Nicole Patel

What are some food & packaging trends impacting quick-service restaurants in 2026? Sabert's Senior Vice President of Innovation, Ricardo De Genova shares his thoughts with QSR on what the industry should consider as the new year is right around the corner. Read more here: https://ow.ly/qKcN50XvPXi

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Friday Flavor Trends: Why Bread Means Business This isn’t your average carb talk—breads now serve as profit-driving powerhouses. Learn how premium breads can transform menu items like burgers, sandwiches, and more, boosting brand appeal and guest satisfaction. 🔗 Explore the full article and rethink your bread strategy: https://ow.ly/jK9o50Wh205

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Korean foods aren’t just having a moment—they are shaping the moment for Asian flavors across the U.S. foodservice spectrum. And diners are sending a clear signal to restaurants: Keep Korean cuisine coming. Injecting a little “Seoul power” doesn’t mean a brand’s core menu must undergo a seismic shift. Simple menu tweaks—often to existing diner favorites—can have big flavor impact. Let gochujang lead the way. Read on: https://lnkd.in/e3pRJ_Mn

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GLP-1s are reducing appetites, which means consumers are seeking extra functionality in the food they buy. At the forefront of that functionality is fiber. For many taking these medications, fiber intake is a real concern. Stand out by being the brand that makes managing it easy. Source: https://lnkd.in/g3CAksdi

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If you bring French wine into the U.S. market, consider prechecking the label for COLA compliance with COLAClear dot com. The platform now pre-screens the label for U.S. distribution. Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Pouilly-Fuissé, Sancerre, Margaux, Chablis, Côtes du Rhône — about 190 AOCs across Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Rhône, Alsace, and Loire, validated under TTB's imported-wine appellation rules.  Federal mandatory checks run alongside: government health warning, sulfite declaration, importer name and address, ABV, country of origin, varietal validity, net contents.  The appellation list is sourced from France's official appellation authority and cross-checked against TTB's 2025 dataset of approved labels — 198 French AOCs appear on at least one approved label this year. Grounded in actual practice, not assumption. Free during beta at colaclear dot com. Full link listed in the comments. #CertificateOfLabelApproval #WineLabels #TTBCompliance #COLAClear #LabelDesign

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To make the most out of a big industry event like Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) First, it requires 1️⃣ a plan of action, and 2️⃣ a skilled team of tradeshow connoisseurs to divide, conquer, and compile their notes. So, we sent Richie Betancourt, John T. Black, Joe Harvey CFS and Luis Martinez to get the job done. 💪 There was SO MUCH to take in, but this dream team managed to condense their findings into these major takeaways from the event: https://lnkd.in/efvfR-up #FoodScience #FoodInnovation #ProductDevelopment

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Food Recalls on the Rise: How FDA Cuts Are Putting Customers, Retailers, and Restaurants at Risk #Food #Restaurant #Grocery #CStore #FoodReCalls #GrocerantGuru #Foodservice https://lnkd.in/gAhcMsC4

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Is the wine industry correcting course, or changing for good? Shawn Zizzo shares his perspective on what the State of the Industry discussion from Unified 2026 signals for the wine industry right now. From supply correction to shifting consumer behavior, this moment feels more structural than cyclical. If you are responsible for planning, forecasting, or long-term strategy, these signals matter. Read the article here: 👉 https://claret.la/45WloOz #SupplyChainPlanning #Forecasting #BeverageIndustry #BevAlc #WineBusiness #IndustryPerspective #ClaretSolutions

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Airflow is better in a single-wide oven. Here's why 👇🏼 The breakpoint in a single-wide oven: - flows straight across to cook each piece of product on that level - flows across products again as it moves to the other side of the oven This provides more consistent and faster cooking of your product. The breakpoint in a double-wide oven: - does NOT flow straight across both trucks - only comes from one side of the truck This means the product closer to the oven walls cooks faster, giving you a less consistent and longer cook. We explain much more in this article 👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/g3hrDmCd

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📢 Flavor trends shaping the future of campus dining Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services 2025 Fall Flavor Forecast shows how Gen Z tastes are driving innovation in foodservice. From smoky flavor layers and TikTok-inspired recipes to Filipino cuisine and global breakfasts, students are setting the agenda for what’s next on menus. Dining halls are proving grounds for tomorrow’s consumer expectations. Translating social buzz and global inspiration into scalable, approachable products could be key to staying ahead. 👉 https://brnw.ch/21wW80C #FoodInnovation #ProductDevelopment #FlavorTrends #GenZConsumers #CampusDining #Foodservice #FoodAndBeverage [ IMAGE COURTESY OF: Chartwells Higher Education ]

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SAN ANTONIO JUST GOT A NEW TEQUILA BRAND WITH A STORY WORTH PAYING ATTENTION TO 🥃🔥 A San Antonio-based tequila label — El Perrito — is making moves on its hometown turf, blending heritage storytelling with modern branding and community roots. It’s another example of how locally born spirits can break through not by mimicking big brands, but by leaning into authentic identity and regional personality. Here’s what stands out: 📍 Community-First Branding El Perrito isn’t just another tequila — it’s a brand that celebrates local culture, personalities, and place-based pride. 📍 Regional Identity Matters In an age of globalized spirits, consumers are craving stories they can connect to on a personal level — especially those tied to geography and lived experience. 📍 Craft Meets Culture Instead of leaning solely on hype or heritage alone, this launch blends both with accessible, modern flair — exactly what appeals to drinkers today. 📍 Local Roots, Broader Ambition San Antonio — a city with deep culinary and cultural history — now has another homegrown brand that reflects its vibe but also has national potential. What this underscores for the industry: Consumers are drawn to brands with personality, place, and meaning — not just a label on a shelf. That’s why locally driven stories continue to outperform generic positioning — they feel real in a world of noise. And for every small distillery or craft brand out there thinking, “How do we break through?” Start with story. Start with place. Start with people. The rest follows. #BeverageIndustry #Tequila #CraftSpirits #BrandStory #LocalBrands #DrinkCulture #Innovation #MarketTrends #SanAntonio #Authenticity

