Eating at a Meeting

Tracy Stuckrath, CFPM, CMM, CSEP, CHC
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Eating at a Meeting explores a variety of topics on food and beverage (F&B) and how they impact individual experience and inclusion, sustainability, culture, community, health and wellness, laws and more. The mission of Eating at a Meeting is to share authentic stories that illustrate the financial, social, emotional, and mental impact food and beverage have on individuals, organizations, and the earth. I see it being threefold: ● Help individuals and organizations understand how F&B impacts employee, customer and guest experience, the planet and the bottom line. ● Help those growing, producing, preparing, and serving F&B understand the duty of care they hold in food safety and inclusion as well as the opportunity they have to create experiences that are safe and inclusive. ● Support those with dietary needs by gathering their insight on eating at a meeting with dietary needs, helping them better advocate for themselves and educating them on the processes found on the other side of the kitchen door.

  1. 1d ago

    Wine Sourcing: How to Balance Story, Sustainability and the Bottom Line

    Sandy Bridger said something to me the other night that I haven't stopped thinking about: wine isn't the drink you serve alongside dinner — it's another ingredient in the meal. Once you hear it that way, you can't unhear it. Sandy is the co-owner of DRINK, a Raleigh wine shop she runs with her husband Cam under the tagline "The Somm and The Mom." By day she leads a nonprofit; by night she curates small-production, family-owned wines and designs winemaker dinners people remember. Her philosophy is "intimate, not intimidating" — exactly the skill our industry needs when wine shows up on an event floor plan. And I'm glad Cam, "The Somm," is joining her on this week's Eating at a Meeting LIVE, bringing the technical read of the glass to Sandy's food-and-experience lens. If wine is an ingredient, you cook with it. Sometimes you pair to mask a flavor — heat, bitterness, richness. Sometimes you pair to enhance a dish's best quality. And some wines are incomplete on their own — high-acid, high-tannin bottles that only come alive with food. Why should planners AND suppliers care? At most hotels and convention centers, planners get a short, pre-selected wine list and little say. It's about making the most of it — or making the case for something with a story behind it. The right pour makes guests slow down and connect; for hotels, caterers, and venues, that's experience and revenue on your F&B line. We'll also get into how they source what they pour — family-owned, small-production, "drink globally, source locally" — and how to deliver a "story in a glass" without a $200 bottle. Come watch LIVE and bring your questions. What's the best — or worst — wine you've been served at an event? Let's talk in the comments. Every meal matters. So does every pour.

  2. Aug 25

    Experience Design: Turning Every Meal Into a Better Decision

    Why does the same banquet menu cost more this year than last — and why can't anyone tell you what it will cost next quarter? Global uncertainty drives up the cost of every meal at your meeting — often before a single supply chain is disrupted. If food arrives by car or truck (and nearly all of it does), energy prices are baked into every plate you serve. When markets get nervous, oil and gas prices move, transportation costs climb, and fertilizer prices rise for the farmers growing what eventually lands on your buffet. By the time those costs reach a hotel banquet kitchen or catering contract, they've been multiplied through every link in the supply chain. On the next Eating at a Meeting LIVE, I'll be joined by Dr. Mike Walden, Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Agricultural and Resource Economics at NC State University. For decades, Mike has translated complex economic forces into plain language for consumers, businesses, and policymakers — and now he'll do it for the people who buy, serve, and budget for food at meetings and events. Together we'll unpack how market uncertainty and volatility move food prices even before supply is disrupted, why energy is the hidden ingredient in every meal, how rising fertilizer costs today shape food prices for seasons to come, and what all of this means when it flows downstream into hotel banquet pricing, catering contracts, and F&B minimums. Whether you're a planner trying to explain a budget increase to stakeholders, a hotel or caterer setting prices in an unpredictable market, or a supplier navigating rising input costs, this conversation will give you the economic vocabulary to understand what's happening — and to have smarter conversations with clients and partners about what comes next. Join us live and bring your questions — what are you seeing in your F&B budgets and contracts? Mike and I will take them on air. Because every meal matters, and every meal has a price tag shaped by forces far beyond the kitchen.

  3. Aug 18

    Beef Prices Are at Record Highs—Should It Stay on Your Event Menu?

