What a show! Dot Innovations 2026 reminded us why we love this industry and the incredible people in it! Connecting with customers, partners, and friends — on the show floor and in our sessions — was the highlight of our year so far.

From a beautiful evening honoring Culture and Leadership in Foodservice alongside Rooted Food Sales and Foodservice Women’s Alliance, to two powerhouse presentations from our own Renee Lee Wege and Megan Lynberg — this year’s event was one for the books. Here’s a look at what we covered.

Trends Deglazed: Tasting & Conversation with Renee Lee Wege

Datassential Trendologist and Senior Publications Manager Renee Lee Wege took attendees on a flavor-forward journey through the ingredients and global cuisines poised to shape the next wave of food and beverage innovation. The session wasn’t just a presentation — it was a tasting, a conversation, and a peek into the future of menus.

Nearer-Term: Watch These Ingredients Now

Renee kicked things off with trends that are already gaining serious traction and primed for operator action.

• Toum — the intensely garlicky, light, and fluffy Lebanese dip — has grown 20% on menus over the past four years, and the vampires don’t stand a chance. Available through Dot, toum is a versatile condiment ready for mainstream menus.
• Goldenberry, a tangy tomato lookalike that tastes like a cross between pineapple and mango, has doubled on menus over the past four years (+100%). Also available through Dot, it’s a fruit with serious culinary range and a flavor profile that bridges sweet and savory effortlessly.
• Yuzu is another one to watch — Datassential’s Menucast AI predicted 4.4% menu penetration for yuzu by 2025, and it landed at 6.6%. When the data says grow, it means it.

Future-Forward: Get Ahead of the Curve

For operators and innovators thinking two to four years out, Renee spotlighted a cohort of ingredients that are still early-stage but climbing fast.

• Camu Camu: Could this be the next big superfood berry? It has 60x more vitamin C than an orange, and while only 8% of consumers have tried it, it’s already showing +133% growth on menus over the past four years — with +64% more predicted growth ahead. Available through Dot.
• Amchur: Powdered dried unripe green mango adds a tangy, bright, sour punch to dishes and has grown +200% on menus in four years — riding the wave of Indian cuisine, the 3rd fastest-growing cuisine type in the U.S. (34% of consumers love or like it).
• Injeolmi: Chewy glutinous rice cakes dusted with soybean powder are showing up in lattes and croffles alike — and 40% of consumers who’ve tried it love or like it. No surprise, given Korean is now the 2nd fastest-growing cuisine type in the U.S.
• Fermented Black Beans: 37% of consumers are interested in trying them, and their umami depth is already showing up in inventive dishes from New Orleans to L.A.
• Awaze: The spicy Ethiopian condiment that moonlights as a dipping sauce or marinade is still early — but African cuisine holds the top spot for fastest-growing cuisine type in the U.S. Get ahead of it now.

Three Ideas to Take Away

Renee left the room with three ready-to-pitch concepts: a dish pairing amchur and toum, lemon pepper chicken wings with a Global Ranch Duo (toum and spicy awaze ranch), and a Caramel “Coquito” Latte with Camu Camu. Creative, craveable, and menu-ready.

Yes, And: Operating in the Age of Contradiction with Megan Lynberg

Datassential SVP of Client Strategy Megan Lynberg tackled one of the most pressing challenges in foodservice today: how do you build a winning strategy when your consumers are a bundle of contradictions? Her keynote, “Yes, And: Operating in the Age of Contradiction,” broke down three central tensions shaping the landscape right now.

Bigger is Better vs. Too Much of a Good Thing

Portion size is a battleground. 70% of consumers agree that smaller portions or higher prices signal less value — but 46% have also been surprised by how large a portion was in the past month, and 33% have eaten past the point of comfort because they didn’t want to waste food.

Enter GLP-1 medications, which are quietly reshaping expectations. GLP-1 users who eat away from home are more active diners than you’d expect (76% get food away from home at least weekly), but 62% would rather pay more for a portion that fits their appetite than get more food they won’t finish — compared to just 49% of the broader away-from-home consumer base.

The takeaway? It’s about control. Operators who give consumers smarter, more flexible choices — think Olive Garden’s lighter portions, P.F. Chang’s medium sizes, or Maggiano’s expanded Family Style — are positioned to win across the spectrum.

Health vs. Indulgence

The protein renaissance is real — meat is back, and consumers are leaning in even as prices climb. But indulgence isn’t going anywhere either. “Little treat culture” is emotionally driven and financially strategic: 69% of consumers say little treats are how they bring joy into their lives while staying financially responsible.

The numbers back it up: 50% of consumers reach for a snack when they’re feeling down, 70% of Gen Z had a snack in place of a traditional meal at least once in the past week, and 68% of Gen Z had a drink, snack, or dessert just to brighten their day.

And for GLP-1 users? 87% are interested in tasting flights or sampler portions — a format that’s already exploding, with “flight” growing +74% on dessert menus and “platter” growing +96% over the past four years.

The strategy: lead with flavor and craveability, build bridging items that let both health and indulgence impulses coexist, and don’t underestimate the power of compelling menu language.

Impulse vs. Intention

In a K-shaped economy, consumers at every income level are making calculated decisions — but the emotional drivers vary wildly. The little treat value winners Megan highlighted ranged from a $1.99 Panera Asiago Croissant Twist to a $6.99 Applebee’s Sizzlin’ Cookie Dough Pie, each hitting different emotional needs: control, permission, and security.

The key takeaway: you can’t be everything to everyone. Understand which emotional need your brand is best positioned to serve — and design your menu and messaging to deliver on that promise, consistently.

Thank You, Dot Innovations 2026

Grateful as always to the Dot Foods team for an incredible event, and to every operator, supplier, and industry friend who stopped by, asked a sharp question, or tasted something unexpected. This community makes the work worth doing.

Want to dig deeper into the data? Visit datassential.com/dot to download our special report bundle, or request a demo or ask for more information here.