3 More Mid-Size U.S. Cities Ready for Smarter Restaurant Marketing

By Beatus Mídias · Published September 2026 · 6 min read

Tulsa: chosen for one of the biggest drone-delivery expansions in the U.S.

Manna, an Irish drone-delivery startup, picked Tulsa for a major U.S. expansion in partnership with DoorDash, Uber Eats and McDonald's — targeting 40 bases by mid-2027, with the service launching in September 2026 using roughly 150 aircraft, according to The Journal Record and Silicon Republic. Tulsa is also home to the city's first-ever James Beard Award winner: Cat Cox of Country Bird Bakery took Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker in June 2025. The city's accommodation and food services sector generated $1.919 billion in sales in the most recent economic census.

Richmond: a James Beard semifinalist chef in a historic neighborhood

Chef Leah Branch of The Roosevelt, in Richmond's oldest neighborhood, Church Hill, was named a 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, announced in January 2026, per the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association. Richmond's population grew 4.7% since the 2020 Census to 237,257, driven in part by Virginia Commonwealth University's 29,288 students downtown. Scott's Addition, officially branded "the beverage district" by the city's tourism office, anchors a real, walkable restaurant-and-brewery scene.

Providence: a century of Italian food culture on Federal Hill

Federal Hill, Providence's historic Italian-American neighborhood, has centered the city's food identity since the late 19th century — marked by the landmark Atwells Avenue arch and its "La Pigna" sculpture, and home to a real, active festival calendar: PVDFest, the Rhode Island Seafood Festival, and the Eat Drink RI Festival. Rhode Island's statewide restaurant industry counts 3,065 establishments and $5.3 billion in sales, according to the National Restaurant Association, and Johnson & Wales University brings roughly 8,000 students through one of the country's most established culinary programs.