A list of the most innovative food businesses for 2025 highlights companies reshaping the restaurant and foodservice landscape. Mediterranean chain Cava topped the list for its focus on in-person experiences, proving that hospitality and human connection are just as vital as efficiency in the evolving food industry.
After being fired in 2008, Melissa Ben-Ishay founded Baked By Melissa, transforming her home-based cupcake baking into a successful business with 14 locations. Known for its innovative flavors and high-quality standards, the company has avoided acquisitions to maintain brand integrity.
Wendy’s has set aspirational financial goals for the next few years and is leveraging innovative practices to achieve them. Capitalizing on various dayparts with compelling value propositions and tapping collaborations are key tools the brand is using to achieve a new era of growth.
Twin Peaks’ executive chef predicts spicy flavors will continue to dominate menus, as consumers increasingly crave regional dishes from Latin America, like birria tacos. Now, more than ever, diners are embracing authentic cuisine.
What will lead to success for coffee chains in 2025? Efficiency, exclusive LTOs … and wrestling prime real estate away from pesky car washes, according to the CEO of Clutch Coffee.
In its quest to revolutionize retail, Amazon Go has faced significant hurdles, from customer confusion to technical difficulties. Amazon’s challenges in brick-and-mortar retail highlight the complexities of adopting cashierless technology.
At the recent Retail’s Big Show event by the NRF, technology took center stage, showing the need for businesses to transform their operations with a digital future in mind. Here’s a look at three themes slated to take over retail in the new year.
While industry experts note that yogurt remains popular due to its ties to gut health trends, they emphasize the need for innovation in portable, health-focused products for brands to stay competitive amid shifting consumer preferences.
At a recent Hugo Boss event, The Food Institute’s Brian Choi and Jump Rope Innovation’s Robyn Carter discussed effective modern leadership and the state of the food industry today.
Join The Food Institute and Nestlé Professional Solutions as we dive into the most relevant issues in the restaurant industry today with Chad Moutray, VP of Research and Knowledge for the National Restaurant Association. What …
The Food Institute hosted Comexposium’s Audrey Ashworth and Anne-Claire Petitcol to preview SIAL Paris 2024 – the largest food and beverage show in the world. Audrey delved into the groundbreaking trends and innovations set to …
Join The Food Institute as we witnessed a new partner launch at the recent NRA Show. Nestlé Professional Solutions and WonderWorks demonstrate how they have come up with effective solutions for foodservice operators, using state-of-the-art technology …
When one combines the concept of premium fast-fine menus with efficient foodservice operations, it seems the resulting product is Wonder! And what better team to partner up in expanding opportunities in foodservice than with Nestlé …
Are the days of artificial red coloring numbered? Perhaps, judging by recent regulations and subsequent moves by major food manufacturers.
Researchers have created a way to make 3D-printed food, including cookies, out of plastic waste. It could be the answer to multiple global issues.
Sweetgreen is leveraging regenerative agriculture to position its new grass-fed steak offering as climate-friendly. Can expanding these agricultural practices offset beef’s massive carbon footprint?
The origins of kombucha are shrouded in legend, and the drink’s murky beginnings remained in relative obscurity—at least to western palates—until its rediscovery in the 20th century in something of a cultural phenomenon.
Served as an LTO, in a restaurant, or at a ball game, fired in a brick oven at 800 degrees or reheated Sunday morning in a battered collegiate microwave after a late night, pizza is a tough business that can yield great rewards, revenue, and satisfaction.
The treatment represents an impressive scientific achievement, however, borne from human perseverance to solve major quality-of-life issues. Xolair transcends mere new medical knowledge—it’s a step towards allowing food allergy sufferers to live more freely.
It’s not hard to understand why these companies have found success in a challenging environment. These are comfort food manufacturers (among other things!) whose identities, infrastructure, and revenue are built upon foods people reach for when they’re feeling down, feeling squeezed, or both.
“Tomorrow’s winners will vary how they generate demand across their portfolios, with mass activation for their biggest brands and more targeted treatment for niche and insurgent brands,” Kyle Weza, global co-lead and brand accelerator for Bain & Company, said in the report.
Critics and analysts alike are keen to understand who stands to benefit most from this technology – whether it will primarily serve Amazon’s interests by increasing sales and customer retention, or genuinely improve the consumer experience by offering more personalized and convenient shopping solutions.
There’s also an interesting feedback loop occurring in American consumerism – the tighter the budget becomes, and the more stressed people feel, the more demands they have regarding how they’d like to be accommodated while shopping.
It comes down to how to make craft beer flavor and aroma become credible as a basic refreshment on occasions currently dominated by soft drinks. This is the real NA beverage battle the brand faces.
“Choose a future that puts people first – if we keep doing that, we can help people around the world live a better life. That’s what we want to do – that’s the world we want to help create.”
Sweet baked goods are a hotspot for indulgence-happy consumers, making convenient, sharable treats like cookies a prime target for plant-based innovation.
In terms of the beverage industry overall, this is a very smart play for McDonald’s and other brands will follow.
