CFE News, 60 E. Rio Salado Parkway, Suite 900, Tempe, AZ (2025)

09/04/2025

✨ Introducing CFE News: Fresh Look, Same Trusted Source ✨

We’re excited to share that Catering, Foodservice & Events (CFE) has a new name—CFE News—and a new digital-first direction under Perez Webber Media Group!

🔹 What’s New with CFE News
✔️ A twice-monthly email newsletter
✔️ A redesigned website (launching Fall 2025 at cfe-news.com) with industry news, profiles and trends
✔️ An Editorial Advisory Board of influential catering and events professionals
✔️ Expanded opportunities for advertisers, partners and thought leaders

CFE has been covering the catering industry since 1993, and with Editor-in-Chief Sara Perez Webber (editor since 2010) and Publisher Jay Webber leading the way, we’re building on that legacy to keep professionals connected, informed and inspired.

💬 “The new CFE News represents the next chapter in connecting our industry with the stories and insights that matter most.” — Sara Perez Webber, Editor-in-Chief

➡️ Stay connected: Sign up for the newsletter and explore partnership opportunities at cfe-news.com

https://cfe-news.com/introducing-cfe-news-fresh-look-same-trusted-source/

09/02/2025

Green Restaurant Association Names Winners of the Green Restaurant Awards

The Green Restaurant Association announced the winners of the 2025 Green Restaurant Awards in April. The awards recognize the restaurants and organizations in the restaurant industry that have accomplished a high level of environmental achievement in their respective categories.

“These Certified Green Restaurants, organizations and individuals have set an example for others across North America to follow,” said Michael Oshman, CEO and founder of the Green Restaurant Association. “By taking great environmental leadership in the restaurant industry, the 2025 Green Restaurant Award winners are proving it’s possible for any restaurant, organization or employee to dramatically improve their environmental footprint today.”

The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is a national nonprofit organization that provides the only official Certified Green Restaurants mark in the country. Since 1990, the GRA has pioneered the Green Restaurant movement and has been the leading voice within the industry encouraging restaurants to listen to consumer demand to green their operations using transparent, science-based certification standards. With their turnkey certification system, the GRA has made it easy for thousands of restaurants to become more environmentally sustainable in a profitable manner.

For more information, visit dinegreen.com
Green Restaurant Association

08/28/2025

Restaurant Events Wins 10 TSE Fastest 50 Awards

Restaurant Events, the team behind the New York Restaurant Show, California Restaurant Show and Pizza Tomorrow Summit, received 10 awards at the 2025 Trade Show Executive (TSE) Fastest 50 Awards & Summit, cementing its status as an industry leader in foodservice trade events. The TSE Fastest 50 Awards recognize the top 50 U.S. trade shows based on percentage of growth in net square feet, exhibitors and attendance.

Among the highlights was the Pizza Tomorrow Summit’s Fastest 50 Grand Award for being the Fastest-Growing Food Show by Blended Growth in 2024, a testament to the show’s increasing influence in the national pizza and foodservice space. In addition, the New York Restaurant Show, California Restaurant Show and Pizza Tomorrow Summit all won awards for percentage of growth in all three categories—increases in attendance, square footage and number of exhibitors.

Additionally, Stephen Hess, senior marketing manager, Restaurant Events LLC, was honored with the coveted Trailblazer Award, recognizing professionals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, vision and innovation in the trade show industry.
For more information, visit therestaurantevents.com

Restaurant Events produces premier trade shows designed to support and celebrate the restaurant and foodservice industry.

Upcoming events include:

Pizza Tomorrow Summit & Florida Restaurant Show�
November 11–13, 2025�
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando

New York Restaurant Show�
March 8–10, 2026�
Javits Center, New York City

08/26/2025

Workplace Food a Key Growth Driver for Restaurants, According to ezCater Data

According to a survey conducted by ezCater of 2,300-plus workplace food stakeholders, the market for workplace food is expanding. Businesses are increasingly ordering restaurant food and introducing employee meal programs—sometimes as a cafeteria replacement. In fact, 43% of organizations surveyed have a recurring meal program in place, up 17% from 2024.

