" as part of the Shanghai Shopping Festival and Summer Consumption.
Subway Azərbaycanda ilk restoranının rəsmi açılışını etdi!
Dünyanın ən məşhur sürətli xidmət restoran şəbəkələrindən biri olan Subway, Bakıda ilk restoranlarının qapılarını qonaqların üzərinə açıb. İlk üç restoran “Ağ Şəhərdə”, “Caspian Plaza” biznes mərkəzidə və Elmlər Akademiyası yaxınlığında yerləşir.
Salon du Chocolat İstanbula ikinci dəfə gəlir: qlobal şokolad səhnəsi dekabrda Türkiyədə
Şokolad və qənnadı sənayesinin ən nüfuzlu beynəlxalq tədbirlərindən sayılan Salon du Chocolat İstanbul üzrə ikinci buraxılışını 11–12 dekabr 2026 tarixlərində İstanbul Konqres Mərkəzində keçirəcək. "İlham verən dadlar" mövzusu altında, Sözen Group təmsilçiliyi ilə təşkil olunan tədbir dünyaca tanınmış şefləri, sektor peşəkarlarını və şokolad həvəskarlarını eyni platformada birləşdirir.