Menu Matters Monthly Minute | May 2025
The May Menu Matters Monthly Minute (say that five times fast) has gotten a refresh! Earlier this month we were proud to unveil Menu Matters’ new rebrand. It’s a fresh identity (new logos, brand colors, a relaunched website) to celebrate our ten-year anniversary — and usher in the next ten.
And you can see it in action in this month’s newsletter. As always, we’re excited to bring you the latest data, research, ideas, etc. — a few nuggets to inform your work, get the creative juices flowing, and inspire you to stay curious.
We have plenty of surprises ahead for 2025 that we can’t wait to unveil. In the meantime, we’d love to work with you. If you have a project, thorny question, or just want to pick our brains, drop us an email. You can see all of our capabilities here.
In the meantime, let’s welcome warmer weather (we love alliteration) and commit to innovating together in the second half of the year.
DID YOU KNOW?
39% of consumers say their sense of smell becomes the most heightened when they’re hungry.
In fact, smell was the number one choice, above taste (34%) and sight (9%). Think about the sensory experience and craveability — when you’re hungry, the smell of that juicy burger cooking on the griddle, or those cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, becomes an almost all-consuming need.
But how often do you innovate with a focus on smell and aroma? Are you designing menu items and products that excite a consumer through scent when they are at their hungriest? And it’s not just when they are feeling ravenous. As we note in our 2025 Consumer Need States Report, 61% of consumers say they prioritize smell when making any food decision, second only to the 69% who prioritize taste.
How do you create richer, more impactful multi-sensory experiences? That’s the subject of our first Grey Matters Report: “When Did Taste Stop Being Enough? How to Harness the Multi-Sensory Revolution in Food and Beverage,” releasing this summer.
Best of LinkedIn
On LinkedIn, we start the week with our #MondaySparks (three creative ideas to jumpstart the week) and end the week with our #FridayFive (five things we learned in the past week). Here are five of the most popular posts from the past month:
Take the happiness quiz.
What do the cardinals eat at the conclave?
How to stop speaking to seniors like they are children.
How can CPG brands expand beyond their categories?
Everything I learned about lamb in Australia.
You can catch every #FridayFive, #MondaySparks, and more here and here.
Menu Matters in the News
“Why Crispy Chicken is the Latest Battleground in Fast Food,” CNN
“Bahama Breeze Just Closed More Than One-Third of Its Locations,” CNN
“TGI Fridays Changed 85% of Its Menu. Here’s What’s New,” CNN
“Summer is the Time to Plan for a ‘Soup-er’ Fall & Winter,” Deli Business
“Mother’s Day Restaurant, E-commerce Sales Expected to Spike,” SeafoodSource
“5 On-Trend Flavors Inspiring Global Chefs,” Aussie Meat Minute
The Hot List
Delicious meals, excellent hotels, favorite products, thought-provoking books, great TV shows and movies — these are some of Maeve and Mike’s favorite recent discoveries.
“I was lucky enough to go to Australia a few weeks ago to learn about the lamb industry with Meat & Livestock Australia. Some of my favorites were the incredible duck fritters served with pancakes, slaw, and plum sauce at the kinetic Chin Chin (pictured); all of the wines from Yeringburg; a simple and sensational lamb neck with salsa verde at No. 7 Healesville; the Bush Herb Blend from Gewurzhaus with lemon myrtle and bush tomato; and everything at the South Melbourne Market (but make sure to visit the “potato whisperer” at Georgie’s Harvest and the fresh nuts from Nutshoppe).” MIKE
“I came into New Orleans early, ahead of IDDBA, to spend time with my brother. We spent our first night catching up at The Will and the Way, a relaxing bar with some great drinks and food. If you have the opportunity to stop by, try the Loaded Korean Hot Fries with kimchi, beef bulgogi, gochujang aioli, and peanuts or the Chickee-Parm Fries with house marinara and fried basil. I can also recommend the Saint Bibiana cocktail with blackberry, basil and white tea-infused vodka.” MAEVE
“In Australia they had everything from kangaroo burgers on restaurant menus to crocodile jerky at the airport convenience stores. It reminds you that there are an awful lot of protein sources out there, yet we tend to focus on the same few all the time. Case in point: this weekend I made the delicious venison ragu from the always fun-to-read Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook blog. I switched it up a little using a cherry marinara sauce I got in Michigan, but it was well worth the time. Don’t want to use venison? Ground beef will work just as well.” MIKE
"During NRA, we held our client party at the Izakaya at Momotaro. If you haven't been, it is absolute must visit. The cocktails are fantastic as is the food, but what really stands out is the exceptional hospitality provided by every member of their team. They made the event special in ways that just great food and drinks can't. We can't thank them enough for everything they did for us, for taking such great care of us, and for making the night as special as it was.” MAEVE
Let’s Meet Up
New Orleans, LA - June 1-3 - IDDBA
Amherst, MA - June 8-13 - Chef Culinary Conference
Chicago, IL - June 16-17 - Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum
New York, NY - June 18-19 - Client Event (Maeve)
Nashville, TN - June 18- 19 - Client Event (Mike)
New York, NY - June 29 - July 1 - Summer Fancy Food Show
Saskatchewan, Canada - July 22-25 - Lentils.org Farm Tour
Orange, CA - August 25-27 - Client Event
Denver, CA - September 17-19 - Client Event
Oaxaca, Mexico - September 20-26 - Idea Scouting Trip
What was the best restaurant meal you had recently?
For Menu Matters’ 10th Anniversary Client Party at the National Restaurant Association Show, we asked attendees this question. Here are a few of their answers:"
“Coppin’s (Covington, KY). Innovative takes on classic southern dishes and elevated local cuisine. Corn bread madeleines did it for me.” Chase Obenchain
Korean Fried Chicken from Bill Kim’s Ramen Bar in Time Out Market Chicago. It was served on ttoekbokke rice cakes, and was super savory, bit spicy.” Alexei Rudolf
“Chubby Fish in Charleston, SC. The caviar ‘sammich’ has me dreaming of going back daily.” Amber Johnson
“Palm Sugar Ribs at Indo in St. Louis. It represents a regional dish (St. Louis Ribs) while interpreted with Indonesian flare and ingredients.” Kyle Stuart
“Eating at Le Violon in Montreal, Canada — wonderful, unique dishes like persimmon salad prepared simply and with great care, plus a table visit from the chef!” Sabina Kindler
“Thai Diner (New York). Loved the ambiance and the vegan mushroom laab salad has such a wonderful spicy and citrusy punch to it!” Roshni Panchal
“Brunch at Mariscos San Pedro (Chicago, IL). Loved the tuna tostada and guava and cream cheese donut. Great, beachy atmosphere and lovely service.” Liz Grossman
“Yellowtail tartare, watermelon radish, smoked roe, and ponzu from Doro in Jacksonville, FL — fresh, bright, perfect execution in a quaint beachy bistro.” Nicole Linke
We hope you’ll add these industry-approved spots to your must-try list! Thanks to everyone who made it to our event — and for those who couldn’t make it, we look forward to celebrating with you in the future!
