Popular podcast finds a new home on the leading network dedicated to food, beverage and culinary storytelling
NEW YORK — September 24, 2026 — The Mess Hall, the podcast tackling the complicated, provocative and often messy issues shaping the food and beverage industry, is joining Heritage Radio Network (HRN), bringing its thought-provoking conversations to one of the food and beverage industry’s most established podcast platforms.
Hosted by Maeve Webster and Mike Kostyo of food industry consulting firm Menu Matters, The Mess Hall explores the thorny topics facing today’s food industry — the questions without easy answers that require nuance, debate and different points of view.
The addition of The Mess Hall expands Heritage Radio Network’s lineup of programming examining the people, businesses, trends and ideas transforming food, beverage, hospitality and consumer culture.
Heritage Radio Network is a media organization and podcast network dedicated to food, beverages and the culinary world. Since its founding in 2009, HRN has worked with thought leaders, chefs, food advocates, entrepreneurs and brands to tell stories from across the food system.
Tackling the Food Industry’s Messiest Questions
The food and beverage industry is confronting a period of extraordinary change. Shifting consumer expectations, economic pressures, evolving definitions of health and wellness, changing attitudes toward alcohol, technology and AI, sustainability concerns, and new expectations around convenience and hospitality are forcing companies to rethink long-held assumptions.
The Mess Hall was created to have the conversations these challenges demand.
Each episode focuses on one provocative issue impacting the food and beverage industry, with Webster and Kostyo joined by experts ranging from chefs and anthropologists to beverage consultants, researchers and marketing professionals.
The result is a conversational, insightful and occasionally irreverent look at an industry undergoing rapid transformation.
Bringing More Industry Conversations to Heritage Radio Network
By joining Heritage Radio Network, The Mess Hall brings its industry-focused perspective to a community deeply engaged with food, hospitality and culinary culture.
The show is designed for professionals across the food ecosystem, including leaders working in foodservice and CPG, chefs, R&D professionals, marketers, sales executives, supply chain leaders, regulatory and nutrition professionals, agricultural stakeholders and the C-suite.
“We’re excited to partner with Heritage Radio Network by bringing our thought leadership in F&B,” said Maeve Webster, President of Menu Matters.
“The best conversations in the food industry often happen when people are willing to tackle the questions that don’t have easy answers,” said Brian Choi, CEO of Heritage Radio Network. “Maeve and Mike have created a show that isn’t afraid to dig into those issues, combine data with different perspectives, and challenge conventional thinking. The Mess Hall is a natural fit for Heritage Radio Network, and we’re excited to bring these conversations to the HRN audience.”
Expanding the Conversation
Heritage Radio Network has been producing food-focused audio programming since 2009 and has built a diverse collection of podcasts spanning food, beverages, agriculture, restaurants, entrepreneurship, sustainability and culinary culture.
The addition of The Mess Hall further expands HRN’s coverage of the business of food, giving listeners access to conversations examining not only what is happening across the industry, but why it is happening and what it could mean next.
Recent episodes have explored questions ranging from whether the alcohol industry has lost a generation and how the industry can build a better convenience store to the challenge of measuring food craveability.
New and existing episodes of The Mess Hall will be available through Heritage Radio Network and major podcast platforms.
About The Mess Hall
The Mess Hall is a food industry podcast hosted by Maeve Webster and Mike Kostyo of Menu Matters. The show brings together research, industry insights and expert perspectives to tackle the complicated issues shaping food, beverage, foodservice and CPG.
Through candid and thought-provoking conversations, The Mess Hall examines the trends, consumer behaviors and industry challenges that don’t have simple solutions — helping food industry professionals better understand what is changing and what it means for their businesses.
For more information, visit The Mess Hall on Heritage Radio Network.
About Menu Matters
Menu Matters is a food industry consulting firm helping companies understand consumers, identify emerging trends and translate insights into business opportunities. Led by Maeve Webster and Mike Kostyo, Menu Matters works across the food and beverage ecosystem to help organizations navigate changing consumer behavior and the evolving marketplace.
For more information, visit menumatters.com.
About Heritage Radio Network
Heritage Radio Network (HRN) is a leading podcast network dedicated to food, beverages and the culinary world. Founded in 2009, HRN produces programming that explores the people, ideas and issues shaping food and uses storytelling to amplify voices, spotlight solutions and inspire change throughout the food system.
For more information, visit heritageradionetwork.org.
Media Contact
Brian Choi
CEO, Heritage Radio Network
Maeve Webster
President, Menu Matters
Mike Kostyo
Vice President, Menu Matters