Mike Snider
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY who pulls consumer-facing stories across food, money, technology and entertainment into clear, service-driven coverage with a strong emphasis on what changes mean for everyday people. His recent work clusters around national restaurant chains, food brands, deals and product launches while drawing on a long background covering technology, home entertainment and media businesses. He stands out from a generic food reporter by treating food stories as part of a wider consumer landscape, connecting promotions, corporate moves and policy-driven lists to how people eat, shop and spend.
National restaurant chains, food brands and deals
Snider’s food coverage focuses on national chains, recognizable brands and limited-time offers rather than recipe or chef-driven storytelling.
He reports on closures and contractions at large Tex-Mex and other restaurant chains, tracking how many locations are affected and the implications for customers who rely on those outlets for everyday meals. He covers promotional events such as National Cheeseburger Day, detailing which major fast-food brands participate, what deals or free items are offered, and any time or location restrictions that matter for consumers planning a visit. He writes about product collaborations like Cheez-It’s beer cheese crackers with Coors Light, explaining launch timing, nationwide availability and how long the flavor will remain in stores. His reporting also includes consumer-focused food safety and policy stories, such as the “Dirty Dozen” list of fruits and vegetables with the most and least pesticides, laying out which items top each list and how those rankings were determined.
Across these pieces, he consistently foregrounds what diners and grocery shoppers can expect - whether chains are closing, new flavors are arriving, or certain produce may merit extra scrutiny.
Food as part of business, politics and consumer finance
Snider frequently situates food stories within the broader worlds of business, politics and personal finances. His coverage of a sushi chain investment by a high-profile political figure links restaurant expansion and corporate strategy to campaign-era branding and the everyday experience of eating at those establishments.
He explains how benefit schedules and government payments such as Supplemental Security Income checks are timed during specific months, spelling out calendar dates and helping readers understand when money will arrive and how that affects household budgeting. Even when the subject is primarily political or business-oriented, he gravitates toward the practical impact on consumers, whether that is how often they may encounter a brand name from breakfast through bedtime or how investment decisions might change the mix of dining options available.
This approach makes his food beat work distinct: corporate and political developments are filtered through what they mean for access, prices and choices at the table.
Technology, streaming and home entertainment
Snider brings decades of technology and home entertainment experience into his current trending news role.
Professional profiles note that he joined USA TODAY in 1990, first reporting on medical topics before shifting to the digital revolution in home entertainment and expanding into broader media business coverage. He has covered digital life and entertainment - including streaming video and music, video games and related services - for years, focusing on how new formats and platforms reshape everyday leisure.
Recent stories on the new Beats 360 headphones combine hands-on impressions with clear explanations of features, sound quality and comfort, giving readers enough detail to decide whether the devices fit their listening habits and budgets. His article on Google’s free flight simulator highlights how to access the tool, what users can do with it and why it might appeal as a no-cost way to explore aviation experiences from home.
Coverage of NFL Sunday Ticket explains how fans can obtain the package at a discount or free through specific promotions and subscriptions, again emphasizing the intersection of technology, entertainment and consumer value. This long-running focus on the practical side of tech and streaming helps frame his food and money stories as part of a larger pattern: he consistently explains how services and products work, what they cost and how they change everyday routines.
Entertainment events and everyday trending news
Beyond food and technology, Snider covers entertainment events and cultural moments in ways that mirror his service-first approach.
His story on Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s last concert being shown in theaters sets out where and when fans can see the performance, how tickets are being sold and why the event matters to longtime listeners. He contributes to graphics and explainer packages that walk through how often a prominent political brand might show up across daily life, collaborating with colleagues to map that presence from breakfast products through nighttime services. Across different beats, he maintains a consistent style: accessible headlines, straightforward explanations and a focus on timing, availability and impact on ordinary readers.
The result is a profile of a reporter who treats food, tech, entertainment and politics as connected parts of the same story about how people live, spend and entertain themselves, with national chains and mainstream services as his primary terrain.
4 more food journalists.
Aaron Guerrero
Aaron Guerrero is head of the digital department at Miami’s Community Newspapers, where he pairs restaurant coverage with community-facing content. He focuses on how Miami-area restaurants evolve, celebrate, and experiment through new concepts, menus, and neighborhood-focused dining experiences. He reports on restaurant openings, such as an Italian food hall at Plaza Coral Gables, new executive lunch menus, and wood-fired Latin steakhouse brunches, explaining what sets each venue apart. He also covers awards, like a Wine Spectator honor for an Italian chophouse, and events that turn dining rooms into social hubs. His bylines extend to features on sports-themed gatherings, civic renamings, local visits to restaurant programs, sponsored community pieces, and official notices. His work is straightforward and descriptive, helping readers and local businesses connect around specific openings, promotions, and dining experiences.
Aarron Fleming
Aarron Fleming reports on how courts, jails and public safety systems work over time. He is a reporter at The Daily Memphian covering public safety, the local court system, suburban news and business developments in North Mississippi. His work follows trials, sentencing, appeals, plea deals and judicial decisions, including major cases tied to Tyre Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also covers jail conditions, inmate deaths, crime data, prosecution units, trafficking, shootings and public-order incidents. His suburban reporting examines cannabis businesses, restaurant openings and how commercial growth affects communities such as Olive Branch. Fleming previously covered education in the same newsroom. He uses clear, unadorned prose to explain legal steps, deadlines, institutional problems and the political, commercial and community effects of public-safety decisions.
Alana Al-Hatlani
Alana Al-Hatlani is a food writer and editor who treats recipes, restaurants, and food features as ways to explore culture, community, and the business of eating. She works on the food team at Southern Living, overseeing and contributing to print recipes and reported features. Her pastry-focused, restaurant-tested perspective comes from time in restaurant and bakery kitchens. She helps plan and write monthly food packages, including “The South’s Most Treasured Desserts,” and wrote “8 Summer Recipes Our Editors Make Every Year.” She also writes recipe tips, ingredient explainers, restaurant guides, and reported stories about workers, owners, and communities. Her subjects include regional specialties, dining scenes, kitchen basics, and food industries. Her work has appeared with OpenTable and Yahoo. She reports on the ground, explains techniques clearly, and connects specific dishes and places to larger stories about food and livelihood.
Alana Edgin
Alana Edgin is a business reporter whose strongest focus is food, restaurants and consumer-facing businesses. She works at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and has also had work syndicated across AOL and Yahoo News. She covers new openings, closings, expansions and franchise growth, along with retail, health, services, corporate news, data incidents, business support programs and sponsorships. Her reporting includes detailed roundups of new restaurants and businesses, coverage of El Pollo Loco’s opening, and stories on burger trucks, dessert shops, Vietnamese sandwich restaurants and gourmet markets. She also contributes to food and drink reviews, including fall coffee and jerky comparisons. Edgin reports with practical “what, when, where” details, structured comparisons and clear explanations of how offers, partnerships and business changes affect consumers and the local economy.