A Food Festival That Was All The Rave

The most Gen Z–coded food festival just returned for its third year. It’s bigger than ever and it’s continuing to grow each time—offering a clear blueprint for what younger consumers actually want.

For many years, food festivals have followed a familiar format—chef-driven, multi-day events with tastings, demos, culinary products and legacy media as sponsors.

Now, in the 2020s, we’re seeing a new kind of festival model emerge. New York–based food influencer Jack Goldburg (@jacksdiningroom) brought together 30+ top restaurants in major cities—first New York, and now Los Angeles—for a food event that looks very different from the traditional model.

Yes Chef Food Fest is a two-day event built around constant high energy and intentionally over-the-top experiences. Despite its name, the festival doesn’t lean on celebrity chefs or traditional programming; the lineup spans everything from cult-favorite restaurants to brands like Raising Cane’s. High and low sit side by side, reflecting how younger audiences actually engage with food—less reverence, more experience.

For decades, media companies like Food & Wine helped turn small regional gatherings into destination events. What started as local tastings evolved into multi-day experiences designed to drive tourism, spotlight chefs, and attract national attention. By the 2000s, this model had scaled with celebrity chefs, cooking demos, wine seminars, and large-format tastings.

That model hasn’t disappeared, but it’s worth paying attention to the curation of these newer models and how they are breaking the rules. The mix—high-low, fast food to fine dining—is intentional. It reflects how younger audiences actually eat: fluidly driven more by experience than category.

A Raising Cane’s chicken finger eating contest (yes, really!)

A live tuna cutting… staged like a DJ set.

A full 100 lb pig roast carved on-site, accompanied by Hawaiian dancers.

The VIP tier pushed things even further: an 18-seat Michelin-star “micro omakase” featuring wagyu sliders and premium cuts, a hand-carved prime rib station, Italian truffle tastings, and a lineup of unapologetically luxury-coded offerings.

Indulgence Is The Baseline

The biggest unlock here is that indulgence isn’t a perk anymore—it’s expected.

General admission tickets started at around $45 and it didn’t hold back. Guests weren’t just sampling—they were fully participating. Caviar bites (and bumps), cannolis, unlimited Cane’s chicken tenders, black truffle kielbasa, honey mustard pickle chips, chocolate-covered dates, fresh-cut tuna sashimi, oysters shucked on the spot and so much more. This wasn’t about portioning or restraint—it was about perceived value. If someone is paying for access, the experience has to feel generous, not controlled.

That extended to the smallest details. Buckets of free bottled water on ice were everywhere—something that’s oddly rare at most festivals, where even basic necessities are monetized. It’s a small detail, but it signals something bigger: when the experience is designed to feel abundant, people notice.

“Healthy-Ish” Still Plays By Internet Rules

Even the “better-for-you” brands showed up with the same cultural energy as everything else.

A pickle sampling bar centered around a viral pickle fountain. An LA-style fruit stand served hand-cut fruit with Tajín and citrus. Premium nuts and dried fruit were presented more like lifestyle products than traditional health food.

Larger brands also showed up in ways that aligned with this shift. Pepsi introduced a prebiotic cola while FAGE leaned into clean-label dairy.

The throughline is relevance. That these offerings showing up alongside caviar, truffles, and fried chicken fingers reflects what consumers are engaging with culturally - and online.

The Real Shift: Experience As The Product

This is where the generational difference becomes most apparent.

Younger audiences aren’t just showing up for food—they’re seeking experiences that feel curated, immersive, and worth documenting.

Even the merchandise reflected this mindset: high-quality materials, locally sourced, and designed to be worn beyond the event itself. It functioned as an extension of the experience, rather than a traditional souvenir.

Importantly, the festival wasn’t structured around discovery in the traditional sense. It brought together restaurants that audiences were already familiar with—from TikTok, Instagram, and group chats—and provided a physical space for those existing communities to engage in new ways. The demand was already there; the event simply organized and amplified it through high-energy entertainment—live games and competitions on stage, DJs, lighting, and champagne-fueled moments.

