Series The Mess Hall

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

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Engineered by: Gabriel Jean
Produced by: Mike Kostyo, Maeve Webster, Gabriel Jean

Has The Alcohol Industry Lost A Generation?

Has The Alcohol Industry Lost A Generation?

On this episode of The Mess Hall, Mike and Maeve share the hospitality moments that stood out on a trip to Tampa, from a bubble-wrap save in the Columbia Restaurant gift shop to a $50 tableside mozzarella that was well worth the price. Then wine and spirits data expert Alli Meyer joins us to dig into what's really happening with alcohol: ...
How do we build a better convenience store?

How do we build a better convenience store?

In this episode of The Mess Hall, Mike and Maeve dig into the freshest data from their 2026 Consumer Needs Mid-Year Update Survey. They share the findings that surprised them most: why younger consumers say 2026 has gone better than expected and what that streak of American optimism means for food innovation, plus they unpack consumer ...
Can We Measure Food Craveability?

Can We Measure Food Craveability?

In this episode of The Mess Hall, Mike and Maeve check in on their 100 Recipe Challenge, a year-long project to cook 100 new recipes from cookbooks they've collected. They compare progress, debate the merits of following recipes to the letter versus trusting your gut, share their favorite and least favorite dishes so far, and go down a rabbit ...
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