    Why does the beef entrée on your banquet menu cost so much more than it did two years ago—and what should you expect next when deciding whether beef belongs on your event menu? Record-high cattle prices, the smallest U.S. beef herd in decades, and shifting global trade flows have pushed beef prices to historic levels. Consumers feel it at the grocery store in the sticker price on burgers and steaks, but for hotels, caterers, convention centers, and event planners buying beef by the case, the stakes are even higher. Every carving station, plated filet, and burger buffet now carries a price tag shaped by forces that start on a cattle ranch and travel through feedlots, packers, and distributors before landing on your BEO. On this episode of Eating at a Meeting LIVE, I'm joined by Dr. Derrell Peel, Charles Breedlove Professor of Agribusiness at Oklahoma State University and Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist since 1989. One of the country's most trusted voices on cattle markets, beef demand, and meat supply chains, Derrell has spent more than three decades helping producers and buyers make sense of the economics behind every pound of beef—and he has a gift for making complex market dynamics clear to non‑economists. Together, we're tracing the path from farm to function: how tight cattle supplies and strong demand have driven prices to current levels, how North American and global trade flows shape what U.S. buyers pay, and how those upstream dynamics translate into the B2B prices hotels, caterers, and studios see on invoices every week. You'll learn: ▶ Why cattle supplies are historically tight, and why herd rebuilding—and price relief—will take years, not months ▶ How beef moves from cow‑calf producer to packer to distributor to your banquet menu, and where the key price "steps" happen ▶ Why grocery‑store beef prices and B2B foodservice prices don't move in lockstep ▶ Which cuts are under the most pressure, and how that should inform menu design, portion strategy, protein mix, and whether beef stays on the menu at all ▶ What planners and F&B buyers can realistically expect for beef pricing over the next few years—and how to plan, negotiate, and communicate with clients accordingly Whether you're a planner justifying a per‑plate increase to a client, a hotel F&B director building next year's banquet menus, or a caterer deciding whether beef stays on the buffet, this conversation gives you the market literacy to make smarter decisions—because every meal matters, and every menu line item has a story that starts long before it reaches the kitchen. Join us live and bring your questions about beef prices, menu strategy, and managing F&B budgets in a volatile protein market.

  4. Aug 11

    How Global Uncertainty Drives Up the Cost of Every Meal at Your Meeting

    Why does the same banquet menu cost more this year than last — and why can't anyone tell you what it will cost next quarter? Global uncertainty drives up the cost of every meal at your meeting — often before a single supply chain is disrupted. If food arrives by car or truck (and nearly all of it does), energy prices are baked into every plate you serve. When markets get nervous, oil and gas prices move, transportation costs climb, and fertilizer prices rise for the farmers growing what eventually lands on your buffet. By the time those costs reach a hotel banquet kitchen or catering contract, they've been multiplied through every link in the supply chain. On the next Eating at a Meeting LIVE, I'll be joined by Dr. Mike Walden, Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Agricultural and Resource Economics at NC State University. For decades, Mike has translated complex economic forces into plain language for consumers, businesses, and policymakers — and now he'll do it for the people who buy, serve, and budget for food at meetings and events. Together we'll unpack how market uncertainty and volatility move food prices even before supply is disrupted, why energy is the hidden ingredient in every meal, how rising fertilizer costs today shape food prices for seasons to come, and what all of this means when it flows downstream into hotel banquet pricing, catering contracts, and F&B minimums. Whether you're a planner trying to explain a budget increase to stakeholders, a hotel or caterer setting prices in an unpredictable market, or a supplier navigating rising input costs, this conversation will give you the economic vocabulary to understand what's happening — and to have smarter conversations with clients and partners about what comes next. Join us live and bring your questions — what are you seeing in your F&B budgets and contracts? Mike and I will take them on air. Because every meal matters, and every meal has a price tag shaped by forces far beyond the kitchen.

  5. Jul 21

    The Communal Table: Why Shared Meals Build Connection at Events

    When you travel somewhere new, you often don't know a single soul. So how do you actually understand the place you're standing in? Kenny Dunn's answer: eat. This week on Eating at a Meeting LIVE, I'm talking with Kenny Dunn, Founder and CEO of Eating Europe. His story is a rare one — he started his career at the United Nations working on food security and sustainable agriculture, then a chance pizza tour sparked an idea that became one of Europe's leading culinary tour companies, spanning cities across seven-plus countries and hundreds of thousands of guests. But here's what makes Kenny essential listening for our world. He treats food as a gateway to culture, not a checklist of dishes. His guides don't just point at plates — they translate daily life, share the stories behind the people cooking, and turn a meal into genuine access to a place. And he takes the hard parts seriously. Safety starts with knowing every guest's allergies and dietary needs before they arrive — he'll share a Rome story that shows exactly why that communication is life-or-death. Sustainability, for him, means putting money behind the small, often family-run businesses preserving food traditions that globalization threatens to erase. Inclusion means the more diverse the table, the richer the experience — something he felt firsthand at a 100-year-old restaurant in Bogotá, seated with strangers who became a shared meal to remember. For planners, destinations, hotels, and DMCs, this is a blueprint for off-site dining and local experiences that are safer, more meaningful, and more memorable than any banquet. Watch LIVE and bring your questions. When has a meal given you real access to a place or a person? Tell me in the comments — I want to hear your table story.