At the same time, indulgence and wellness are no longer seen as opposites. Consumers move fluidly between both. The same audience that seeks out caviar is equally interested in prebiotic soda.

Pickles, caviar, chicken tenders, bone marrow, prebiotic soda—none of these choices are incidental. Anyone who has been reading this column knows these products are social media - and Gen Z darlings. They reflect what is already circulating culturally. In this environment, alignment matters more than being first.

This Model Is Already Spreading

Food influencer Keith Lee (@keith_lee125) is hosting his first-ever “Familee Day” this May in New Orleans—a large-scale event bringing together local restaurants and curated food experiences under a creator-led banner. It’s another expression of the same model: personality-driven, experience-first, and built around what audiences already engage with online.

Insight-OUT: Creating value today isn’t about what you serve—it’s about how it’s experienced. The brands that win are the ones designing moments that feel abundant, intentional, and worth showing up for. It’s not about reverence - it’s about engagement.

This week: McDonald’s handed their competitors a gift — and Wendy’s gave a masterclass in how to win the internet without even starting the fight. Plus, a local restaurant that blew up online thanks to a creative frozen drink, and the gym bro eating trend that’s quietly making its way into the mainstream.

CEO Shenanigans

When McDonalds decided to have their CEO do a video trying their new Big Arch burger, they were likely inspired by the success of young, charismatic CEOs that have become social media darlings, like Damola Adamolekun of Red Lobster. The McDonalds video did go viral, but for all the wrong reasons…

Unfortunately the delivery fell flat and received a lot of criticism online with many finding the video forced and stiff. The internet took major issue with the tiny bite he took and the fact that he called the burger “the product.” The video has gone mega-viral with even late night comedians including it in their monologues.

Of course, competitors were quick to clapback with their own executives chowing down on their own food in a more “real” and “authentic” way. Hint: if you’re going to make a clapback, make sure it hits.

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We’re well into the new year, and the internet is already showing us what’s in store. Nostalgia isn’t going anywhere — even if we’re only looking back 10 years. There’s a new sensory-driven way to post food content (yes, scent is involved) and a growing interest in Chinese wellness routines.

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Social media in 2026 is no longer about simply showing up—it’s about showing intention. Algorithms are smarter, audiences are pickier, and attention is harder to earn (and easier to lose). Winning strategies now require deeper research, real social listening, tighter storytelling, and personalization that actually feels personal.

For brands in food, beverage, and hospitality, this shift is especially real. The scroll is crowded, but the appetite for good content is still there. The brands that stand out won’t be louder—they’ll be clearer, more intentional, and more entertaining.

Here’s what’s in and what’s officially out for social in 2026—specifically on Instagram.

The 5 Ins

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The Hype & Hate Around Meadow Lane

If you’re over 40, Meadow Lane—the new gourmet grocer in Tribeca—probably looks like proof the world has officially lost the plot. People in $900 coats waiting in line for hours… to buy $15 gluten-free chicken nuggets and $12 grapes.

If you’re under 35, it looks more like: finally, New York has its own Erewhon, only this…

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This year on social media has been pure chaos. Yet, amongst the slop, there have been some new food and beverage trends that we can’t get enough of. From Asian ice creams to the reinvention of the beloved charcuterie board, and drinks so pretty you almost feel bad drinking them, 2025 has proven one thing: the internet’s obsession with aesthetic, indulge…

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Wine marketers love to say that Gen Z “just doesn’t drink wine” or that “they’ll grow into it.” But is that really true, or are we not giving them a good reason to start? Maybe the real question is: What would it take to make wine matter to a generation that’s redefining everything about when, why, and what we drink?

