Coca-Cola Is Launching a Booze Brand in Japan

Plus, the organizer of the disastrous food-and-music Fyre Festival pleads guilty to fraud

by Chris Fuhrmeister@ccfuhr Mar 7, 2018, 10:25am EST

Coca-Cola is getting into the booze business, but only in Japan. The canned, flavored drinks will be made with sparkling water and shochu. Jorge Garduño, president of Coca-Cola Japan, says there are no plans to expand the new venture elsewhere. “I don’t think people around the world should expect to see this kind of thing from Coca-Cola,” he says.
Rest in peace, Orin C. Smith, the former Starbucks chief executive officer who preceded Howard Schultz and ran the Seattle-based coffee giant from 2000 to 2005.
Environmental groups are petitioning the ‘Bucks in an effort to get the company to keep its promise and switch to 100 percent recyclable cups.
Indian celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor has opened his first restaurant franchise in the United States. The Yellow Chili is up and running in Los Angeles, and Kapoor found a wife-and-husband team with no industry experience to helm the operation.
A recruiting scandal is shaking up the entire college basketball landscape in America. At least a couple of illicit meals have taken place at North American fondue chain The Melting Pot.
Once considered to be the creme de la creme of the burgeoning home-juicer market, Juicero machines can now be found among discarded electronics at Goodwill stores.

oh wow it's finally here. in the goodwill with the busted keyboards and crusty printers pic.twitter.com/06Qia27yWb
— Massive Vinyl Dragon with Big Baps (@anfael_) March 5, 2018

Billy McFarland, organizer of the infamous Fyre Festival, has pleaded guilty to fraud charges and faces up to 40 years in prison (though he is expected to receive a sentence between 97 and 120 months). McFarland convinced investors and festival attendees he was putting on a music event in the Bahamas with gourmet food and accommodations, but he instead provided flimsy tents and meager rations.
A California teachers group raised $20,000 to send pizzas and bottled water to their striking colleagues in West Virginia. Teachers in the Mountain State are fighting for a five percent pay increase.
Briton Nick Richardson is convinced Pizza Hut is using his likeness on its cardboard delivery boxes. The Hut denies these salacious allegations. A rep explains: “All the artwork imagery on our Pizza Hut boxes, including this picture, feature employees from our creative agency and all of them provided consent for their photos to be used. We have not used any members of the public in this campaign and we can confirm that this photograph is not of Mr. Richardson.” Riveting stuff.
During a visit to the Late Late Show Tuesday, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi told James Corden why she changed her name to “Angelique” in high school. Blame it on nincompoops refusing to learn how to pronounce “Padma.”