The Mess Hall
The Mess Hall
Podcast Description
The Mess Hall brings you messy conversations about the topics that matter to the food and beverage industry -- the thorny topics that don't have a simple solution and require nuanced discussion, ideas, and thought. Hosts Maeve Webster and Mike Kostyo of food industry consulting firm Menu Matters bring in expert guests -- chefs, anthropologists, beverage consultants, marketing experts -- to dive into one provocative topic each episode. Plus, Maeve and Mike start each show with a look at attention-getting research, data, and news that impacts food industry professionals, and each episode ends with five questions, from "What is your hospitality pet peeve?" to "What is something you've changed your mind about?" This conversational, funny, and thought-provoking series is a must-listen for anyone who works in foodservice or CPG: chefs, R&D, sales, marketing, supply chain, regulatory, nutrition, agriculture, C-suite, and beyond. For more information about Menu Matters, visit menumatters.com
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on thought-provoking topics such as nostalgia's impact on the food industry, the decline of traditional marketing tools like coupons, and generational shifts in social engagement with episodes exploring issues like Gen Z's party habits and the balance between nostalgia and innovation.
The Mess Hall brings you messy conversations about the topics that matter to the food and beverage industry — the thorny topics that don’t have a simple solution and require nuanced discussion, ideas, and thought. Hosts Maeve Webster and Mike Kostyo of food industry consulting firm Menu Matters bring in expert guests — chefs, anthropologists, beverage consultants, marketing experts — to dive into one provocative topic each episode. Plus, Maeve and Mike start each show with a look at attention-getting research, data, and news that impacts food industry professionals, and each episode ends with five questions, from “What is your hospitality pet peeve?” to “What is something you’ve changed your mind about?” This conversational, funny, and thought-provoking series is a must-listen for anyone who works in foodservice or CPG: chefs, R&D, sales, marketing, supply chain, regulatory, nutrition, agriculture, C-suite, and beyond. For more information about Menu Matters, visit menumatters.com
In this episode of The Mess Hall, we start off the show by looking at some of the brands and products that are killing it right now, from a marketing message from a knife sharpening brand to the Savannah Bananas to one of the best hotels we stayed at in 2025. Then we dive into the Menu Matters Consumer Need for 2026 — consumers are just looking for the food and beverage industry to keep it real. In a world of AI slop and general distrust, how can brands and companies showcase the real human-focused ideas, solutions, ingredients, and products that will resonate in the year ahead? We also look at the five sub-trends that can help you solve for this need, from cutting through the noise to making food experiences more meaningful.
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