Drop the Pret…

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Legacy restaurant brands are in the midst of an unexpected renaissance. A combination of nostalgia, savvy marketing, and just plain good business has turned old-school chains into the darlings of younger consumers. Applebee's began the comeback with their successful dollarita ($1 margarita) campaign, followed by Chili's with their signature Triple Dipper that took over the U.S. in 2024 and shows no signs of stopping.

Enter Red Lobster: arguably the last place anyone expected to have a comeback story after their bankruptcy in 2024. Yet here we are, watching the seafood chain execute one of the most effective brand turnarounds in recent memory, all thanks to strategic social listening and rapid response capabilities. How did they get here?

The Fall of Red Lobster

While Red Lobster’s downfall was primarily due to real estate issues caused by the usual suspects—private equity—that didn’t stop the internet from latching onto the funniest possible reasoning for the chain's woes: Shrimp. Specifically, the endless kind. One of Red Lobster’s largest shareholders was also their shrimp supplier, Thai Union, who influenced the once seasonal promotion to run all year at unsustainable prices (for a detailed breakdown, see this piece from CNN). The Endless Shrimp promo ended up losing Red Lobster $11 million, and immortalizing it as a meme online.

@wallstreetjournalRed Lobster’s new CEO, Damola Adamolekun, explains what what went wrong with the seafood chain’s “endless shrimp” deal on the Journal podcast. Listen to the full interview at wsj.com/thejournal. #redlobster #endlessshrimp #business #ceo #wsj

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New CEO

Post-bankruptcy, Red Lobster appointed 33 years old Damola Adamolekun as the new CEO—the youngest in the company’s history. Adamolekun had previously served as a managing partner at Paulson & Co., the hedge fund that purchased P.F. Chang's in 2019. Adamolekun's first moves were telling: bringing back beloved menu items like hush puppies that had been discontinued, introducing new value meals and happy hour offerings, and most importantly, adopting a social-first communications strategy where he spoke directly to customers through videos on social media.

@redlobsterThe future of Red Lobster just pulled up — and it’s drippin’ #ceo #seafoodlover #business

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This direct-to-consumer approach felt radically different from typical corporate communications. Though other companies have attempted this style in the past, —such as former Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol’s disastrous response to pushback against rising prices and declining portion sizes at Chipotle—none have been able to do it in a way that felt as authentic and platform-appropriate as Adamolekun.

@fortuneChipotle CEO: Our portion sizes aren’t getting smaller—but you can get more rice or pico by giving a look. #chipotle #chipotleportions #chipotleorder #ceo #portionsizes #business #businesstiktok #businesstok #food #foodie #foodtok #restaurant #fastfood #mexicanfood #burrito #dinner #eat #news #chipotlehacks

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Comments lambasted Niccol for being out of touch, with many saying it’s like he’s never been to a Chipotle. Others focused on his dismissive suggestion to make a passive aggressive shrug to the employee building your burrito if the portion looks too small. Needless to say, the video became a meme, with parodies going viral online.

@mackenziebarmenJust stop ok #chipotle #comedy #satire #skit #improv #sketch

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Adamolekun's videos, on the other hand, were surprisingly candid for an executive, and mirrored the authenticity of a founder explaining their vision. This resonated powerfully with younger audiences, already skeptical (at best) of corporate leadership. Plus, it didn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes.

Trend Spotting Seafood Boils

Seafood boils have long been a staple of the South, and northern coastal communities (albeit known under different colloquialisms). Seafood boils began picking up traction on social media nearly a decade ago, but really came into the mainstream in 2024.

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Ok Boomer is a column dishing out three quick takes on Gen Z, from Gen Z, about their impact on culture, food, hospitality, and more.

Labubu Food

If you don’t have kids, or aren’t chronically online like us, you may be confused by the little furry monsters popping up across the country. Labubu—a character from PopMart’s “The Monsters” toy collection—is the hottest, most exclusive toy on the market, with resellers charging $150+ a pop, and rare Labubus fetching tens of thousands. Did we mention the toys retail starting at $28 from PopMart?

