Menu Matters Monthly Minute | September 2025
How do you feel about pumpkin spice?
You know us — we love to start with a provocative question. And pumpkin spice is one of those perennial argument-starters.
On the one hand, there’s no doubt we have hit pumpkin spice overload, with the flavor showing up in everything from deodorant to scented car washes.
On the other hand, there is a cohort of consumers who love pumpkin spice and look forward to it every year — and what’s the harm in that? Starbucks had their best Tuesday ever when they launched this year’s PSL.
Wherever you fall in the debate, we love to tackle these types of thorny questions, whether it’s on our podcast or working on a project together. As you plan your end-of-year projects and begin thinking about 2026, we’d love to work with you. Research projects, innovation sessions, social listening, market immersions, content development — how can you infuse human-centric, data-backed insights into your brand?
Send us a quick email — we’d love to chat.
Did You Know?
If consumers could translate their favorite favorite food into a piece of music, it would be “slow.”
When we asked consumers to translate their favorite food into a piece of music, 38% mentioned the word “slow,” while only 16% said “fast.” The top type of music they mentioned? Piano.
We live in a world that is full of sensory overload. Our devices are constantly beeping at us, we get work emails at all hours of the day, and our environments are louder and more stimulating than ever. Is it any wonder that 1 in 5 people globally shows enhanced sensitivity to environmental or emotional stimuli?
While there is always a place for fun, exciting, vibrant restaurants and in-your-face foods, sometimes the food industry considers those options to be the ONLY way to grab consumer attention. But there is a demand for more relaxing environments, for brands that feel like a reprieve from the world, and for meals that call to mind a relaxing piece of music.
Best of LinkedIn
Do you follow Maeve and Mike on LinkedIn? From their #MondaySparks (three creative ideas to jumpstart the week) to their popular #FridayFive (five things they learned in the past week) and beyond, here are five posts that earned plenty of engagement last month:
What happens when people prefer their AI doctors?
How to make a solo diner feel special.
Is the most authentic parmesan made in Wisconsin?
How can you find — and create — poetry in the everyday?
Are we overprotecting kids in the real world and underprotecting them online?
You can catch every #FridayFive, #MondaySparks, and more from Maeve and Mike on LinkedIn. Follow Maeve here and Mike here.
CHAAK Kitchen
Try This! Maeve & Mike’s 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.
“Maeve and I ran a market immersion for a client in the Orange County area last month, specifically focusing on tacos, burritos, and Mexican cuisine. While every stop was delicious in its own way, it was our final stop at CHAAK Kitchen that I can’t get out of my head. Chef Gabbi Patrick combines Yucatecan and Mayan influences with inspiration from the Mediterranean, Middle East, and beyond, meaning you’ll find a lamb merguez huarache with citrus labneh and zhoug, or an insane cherrywood smoked half chicken with house roti. And if you’re in the area, stop by Alta Baja, an expertly-curated market with one of the largest selections of Mexican wines, a huge bean selection, and an entire Michelada menu. We loved it so much we went twice.” MIKE
“We've done two events now at Linger, a concept in a former mortuary in Denver, and they have knocked it out of the park each time. The staff here - front and back of house - show such pride in what they do, and are clearly excited to share it with their diners. Employee-owned, Linger is a restaurant that loves food, loves experimentation, and loves sharing new ideas with its diners. If you haven't been and you'll be anywhere close to Denver, go out of your way. It will be more than worth it.” MAEVE
“While in Japan on New Year’s Day this year, a friend and I headed to Itoya, the 12-story stationery store where everyone was buying their planner for the year ahead. This month I decided I would buy one for 2026, but that sent me down the rabbit hole of planner fanatics. I originally thought about a Hobonichi Techo, the cult favorite planner that is so popular it resulted in four-hour lines when the 2026 versions were released at Paper & Pencil, my favorite stationery shop in Chicago. But once you start researching, you discover questions you didn’t know you had (“Do I think vertically or horizontally?” “Do I plan the weekend or not?” “Do I want the full months in their own section or before the weekly pages?” “Do I also want to journal in my planner?” “Does my week start on Sunday or Monday?”), as well as extremely opinionated planner addicts (if you want to get one worked up, ask them their opinion of Tomoe River paper). After researching the popular options, including the premium Hemlock & Oak, the customizable Traveler’s Notebook, the nature-inspired Sterling Ink, and the upstart Aura Estelle, I decided on a Wonderland222 Weekly Planner in the A5 Size, with vertical weeks and stacked weekends. We’ll see if it is the beginning of a new, more organized life.” MIKE
Let’s Meet Up
Des Moines, IA - October 1 - Client Event
Kalamazoo, MI - October 7 - Client Event
Kansas City, MO - October 6-9 - Client Event
Lexington, KY - October 13-14 - Client Event
Chicago, IL - November 17 - 21 - Client Event
New York, NY - December 4 - New York Produce Show Foodservice Forum
Do taste and flavor even matter anymore?
The latest episode the Menu Matters podcast — The Mess Hall, where we have messy conversations about the thorny topics that matter to the food and beverage industry — is here.
In this episode, we chat with Chef Andrew Hunter who is a consulting chef for brands like Wolfgang Puck, Niman Ranch, and Kikkoman. What starts as a conversation about the difference between taste and flavor and whether the two even matter to today's social media-centric consumers quickly dives into a range of topics, from what brand authenticity means to Arby's to Dubai chocolate to whether massive chains will even exist in the future. And, to kick off the episode, we chat about whether a smoothie should ever cost $30 and discuss our experience trying the ketchup smoothie at Tropical Smoothie King. Plus, we close out the episode with our five questions, where Chef Andrew covers everything from his preferred terminology for non-alcoholic beverages to his favorite food-centric TV show.
We hope you'll give it a listen. You can find it on all of your favorite podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Overcast).