“Workplace catering has always been a big opportunity for restaurants, but now it’s bigger than ever,” said Cindy Klein Roche, chief marketing officer for ezCater, the leading food tech platform for workplaces in the U.S. “Organizations are ordering for more occasions and bringing in food from local restaurants on a programmatic, recurring basis. Restaurants have a tremendous opportunity to tap into new revenue streams by embracing the evolving role of food in the workplace.”

ezCater released the data at its 2025 Catering Growth Forum during the Food on Demand Conference. Additional survey insights include:
• 70% of employees who first try a restaurant through an employer-provided meal personally ordered from that restaurant outside of work, a 49% increase compared to last year.
• 60% of orderers plan to spend more on workplace food in 2025, with nearly a third expecting budget increases of 25% or more. This is reflected in ezCater’s orders as well, with average order value up 12% to $420, and average headcount up 9% to 25.
• Employees save on average 30 minutes of their workday when meals are provided and 68% report feeling more productive.
• Restaurants with catering programs experienced a 5.1% increase in overall revenue from 2023 to 2024, outpacing the 3.3% average revenue growth rate for restaurants and bars reported by Technomic.

The 2025 “Feeding the Workplace” report is based on surveys conducted in January 2025 with over 2,300 participants, including 604 corporate catering orderers, 669 restaurant operators and 1,042 employees. Proprietary ezCater data gathered from millions of transactions across thousands of restaurant partners was also analyzed.

For more information, visit ezcater.com
ezCater

08/19/2025

Feeding the Fans

Proof of the Pudding’s Michael Pappas explains the logistics behind catering major outdoor sporting events, a growing segment for the Atlanta-based company

From major golf tournaments to air shows to motorsports races, Proof of the Pudding knows how to keep sports fans well fed.

The Atlanta-based catering company is expanding its reach into major outdoor sporting events. A longtime partner of the PGA Tour, Proof recently added NASCAR races at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina and the Quad City Air Show in Davenport, Iowa, to its roster. That’s in addition to Proof’s many other large foodservice clients, including convention centers, sports and entertainment arenas, yachting shows and college stadiums.

“We’re bringing a whole new level of culinary excitement to these remarkable events,” says Michael Pappas, executive vice president of operations for Proof of the Pudding. “We’re not just serving food; we’re crafting experiences. Expect exceptional quality, innovative presentation, efficient service and a seamless, cashless experience, ensuring fans never miss a moment of the action.”

Pappas—whose 30 years of hospitality experience includes leading all F&B operations for 12 NASCAR racetracks—joined Proof in September 2024. CFE recently chatted with Pappas to learn how Proof handles the logistics at these major events, a growing segment for the company.

Read the article on our website.
www.cfe-news.com/feeding-the-fans

By Sara Perez Webber

For more information, visit proofpudding.com
Proof of the Pudding

08/13/2025

Immersive Wedding Weekends

Opting for celebrations lasting several days, couples are delighting guests with curated experiences that reflect their love story and the destination

Today, wedding celebrations are no longer just one day. Newlyweds are reimagining tradition—swapping single-day timelines for full wedding weekends that invite guests to connect, explore, and celebrate in a way that feels both elevated and deeply personal.

As a luxury resort with a rich history and endless opportunities for personalization, Arizona Biltmore has become a natural canvas for these experiences—where every gathering, toast and detail is thoughtfully designed to reflect both the couple and the destination.

Over the past year, I’ve seen a consistent rise in couples prioritizing guest connection, unique experiences and curated moments that go beyond traditional formats. Here are three defining trends shaping weddings and social events in 2025, all rooted in one larger theme: personalization through place.

Read the full article on our website:
www.cfe-news.com/immersive-wedding-weekends

By Zeina Reinboldt, director of weddings and social events at
Arizona Biltmore

08/06/2025

Social Media Strategies

Tips from the pros for boosting engagement and crafting meaningful content

How much do people “like” you? Are engaged couples engaging with you online? Are you feeding customers who found you through your feed?