For a bit of background, the snaggle‑toothed plush toys are typically sold in “blind-boxes” where the buyer has no idea which Labubu they’re buying. This artificial scarcity, along with strategic collaborations, have fueled Labubu’s meteoric rise since 2019, with the hype reaching its peak this summer.

The trend has gotten so big, even restaurants are hopping on it, with adult happy meals that come with everything from the coveted plushies to Labubu shaped treats.

Labubu Happy Meals

Limited‑run happy meals mimic the scarcity and blind‑box mechanics that helped drive the popularity of Labubu, driving FOMO and rapid sell‑outs.

Austin-based food influencer @austinfoodadventures launched a popup series in collaboration with local chefs & restaurants. Each happy meal typically includes a burger or sandwich, fries, dessert, and of course, a Labubu of your choice. The most recent popup with Jew Boy Burgers sold out in seven minutes.

@austinfoodadventuresThank you for making labubu happy meals happen fam! @ethos_atx @steffie2028 . Who should I make happy meals with next? #atx #austinfoodadventures #atxfoodtime

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In Dubai, Beau offers a Labubu happy meal that costs nearly $80 USD. The meal includes a cheeseburger, fries, a drink, and handheld apple pie. Beau is no stranger to viral meals—their caviar chicken nuggets took over the internet in January.

@princess.dkbPS: I recommend getting there at 6:20 PM to snag a table and, most importantly, your Labubu meal – because once they’re gone for the day, they’re gone 👀 So congrats, your FYP just did its big one 🤭 Mark your calendars, set your alarms, do whatever you gotta do – just don’t miss out... @beau ❤️❤️❤️ #labubu #labubudubai #beau #popmart #blindbox

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For operators interested in getting in on the hype, beware the Lafufu—the term for a counterfeit Labubu (yes, there are counterfeit Labubus). These knockoffs sell at much lower price points…for the added cost of online ridicule.

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We’ve all been there: you’ve just snapped back to reality after spending the past 20 minutes endlessly scrolling social media, and you can’t remember anything you just consumed. This act of mindlessly scrolling as a form of escapism or a manifestation of anxiety—or in the words of Merriam Webster, “to spend excessive time online scrolling through news or other content that makes one feel sad, anxious, angry, etc.”—is known as “Doomscrolling.” The term is now used widely regardless of content consumed or any emotional effect to describe the act of the endless social media scroll. As more apps focus on ways to include shortform video, the feature that helped make TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Gen Z’s most used apps, Doomscrolling has only increased.

The latest apps to shoehorn in a video feed? Delivery apps! Uber Eats and DoorDash have been experimenting with short form video feeds in select markets to entice customers to try new restaurants and help remedy misleading menu imagery fueled by generative AI.

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Ok Boomer is a column dishing out three quick takes on Gen Z, from Gen Z, about their impact on culture, food, hospitality, and more.

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In 2025, What’s Old is New

The Ice Bucket Challenge is back. We’re only four months into the new year, and we’re already reviving trends from over a decade ago. This time, instead of ALS, mental health is the cause, with do…

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Gen Z is Killing Millennial Burger Joints

Gen Z is killing the millennial burger joint…at least on TikTok anyway. You know the type: exposed ceilings, industrial decor, “sharables” and “handhelds” take the place of appetizers and sandwiches, and declawed curse words like b*tchin’ and kick-a$$ denote a signature sauce. Burgers come on a brioche or pretzel bun, craft beers are displayed on an oversized chalk board, and EVERYTHING is served on a butcher block or with parchment paper.

