The 2025 Bar & Restaurant Expo kicks off in just a week and a half! This year's education program is robust with sessions for every experience level from start-up to mastery. There are also a variety of topic tracks, including people & staffing, guest experience, and food.
The food track will be chaired by The Food Institute, a multimedia company providing insights-driven content for key decisionmakers in the food and beverage industry.
We caught up with Chris Campbell, vice president of content/client relationships for The Food Institute, to chat about what the company offers the industry, foodservice trends, and more!
What is The Food Institute?
With a farm-to-fork reach since 1928, The Food Institute delivers business news, data, and trends for its global leadership. Through its daily newsletters, articles, research reports, podcasts, webinars, videos, and other digital content, members receive insights quick enough to respond to real-time issues and opportunities in the marketplace.
Tell us more about what you offer to members in terms of reports, data insights, etc.
The Food Institute offers several resources for the food industry. The Food Institute Report is a deep-dive into a specific topic impacting the industry, while we also publish The Food Institute Podcast twice a month to feature important voices within the food scene. We also host several webinars throughout the year to focus on food trends, regulatory issues, market dynamics, and more. Our video team produces engaging content on various food industry topics, and our daily newsletters keep industry participants in the know on the most important issues.
The Food Institute will be chairing our conference’s food track at the 2025 Bar & Restaurant Expo. What do you hope to achieve at the expo?
We hope to help highlight the major challenges and opportunities for the industry in 2025 in our role as chair of the food track. The track is going to feature a great list of guests that will share their real-life experiences about managing bars and restaurants across the country, and this insight will prove invaluable to those who are hoping to learn more about the current state of the restaurant industry.
What trends will the foodservice industry see in 2025?
I believe we will see a heightened focus on international flavors, and especially flavors that combine something familiar with something exotic. Mash-ups like swicy (sweet and spicy) continue to make headwinds with consumers, and I also believe that many consumers are seeking healthier alternatives, which is an opportunity for many foodservice operators.
Currently, what are some of the top challenges facing the foodservice industry?
We expect commodity price fluctuations to impact the industry in a big way this year. While many are looking at tariffs as one of the major forces driving change in the industry this year (and that is true), climate- and pathogen-related issues will impact commodity prices for coffee, eggs, and more.
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Plan to Attend or Participate in Our Events:
- 2025 Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 24-26, 2025, Las Vegas, Nevada. Register Now!
- 2025 Bar & Restaurant Expo Colorado, October 26-28, 2025, Denver, Colorado
To learn about the latest trends, issues and hot topics, and to experience and taste the best products within the bar, restaurant and hospitality industry, plan to attend Bar & Restaurant Expo 2025 in Las Vegas. Visit BarandRestaurantExpo.com.
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