To learn more about how to increase interaction with potential clients through social media, CFE turned to two experts: Liese Gardner, a content strategy specialist who has advised hundreds of hospitality clients about their social media tactics since 2004; and Dora Fudali, marketing director for Bill Hansen Catering in Miami, who has organically grown the company’s social media follower count by about 10,000 since 2018. They shared some of their top strategies for creating powerful posts and expanding your virtual audience.

Read the featured article on our website:
www.cfe-news.com/social-media-strategies

By Sara Perez Webber

Featuring
Liese Gardner
Bill Hansen Catering & Event Production
24 Carrots Catering + Events
Footers Catering
itsjacobdunn

07/30/2025

Rentals: The Responsible Choice

Inherently sustainable, rentals promote reuse over replacement

From large festivals to intricate and intimate gatherings, we who work in the events space generate our fair share of waste and carbon emissions. Single-use décor, mass-produced materials and short-lived installations all contribute to a cycle of consumption that can strain our planet’s resources. But what if we could shift this narrative—not by compromising creativity or experience, but by rethinking the way events are designed and executed?

A growing movement within the industry is proving that it’s possible. And at the heart of that movement is a concept that’s known to us all: rentals.

Read the full article on our website:
www.cfe-news.com/rentals-the-responsible-choice

By Allison Freeman, CEO of Element Event Solutions
Element Event Solutions

07/23/2025

What’s Hot in Hospitality

The 2025 ECEP Trends Report identifies what’s catching on in catering and events

Caviar carts, sensorial cocktails and corporate events that emphasize flexibility. Those are just a few of the 2025 industry trends identified by Elite Catering + Event Professionals (ECEP), a collaborative network of leaders from the world’s top catering and hospitality organizations.

Following are findings from the ECEP 2025 Trends Report, compiled during this year’s ECEP Symposium in Napa, California.

Read the article on our website:

www.cfe-news.com/whats-hot-in-hospitality

ecepglobal

07/14/2025

A Breath of Fresh Air

With tempting stations, refreshing drinks and thoughtful design, caterers and venues are enhancing the allure of outdoor events

“At Constellation Culinary Group, we’ve seen a continued and growing preference for outdoor events across a wide variety of occasions,” says Katia Ponomareva, director of catering for off-premise events. “The pandemic certainly reshaped how people think about gathering spaces, elevating the appeal of fresh air and natural surroundings.”

Clients and guests appreciate the freedom of open-air events, adds Ponomareva, as well as the picture-perfect backgrounds nature provides: “Social media appeal also plays a major role—our curated outdoor event designs are tailor-made for organic content creation, with natural lighting and picturesque scenery ensuring that every shared image tells a compelling story.”

And the desire to be outdoors isn’t limited to warm-weather locales, attests Christie Altendorf, director of marketing at D’Amico Hospitality in Minneapolis: “Living in Minnesota, there is a high demand for outdoor events throughout all four seasons. From winter s’mores bars built on a custom ice table to beautiful al fresco dinners in the summertime, temperature is only one factor in creating memorable gatherings.”

Read the featured article on our website:
www.cfe-news.com/a-breath-of-fresh-air

By Sara Perez Webber

Featuring

Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club�
cadillachotelmiamibeach.com
Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club, Autograph Collection

Constellation Culinary Group�
constellationculinary.com
Constellation

D’Amico Hospitality�
damicohospitality.com
D'Amico Hospitality

Monticello�
monticello.org
Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

SkyBeach Resort�
skybeach-resort.comstpete

07/10/2025

The new issue of CFE Magazine is out now! Read it for FREE on our website. www.cfe-news.com

ON THE COVER:
A magical golden-hour outdoor gathering at a private residence catered by D’Amico Hospitality in Minneapolis.

For more information, visit damicohospitality.com
D'Amico Hospitality

Photo by Anna Grinets Photography
Anna Grinets Photography

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