@meme_vault16#kylegordonisgreat #kylegordon #burger #fyp #millennial #burgerrestaurant #weareyoung

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Ironically, most of Gen Z was coming of age when these restaurants were growing in popularity, making them less of a departure from past restaurant concepts and more of the norm. Millennial burger joints are a prime example of the perfection fatigue that Gen Z is experiencing (as covered in our 2025 Trends Report). When every restaurant has the same aesthetic and makes the same tired quips on their menus—or always seems to be started by two bearded brothers ‘with a big dream’—it takes away the novelty and authenticity of the brand story.

@annisecrettt2The food is so fire though I cannot lie #millennial #trufflefries

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The take-down of these concepts typically feature photos and videos from these establishments paired with derogatory captions, all set to the song “We Will Never Die” by Kyle Gordon, which went viral for having a stereotypical “millennial sound” — like that of Imagine Dragons or AJR. After the song’s viral success mocking generic pop-timistic millennial music, the artist hopped on the trend by reviewing a millennial burger joint while dressed like a 2012 hipster.

@kylegordonisgreat🚨GET YOUR TICKETS🚨 Seriously I’m going on tour though. I’ll be doing planet of the bass, we will never die, Irish drinking song - and many more! #millennial #burgers #cringe #funny #funnytiktok #funnyvideos #wewillneverdie #kodyredwing

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Burger joints aren’t the only restaurant concepts under fire from Gen Z. Everything from coffee shops to bathrooms are too. There’s even been a subsequent trend of Gen Z-ers sharing the discovery that their favorite restaurant is, in fact, a millennial-core spot.

@yeahimcarolineI didn’t realize velvet taco was a millennial burger joint😭💀💀 #kylegordon #millennialburgerplace #millennial

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For their part, restaurants are getting in on the fun by making their own videos embracing being a millennial burger joint.

@raleighs_pubAre we actually just 2 guys with a crazy dream? #fyp #weareyoung #restaurant #berkeley #calberkeley #student #bar #beer #drinks #bayarea #foryoupage

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Millennials themselves are also clapping back (as they would love to put it), making fun of Gen Z’s love of delivery apps by claiming Gen Z restaurants are a “DoorDash ghost kitchen with mid food.”

Seed Oils Are Out—And Gen Z Knows It 🧈🥑🫒

Gen Z is reading ingredient labels like it’s the Da Vinci Code just to avoid seed oils. Aside from certain viral food trends like pickle and fruit roll-up Takis, and Cane’s mukbangs, Gen Z is a generation that generally prioritizes the quality and type of food they consume daily. That’s why discussions around health and wellness gain so much traction on social media. Apps like Seed Oil Scout, which helps users locate restaurants and grocery stores that avoid seed oils in favor of healthier cooking fats, and Yuka, which analyzes food and cosmetic labels to assess their health impact and suggest better alternatives, have surged in popularity.

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Prebiotic Sodas Throw Gut Punches:
Poppi vs. Olipop 🫧👊

When the prebiotic soda brand, Poppi, sent vending machines to 32 major influencers and creators, they likely didn’t anticipate the backlash that followed. Each Poppi-branded machine came fully stocked as a part of a high-budget, experiential gifting campaign designed to generate buzz just in time for the Super Bowl.

@rachsullivan__This is my Super Bowl @Drink Poppi

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The idea was that influencers would showcase the flashy machines as a part of their watch parties, creating a viral moment to go along with Poppi’s ad spots featuring creators Alix Earle, Jake Shane, and Robert Rausch.

Poppi’s marketing machine has always been great at garnering online attention, and has heavily relied on influencer marketing and extravagant PR packages to break through the noise. This campaign was no different, racking up over 35 million organic TikTok views. What was different was the reaction on social media.

Many TikTok users called out Poppi for being "out of touch," questioning the extravagance of the stunt, the sustainability of delivering the machines, and why Poppi only gave these machines to creators who earn millions from their social media content instead of leaving them in publicly accessible areas like college campuses.

@jadejarvistvThe Poppi vending machines missed the mark for me, personally.

