Consumers are craving both comfort and innovation — but how can food and beverage leaders strike the right balance? And what does that mean for brand collaborations?

Menu Matters vice president Mike Kostyo joins Food Institute vice president Chris Campbell to discuss the push and pull between nostalgic favorites and bold new product launches in this inaugural episode of Food for Thought Leadership, The Food Institute's podcast featuring insights from the executives shaping the future of food.

From menu innovation to shifting consumer values, the discussion explores how brands can stay relevant without losing their heritage and strategic insights designed to help executives navigate today’s fast-changing marketplace.

More about Mike Kostyo:

Mike Kostyo is the Vice President of Menu Matters, a food industry consulting firm based in Chicago. Kostyo was a recurring guest on Fusion TV’s “The AV Club Show”; has been featured on NBC Nightly News, WGN Radio, CBS Radio and Gimlet Media’s “Why We Eat What We Eat” podcast; is regularly featured in newspapers and magazines; speaks at numerous conferences across the country annually; and was a judge on Food Network’s “Eating America.” He has a master’s degree in gastronomy from Boston University, plus certificates in the culinary arts, baking arts, wine and artisan cheese production. He is also a freelance writer, serves on the board of the International Foodservice Editorial Council, and is on the advisory committee for the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at the Market Center of the Ozarks. Follow Mike on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrkostyo/

More about Menu Matters:

As avid cooks, restaurant-goers—and, yes, perpetual networkers!—our work is driven by a genuine interest in the creators and consumers who shape the world of food. So rather than deliver sterile data or impersonal insights, we strive to understand the deeper social, economic and cultural trends that drive noteworthy shifts in our industry. Whether speaking at conferences, traveling to the hottest culinary markets or investing in long-term relationships with business leaders and tastemakers, the real value of our services is rooted in our insatiable curiosity for all things F+B.

We meet clients with the same people-first perspective, seeking to understand the operational concerns and stakeholder structures that influence their unique decision-making processes. Serving as an organic extension of their in-house teams, we partner closely with individuals across various fields of expertise to generate impactful solutions and identify new opportunities. By looking at business challenges from these diverse perspectives—and within a broader socio-cultural context—we can more effectively empower clients to implement innovative strategies that challenge the status quo. Learn more about Menu Matters here: https://www.menumatters.com/