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
On this episode of The Mess Hall, Mike and Maeve discuss what they learned from recent hospitality experiences in New Orleans and Denver. What can the food industry learn from a bar packed with orthopedic surgeons, a tableside bananas foster, and a prix fixe menu personalized to your likes and dislikes? Then, Mike and Maeve dig into a hot topic: should the food industry stop using the word “consumer”? They trace the surprising political history of the term, debate what to replace it with, and explore how language across the industry, from “ethnic” cuisine to emoji-laden brand messaging to loyalty programs that inspire no actual loyalty, shapes the way real people feel seen, respected, and valued.
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