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Poppi’s competitor, Olipop, wasted no time capitalizing on the controversy. They jumped into the conversation with comments like “pr boxes for real customers i say” and “also for the record, those machines cost $25K each lol”, fueling the backlash.

@brookeanders0nThis is so funny @OLIPOP #poppi

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Poppi’s team has since pushed back, with co-founder Allison Ellsworth posting a response video claiming much of the information circulating is inaccurate, including the $25,000 price tag for each machine. While Ellsworth’s response might have satisfied some, it was clear that she was reading from a prepared outline for the video, which many people called out in the comments. Fans were also disappointed by the lack of clarity surrounding how much the machines actually cost, and what Poppi would do to right their ‘wrongs.’

Much of the drama surrounding Poppi’s vending machine controversy appears to be fueled by creators and brands eager to capitalize on the initial backlash and draw attention to themselves. However, it’s important to remember that the outrage began with genuinely disappointed fans who saw the campaign as out of touch. Today’s loyal customers expect brands to be mindful of economic realities, sustainability, and the broader impact of their choices. Experiential marketing is more relevant than ever, and customers want to be part of the experience—not just watch from the sidelines.

Insight-OUT: If you're building a brand or community, make sure you engage your actual customers and fans, not just influencers.

Sludge Content Seeps into the Mainstream 🧪📱

Our attention spans are shrinking. In other news, the sky is blue. But for real—Gen Z cannot watch just one thing at a time. “Sludge content” has been around on TikTok for a few years, and is composed of multiple unrelated video clips, robotic text-to-speech narration, and animated captions—all at 2X speed—that combine to make one grotesquely engaging video. Warning: if you are over the age of 25, this video might make you carsick.

@subwaysurfers#subwaysurfers #familyguy #familyguyclips #petergriffin #funny #satisfying #satisfyingvideo

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The highly over-stimulating content reflects Gen Z’s (and society’s) growing appetite for more information—and the simultaneous desire to escape into mind-numbing entertainment. Sludge content might not be a fit for most brands, but there’s no denying its grip on the attention economy, where businesses, media, and technology compete to monetize people’s attention. In a world ruled by short-form video, sludge cracked the code with long-form, audio-driven content—wrapped in a chaotic swirl of layered visuals and over-the-top graphics.

Ironically, one of the biggest winners in the sludge content trend? Old-school radio…

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Oxford’s Word of the Year: Brain Rot 🧠💀

Brain Rot started in Ohio when the Gen Z and Alpha sigmas put a Fanum tax on all NPC grass-touching behavior. Once the brand sweats noticed, they jumped off the battle bus and started talking tuah everyone about it. They even rizzed up Oxford to make Brain Rot skibidi of the year.

[TRANSLATION] What began as a term used to describe excessive consumption of online content, ‘Brain Rot’ has evolved into a catch-all for a certain genre of Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang and social media content (most often referring to specific memes or content styles that could be considered low quality/low value, or “unhinged”).

As with any internet trend, brands took notice, propelling the term into mainstream consciousness and securing ‘Brain Rot’ its spot as the Oxford Word of the Year. Brain Rot was also one of the most viral slang terms of 2024, with 2.92 million online mentions from January through November 2024, and content associated with this trend viewed 1.33 billion times online (Meltwater).

Brand Rot

To gain new relevance with Gen Z and Gen Alpha, we’re now seeing everything from luxury fashion brands, to a 50-year-old snack cookie that went nutty on TikTok, to Starbucks getting in on Brain Rot culture—and demonstrating that even the most seemingly unlikely of industries has an opportunity to capitalize on this cultural current to engage younger audiences.

There are several ways brands are tapping into this trend, and considerations to keep in mind when testing the waters. Some are incorporating a few Brain Rot-style posts (or adjacent trending content) into their social feeds, others are using it as inspiration for real-world activations, while a few are even full on “rot- maxxing”—going all-in by dedicating their entire social channel to Brain Rot content styles.

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