500 +

Attendees

30 +

Sessions

2:1

Operator Ratio

March 7 - 9, 2027 | orlando, fl

 

ONE CONSUMER. ONE INDUSTRY.

 

Consumers don't live in one segment; their food-away-from-home journey spans a lifetime, with each stage bringing new expectations, challenges, and opportunities.

 

That's why COEX is transforming to meet the needs of today's consumer. We're bringing together leaders from every corner of foodservice — supply chain, marketing, culinary, and leadership — across both commercial and on-site segments to share insights, spark ideas, and build partnerships that move the industry forward, all with the consumer at the center. 

 

COEX 2026 KEYNOTE
JERRY MORGAN, TEXAS ROADHOUSE

COEX 2026 TRAILER 

COEX 2025 KEYNOTE 
JACK LI, CO-FOUNDER, DATASSENTIAL

 

What to Expect

 

The future of foodservice won't be built in silos. It will be shaped across every corner of our industry; from K-12 schools to colleges, healthcare to senior living, business & industry to restaurants of every kind.

 

Built on our past accomplishments, this year’s program will be centered on the consumer. Bringing segment insights to better understand and meet consumer’s evolving needs. Because the next breakthrough isn't hiding in your own vertical, it's waiting in someone else's perspective.

 

COEX: Where silos come down and businesses grow stronger.

 

 

 

Featured Voices

Jerry Morgan
Jerry Morgan
CEO & Executive Vice Chairman, Texas Roadhouse, Inc.
Roiana Reid
Roiana Reid
Senior U.S. Economist and Data Scientist, Mastercard
Barry McGowan
Barry McGowan
CEO, Fogo de Chao
Sarah Stewart-Schultze
Sarah Stewart-Schultze
Vice President of Purchasing,International Dairy Queen, Inc.
Jennifer Wilson
Jennifer Wilson
VP of Sales - PFG Customized, Performance Food Group
Michael Alberici
Michael Alberici
Chief Marketing Officer, Smalls Sliders

Articles

Culinary Highlights of COEX 2026

From innovative dishes at the opening reception to chef-led creations at Menu-a-thon, immerse yourself in the flavors that defined IFMA COEX 2026 in Atlanta.

A live focus group gave COEX attendees a preview of their future customers

Anyone waiting for a mention of Taco Bell or Starbucks might have been surprised by what the teenagers participating in an onstage focus group at COEX revealed as their top dining preferences.

Executive Summary COEX 2026

It’s clear that the way customers make their dining choices is changing. How they decide whether a brand has earned their next visit, or their next dollar, can be complicated. As an industry, we need to understand, and anticipate, our consumers like

How Jerry Morgan has kept Texas Roadhouse flying high

Before Texas Roadhouse founder and CEO Kent Taylor died in 2021, he scribbled a name on a legal pad atop his desk: J-e-r-r-y M-o-r-g-a-n. He tore off the strip of paper and set it aside, in effect answering the question he knew every employee of the

Want more guests? Great. Just don’t alienate the ones you have, COEX attendees are advised

Though hailing from different segments, Freddy’s Custard and Steakburgers and Perkins Restaurant & Bakery both offered accounts of how they lost silver-haired patrons through well-intentioned efforts to help the brands and their franchisees. Their ca

COEX attendees dug into menu trends with fork in hand

It’s typical for conferences in the food business to preview menu trends via slides and expert commentary. COEX 2026 opted to use knives and forks instead.

Sponsor Logos

Thank You to Our 2026 Sponsors