18th Annual Hospitality Trends Report

It’s our 18th year predicting the biggest influences in food, beverage, hotels, travel, marketing, and social media that will shape the hospitality industry in the year ahead.

Do we know what we’re talking about? The New York Times, Martha Stewart and Better Homes & Garden and many other media think so, and we’re proud that the report is regularly cited as a trusted source.

Are you seeing ube everywhere you look? We called it in 2023. Five years ago, had you heard of quesabirria? It was our dish of the year in 2021—two years later Taco Bell introduced “grilled cheese dipping tacos.” Seeing pistachio everywhere? You aren’t nuts, it was our flavor of the year in 2025 and we predicted restaurants and food brands would soon be jumping into the Dubai Chocolate craze.

We could talk about food and travel all day (trust us!) but this report also provides plenty of inspiration for your marketing and social media efforts, so you can leverage trends to increase relevance and boost sales.

Live Presentation of our 2026 Report

Thursday, November 6 | 3 p.m. PT

In-person at Convene (San Francisco, CA)

Get ready for the big reveal! Andrew Freeman (Founder of af&co. / Co-Founder of Carbonate), Candace MacDonald (Co-Founder & Managing Director of Carbonate), and Leith Steel (Director of Insights at Carbonate) will take the stage at Convene in San Francisco to debut the 2026 Hospitality Trends Report—our 18th annual deep dive into what’s next in food, beverage, travel, and beyond. Expect bold predictions, behind-the-scenes insights, and a few surprises along the way.

Join us after the presentation for mixing, mingling, and swapping takeaways with the report’s authors and fellow leaders shaping hospitality’s future. This event also kicks off af&co.’s 20th anniversary celebration, and we’ll raise a glass with the team to mark the milestone.

Tickets are $30 and include:

Admission to the live presentation
Opportunity for networking following the presentation
A complimentary digital copy of the full report (a $50 value)

Join us Via Live Stream

Tuesday, November 11 | 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. PT / 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday, December 3 | 10:30 - Noon PT / 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. ET

Join us for an engaging, interactive livestream presentation, where you’ll have the opportunity to ask the authors all of your burning questions. Attendees will also receive a complimentary summary of the report.

Can’t Make It?
The full 100+ page report, which includes examples and bonus trends, will be available for purchase for $50.00 beginning November 6th.

Our Charitable Partners

af&co. and Carbonate will also donate a percentage of proceeds from both our in-person event and purchases of the report to La Soupe, an innovative Ohio-based non-profit organization bridging the gap between food waste and food insecurity, and Foodwise which operates farmers markets and education programs to connect the San Francisco Bay Area community with fresh, local food and sustainable family farms.