  6. Jul 7

    California's Food Allergy Law has Arrived. Is Your Event Safe?

    July 1, 2026, was a historic day for food allergy safety in America. California's ADDE Act — the Allergen Disclosure for Dining Experiences Act — officially takes effect on July 1. It's the first law in the United States to require chain restaurants to list the Top 9 major allergens directly on their menus. Named for Addie Lao, a nine-year-old food allergy advocate who dreamed of eating at a restaurant without fear, this law is a landmark. And it matters far beyond the restaurant industry. And here's what that means for your events: hotel management companies operating 20 or more locations nationwide may need to comply. The high-end corporate restaurant groups — the ones you book for client dinners, incentive programs, and VIP receptions — are in scope too. For the first time, allergen transparency is a legal requirement at many of the venues where your events are held. Our attendees don't check their food allergies at the registration desk. They bring them to your buffet, your plated dinner, your opening reception. This law raises the bar — and your guests' expectations are rising with it. Tomorrow on Eating at a Meeting LIVE, I'm going to break it all down — what the ADDE Act requires, who it covers, and what it signals for the future of allergen transparency at meetings and events. If you plan events, manage F&B, run a hotel, or feed guests for a living, you need to be in this conversation.

  7. Jun 30

    How One Venue Cuts Food Waste, Costs, & Exclusion With Smarter Menu Design

    Imagine a menu where every cocktail has a zero-proof twin, every allergy is anticipated, and nothing—even the juice from a can of chickpeas—goes to waste. This episode is all about pushing past the 'Shirley Temple standard' and building truly inclusive and sustainable food & beverage experiences, one thoughtful pivot at a time." From batch-prepping for reduced waste to designing mocktails that rival their spirited siblings, Tracy along with Evan Askey and Colby Poulin of Vast in Oklahoma City explore what it takes to create menus that welcome everyone—regardless of food preference, restriction, or choice to skip the alcohol. They reveal how their programs eliminate outcasts at the table, use innovative bar techniques like super juicing and aquafaba powders, and maximize local sourcing, all while cutting costs and keeping flavor and experience front and center. Take away concrete tips for allergen management, sustainability in large-scale dining, and building bar programs that let everyone—kids, non-drinkers, food allergy guests—join in the celebration.

  8. Jun 23

    Feeding Gluten-free — How the Events Industry Can Support Gluten-free Food Equity

    If your food pantry's shelves don't reflect the needs of 21 million gluten-free Americans—or you assume guests will 'just figure it out'—it's time for a reality check. This episode reveals why transparency, education, and intentional sourcing are the keys to serving every member of your community safely and affordably. Carla Carter, Director of Education & Programs at the National Celiac Association, shares practical insights from decades on the front lines of gluten-free advocacy. Discover the hidden challenges of feeding gluten-free—at home, at events, and in food pantries—why communication trumps good intentions, and what it really takes for both families and organizations to bridge the affordability gap. Learn how one well-intentioned restaurant got it wrong, what food pantries need to know before donating, and how a national movement for equitable access is gaining momentum.

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About

Eating at a Meeting explores a variety of topics on food and beverage (F&B) and how they impact individual experience and inclusion, sustainability, culture, community, health and wellness, laws and more. The mission of Eating at a Meeting is to share authentic stories that illustrate the financial, social, emotional, and mental impact food and beverage have on individuals, organizations, and the earth. I see it being threefold: ● Help individuals and organizations understand how F&B impacts employee, customer and guest experience, the planet and the bottom line. ● Help those growing, producing, preparing, and serving F&B understand the duty of care they hold in food safety and inclusion as well as the opportunity they have to create experiences that are safe and inclusive. ● Support those with dietary needs by gathering their insight on eating at a meeting with dietary needs, helping them better advocate for themselves and educating them on the processes found on the other side of the kitchen door.

Information

  • Creator
    Tracy Stuckrath, CFPM, CMM, CSEP, CHC
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    379
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Tracy Stuckrath, thrive! meetings & events
  • Show Website
    Eating at a Meeting