Far from a churlish response to a new idea, the “so what?” test is perhaps the most important marketing interrogation of all. It acts as a clear-eyed assessment of whether the market truly understands why your brand matters and how it helps operators perform. By scrutinising campaigns with our audience's perspective in mind, we can cut the fluff, prioritise actionable benefits and highlight the true value of our messages.  But has modern foodservice forgotten its importance? 

Every year, the National Restaurant Association Show provides a glimpse into where the restaurant industry believes growth will come from next. From AI and automation to menu innovation and sustainability, the most compelling ideas at this year’s NRA Show shared one common characteristic: they delivered measurable operational and commercial value. For foodservice brands, suppliers and operators, five major signals emerged from Chicago that are likely to shape the next phase of restaurant growth. Unlock the full read below.

Most foodservice growth strategies will fail in 2026. Not because of a lack of investment. Or ambition, but because the market has structurally changed – and too many strategies haven’t changed with it.

From plant-based burgers to a UPF backlash. Protein shakes to whole-food simplicity. Sugar-free sweeteners to ‘treat culture’. The UK’s food and drink habits are constantly changing, often contradictory and - without the right data - rarely predictable.

In today’s ultra-competitive foodservice market, almost every supplier is investing in a growth strategy, but with mixed success. Despite sinking budget into more data, more campaigns and more sales activity, growth, for many, is stalling. 

From McCain to Oreo, B2C’s biggest food and drink brands have long sold one idea: we’re the only choice for you. It’s brand marketing at its best - sustained, consistent messaging that builds trust and preference way ahead of a purchase decision.

The era of expertise has arrived - and its importance is being recognised.

Fresh from being named B2B Marketing’s UK Agency of the Year, we’ve been reflecting on what’s really driving strategic performance in the Away From Home (AFH) channel right now. For Omne, dashboards provide the inputs - but it's human expertise that turns insight into impact.

Pizza is serious business. It’s one of the UK’s most loved dishes, served everywhere from high street chains to Italian independents. Arla Pro recognised that, in a crowded category, standing out takes more than just a good base. That insight led to the creation of Britain’s Best Pizza in 2023 – a foodservice-first awards programme designed to deepen brand affinity, drive operator engagement and shine a light on the ever-growing UK pizza industry. Now in its third year, the 2025 competition set out to celebrate the people behind the UK’s best pizzas. And we helped them make it happen.

Foodservice doesn’t wait - and slow marketing misses growth windows. Faster outreach depends on data to anticipate needs and personalise engagement.

Our latest insight report, Brands Away From Home 2, looks at how operators are re-evaluating what brand value really means. The findings are clear: the age of reassurance has passed, and the age of proof has arrived.

At our Autumn 2025 event, Future Realities, we brought together our client community at LinkedIn’s new London Experience Centre for a morning built around one big idea: proof.

We are looking forward to our next all-client event - this time at LinkedIn’s London HQ on 9th October. In a world where trends and forecasting are dominated by algorithms and hype, our focus is on the realities that matter: authentic operator voices, proven behaviours, and the signals that cut through the noise.

We’re delighted to share that Omne has been shortlisted for five categories at the 2025 B2B Marketing Awards – including Agency of the Year for the second year running.

Foodservice is arguably the world’s most competitive B2B market - but it’s also the golden opportunity for modern brand growth. With consumer retail saturated, margins squeezed and out-of-home experiences on the up, hospitality has become the key driver of brand discovery and loyalty. The sector is noisy and fast-moving, but the stakes are incredibly high.

Insider 9, It started with a simple question: What’s truly sticking? After 8 editions of Insider, our from-the-streets trend report – created in partnership with KERB – we’ve seen London’s food scene evolve through post-pandemic recovery, cost-of-living crunches and a new wave of culinary creativity. So, for Insider 9, we stepped back.

As Omne moves into the Top 10 UK B2B agencies league table, listen to the team in conversation with Kavita Singh on the B2B Marketing Podcast to talk about the agency’s journey. How we’ve grown, the lessons learned, and what’s next. 

Why do some brands win on foodservice menus, while others never get past pitch stage? Brands Away from Home is Omne’s annual insight report — the definitive guide to how, when, and why operators choose brands in key categories over own-label alternatives.

How do you create a campaign that not only delivers for a brand, but also makes a lasting difference to the industry it serves?