2026 Foodservice Trends to Watch Coming Out of Expo West

Celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, Expo West is a premier event in the food industry that brings together thousands of professionals to talk shop, make deals, and spot trends. What happens at Expo West is often an early indicator of what’s to come, so it’s closely watched by insiders.

Our team was well-represented on the conference floor this year, and as we debriefed the event internally, we were struck by the foodservice sales trends we saw there. Brands are experimenting with new ways to connect with operators, distributors, and other key decision-makers.

Changes are afoot in foodservice sales, and if you’re setting marketing or sales strategy for your brand, it’s wise to keep an eye on how your competitors are showing up at flagship events like Expo West. 

Here are the four trends we can’t stop thinking about from our time in Anaheim.

Trend #1: Brands skipped the booth

When you attend a leading industry event, you expect all the big names to have a booth. That was not the case at Expo West this year.

Our team peeped a number of noteworthy brands skipping out on exhibiting at the show. That doesn’t mean they missed the event altogether. They had a healthy presence walking the floor or hosting side events. But their booths were MIA.

We get it. We’ve written before about how brands struggle to generate ROI on high-cost events (it can cost tens or hundreds of thousands to exhibit at a show like Expo West). It looks like marketing and sales teams are finally rethinking the value of this particular investment.

Trend #2: Side events took center stage

A knock-on effect of trend #1 is the second shift we noticed: the side events at Expo West were bigger and buzzier than ever. From Andrea Hernández of Snaxshot to the Startup CPG crew, industry heavyweights threw gatherings beyond the conference floor that pulled focus in 2026.

This shift makes total sense. If you’re not going to spend on exhibiting, you have extra budget to host a great cocktail hour or dinner. Plus, with smaller gatherings, you have the latitude to curate your guest list and invite only the names that are most important to your business.

The First Bite team are big believers in the power of targeted outreach, so we see huge value in this approach.

Trend #3: Foodservice became an integrated play

Foodservice sometimes feels like the forgotten stepchild at big, industry-wide events. Not so at Expo West 2026. This year, we saw a lot of brands showing up with a fully-integrated foodservice play.

Some were partnering with foodservice operators, others were going into corporate campuses — creativity and synergy were on display as we saw retail and foodservice sides of the same brand teaming up to create joint wins across channels.

Trend #4: Smart brand collabs got our attention

Beauty and fashion collaborations have been everywhere in recent years, and at this year’s Expo West, food brands took a page out of that marketing playbook. These food collabs brought together fun, unexpected flavor combinations and leaned into shared values.

De La Calle, Little Sesame, and Yellow Bird teamed up to share margaritas, hummus, and hot sauce — a delicious but unconventional grouping that united flavors from different cultures and traditions.

Bob’s Red Mill paired up with brands like Applegate Farms, California Olive Ranch, and Watkins that all hold similar ideals, like a focus on organic products and a commitment to sustainability.

Collaborations work because they’re mutually beneficial on several fronts, allowing brands to split costs, share resources, and tap into each other’s existing customer bases.

What Expo West trends mean for your foodservice sales team

Prognosticating on what’s new and next is only worthwhile if those insights become something you can act upon. While we don’t recommend a drastic pivot based on some trend you see at an event, we do think there’s value in assessing what’s changing across the industry.

On the sales and marketing front, shifts toward more deliberate, targeted, and measurable plays were everywhere at Expo West 2026. Now it’s up to you to ask yourself: What does that mean for your business? 

If you’re looking to connect with the right targets in a personalized, scalable way beyond the conference floor, you’ll want to check out First Bite. Schedule your demo today.