AWARD-WINNING
GEN Z MENU DEVELOPMENT & NPD

Industry-leading Gen Z food development - recipe creation and product innovation that’s bespoke and built to scale.

Get in touch today!

Create food and drink that Gen Z actually want to eat

Gen Z is redefining flavour expectations, value perception and how menus evolve across every corner of hospitality.

They’re adventurous but discerning, obsessed with cultural fluency, excited by global formats and deeply influenced by digital discovery.

To win with them, menus and products need to be loud, intuitive, affordable, story-driven and (of course) operationally viable.

Our Gen Z Menu Development & NPD service helps food and drink brands translate generational insight into commercially strong, kitchen-ready menus, dishes and product concepts that resonate today and stand up tomorrow.

Why Gen Z matters in menu development

Beside themselves, Gen Z tastes are also influencing older consumers, pushing categories into new spaces and accelerating flavour, experience and expectation cycles. They’re impacting:

Flavour trends and emerging global profiles
Format innovation and hybrid eating occasions
Convenience expectations and low-effort solutions
Digital-first food discovery (TikTok, creators, viral formats)
Value sensitivity and smart trade-ups
Sustainability expectations in ingredients and build choices

So if your menu isn’t speaking Gen Z's language, you’re missing the generation driving food culture forward.

What we offer:
Gen Z menu development built for commercial success

Gen Z Menu Insight & Flavour Direction
We translate Gen Z taste trends, digital behaviours and cultural influences into clear menu direction.

Flavour trends and future-forward profiles
Cultural, regional and social-led influences
Format expectations
Ingredient insights: functionality, wellness, texture, colour
Digital behaviours shaping food choices
This provides a strategic foundation for teams asking “what flavours or formats will resonate with Gen Z?”
Concept & Dish Ideation
Working alongside your team, we create concept directions and dish ideas shaped by Gen Z eating habits and your brand positioning.

We support:
Menu platform creation
Signature dish concepts
Category-specific innovation
Menu architecture recommendations
Our ideas balance trend relevance, brand fit and commercial potential.
Menu Development & Culinary Prototyping
We turn Gen Z food and drink ideas into kitchen-ready dishes through practical, flavour-forward development.

This may include:
Full recipe creation and dish builds
Ingredient sourcing and supplier recommendations
Plating and workflow guidance
Dietary, nutritional and compliance considerations
Costing, consistency testing and refinement
We ensure every dish is operationally viable, scalable and ready for real-world delivery.
NPD Pipelines & Commercial Validation
We build future-focused NPD pipelines aligned with Gen Z behaviours and market opportunity.

This may include
6–18 month innovation roadmaps
Whitespace mapping and opportunity identification
Seasonal menus and limited-time offers
Margin modelling, complexity scoring and feasibility checks
We give your brand a clear, commercially grounded path for long-term menu and product innovation.

See how we can help you succeed!

Schedule a call or meeting

Built to Power Your Next Move

We work with hospitality operators, food brands, retailers and manufacturers to evolve their brand and sharpen their appeal to Gen Z.

Our brand strategies integrate directly with your brand, marketing, NPD, digital and leadership teams, with our wider Gen Z service portfolio providing further depth, including:

Gen Z: Foodstorming Workshops

Gen Z: F&B Brand Strategy

Gen Z: B2B Marketing

Gen Z: Food Safaris

Gen Z: F&B Trend Reports

Together, this gives you the clarity, behavioural understanding and tools you need to turn strategy into action quickly and confidently, specifically if you're exploring how Gen Z trends impact food and drink brands or how to engage Gen Z consumers across multiple touchpoints.

Stefan managed and led the creative team at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen for over 5 years and uses his creative, technical and operational expertise on fast moving innovation projects that require detailed planning.

Stefan Cosser

Co-Founder | Managing Director

With a background in food science and previous roles including Head of Food & Marketing for Leon Restaurants and Head of Hospitality Product Development at M&S, Toph has shaped brands and food offerings for industry leaders.

Toph Ford

Co-Founder | Creative Director

JJ has a wealth of experience in hospitality and the casual dining sector, and extensive experience of menu development, operations and training for PizzaExpress.

Jemma 'JJ' Jackson

Projects Director

Formerly the creative head of The Food People, Kateline leads our creative teams on their mission to bring exciting and relevant ideas to life for multinational retailers, global QSR, manufacturers and F&B brands.

Kateline Porritt

Director of Insights & Innovation

A classically trained chef with years of Michelin-level experience, Joe's creative and methodical approach help to create innovative dishes and detailed recipes.

Joe Payne

Senior Development Chef

Charlie has invested the last 10+ years in working with start-ups and young businesses such as Farmer J and KERB food, striving on creative and process-driven projects through his expertise in ergonomics, operational pillars, and building from the ground up.

Charlie Casey

Account Director

Jasmin is a creative and strategic hospitality professional with over 13 years’ experience spanning food development, brand, and marketing with roles including Head of Food Innovation at both Wagamama and Prezzo, and brand management for PizzaExpress.

Jasmin Ayling

Account Director

Ready to take your
food trend strategy
to the next level?

Schedule a call today!

Get the Insights Lab Food Trend Digest!

WANT A TASTE?
GEN Z FOOD TRENDS HANDBOOK, 2026/27

What to expect from our FREE whitepaper:

Discover Insight Lab's top 10 food & drink trends for 2026/27, forecasted specifically for Gen Z

Follow the foodservice, retail and manufacturing trend paper trails for each of our forecasted trends, featuring targeted examples and actionable recommendations