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Panera Bread is readying a multimillion-dollar turnaround strategy, and its chief executive wants less iceberg lettuce in the mix. 🔗 https://on.wsj.com/3LWWXt3 The St. Louis-based chain known for its sandwiches and salads is overhauling its menu, operations and decor as part of an effort to reverse years of stagnant sales growth. Among the changes: Many salads will again feature romaine lettuce, after Panera last year swapped in lower-cost iceberg greens in some of its mixes. “No one likes iceberg,” said Paul Carbone, CEO of Panera Brands, parent company to Panera Bread, Einstein Bros. Brands and Caribou Coffee. Panera, which is part of Panera Brands, helped pioneer the fast-casual restaurant model but has stumbled during the past decade. Competition from Chipotle, Cava and other restaurant chains grew, while Panera fell out of fashion with many consumers. Cutting customer favorites like black-bean soup didn’t help, and some new items like flatbread pizza didn’t catch on. The company said Tuesday that it aimed to boost Panera’s annual sales to $7 billion by 2028, from around $6 billion currently, by drawing more customers and adding restaurants. Panera’s controlling shareholder—investment firm JAB—and chain franchisees have committed to spending tens of millions of dollars on the new multiyear turnaround effort, Carbone said. “The guest doesn’t dislike us, they just have forgotten about us,” Carbone said.

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For the last year, I’ve been saying Wall Street is analyzing foodservice distribution through a 2010 lens while the industry has already moved into a 2030 operating model. The recent earnings cycle from Sysco, PFG, and US Foods only reinforced it. This is no longer just a broadline distribution battle. It’s becoming a war over: • route density • downstream consumption occasions • convenience access • hybrid fulfillment • data visibility • frequency economics • and alternative channel ownership That’s why I believed Sysco’s move toward Restaurant Depot made strategic sense long before it became consensus discussion. It wasn’t just about buying volume. It was about buying back fragmented independent share behavior. Operators no longer buy through a single channel. They buy through ecosystems. Meanwhile, I still think the market underestimates what PFG quietly built through: • Core-Mark • Vistar • Eby-Brown • Cheney Brothers • convenience distribution • vending • micro markets • theater • office coffee • and alternative routes to consumption At some point, the market may stop valuing these businesses as “foodservice distributors” and start valuing them as food-away-from-home infrastructure ecosystems. That’s a very different conversation. And honestly, I think we’re still early. How do you see this evolving now that the lines between broadline, convenience, redistribution, cash & carry, and alternative fulfillment models continue to blur? #Foodservice #FoodserviceDistribution #DistributionStrategy #SupplyChain #ConvenienceRetail #CashAndCarry #RestaurantIndustry #FoodDistribution #RouteToMarket #CustomerExperience #Logistics #MPMCInsights

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What's the hottest trend dominating menus right now? "Swicy" - the flavor phenomenon that artfully combines sweet and spicy ingredients to create multi-dimensional taste experiences customers can't resist. Our latest foodservice blog explores why swicy works, how to create swicy flavors, and recipe inspiration for your menu in the new year. Read the full blog: https://loom.ly/STHq4aM

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From GLP-1-friendly menu innovations to bold beverage creations and “swavory” flavor mashups, new menu trends are shaping the future of foodservice. The latest U.S. and Canada State of the Menu reports highlight the trends, forecasts and strategies operators are using to stay competitive. Read the full press release in the Technomic newsroom: https://zurl.co/MKiuL

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If Trends Went to a Party… Who Would Stay All Night? Honored to be featured in Menu Matters LLC Matters’ Mess Hall on the topic of food industry trends. In our conversation, we explored how different trends would behave at a party — which ones arrive loud, which quietly reshape the room, and which slip out early. We unpacked how to determine longevity, how to make sense of conflicting indicators, which trend is unlikely to take off in 2026, and most importantly, how to make a trend relevant to your brand instead of chasing it blindly. A big thank you to Mike Kostyo and Maeve Webster for the thoughtful spotlight and lively discussion. Watch the full podcast here: https://lnkd.in/e7SpwG65 #FoodIndustry #TrendForecasting #InnovationStrategy #MenuMatters #CulinaryTides #SuzyBadaracco Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e7SpwG65

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Flavor innovation is fueling the next wave of growth in convenience foodservice and consumer packaged goods. But not every trend has staying power. At #NACSShow2025, Philip Santini, Senior Director of Foodservice and Bar Strategy at Rutter's breaks down how to balance creativity with business savvy, and how to spot the difference between a fleeting fad and a flavor worth betting on. Learn how to turn Limited Time Offers into Lifetime Customer Value from our takeaways below.

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Discover the three flavors shaping menu innovation in 2025, based on exclusive MenuData insights from the National Restaurant Association Show. Which flavor trend do you think will dominate menus in the next 6 months? Save this for your next menu planning session. #FoodTrends #RestaurantInnovation #FoodIndustry #MenuInnovation

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