Event catering is constantly evolving. Event planners are continually innovating to improve what and how they serve food at events. They also use the latest trends in food and beverages to create culinary experiences that delight and surprise guests.

BizBash collected insights from event professionals across the globe to understand which F&B trends will impact our industry by 2025. These 10 trends will be the most talked about this year, from ultra-luxury dining and high-end mocktails to sustainability and dietary restrictions.

1. Elevated mocktails are on the rise

In 2025, the relationship between people and alcohol will change. Ipsos Consumer Tracker revealed that 40% of Americans intend to drink less in the coming year. This highlights a need for alternative beverages that appeal to those who are sober-curious. Event planners can cater to this demand with alcohol-free, innovative cocktails.

Mary Cline is the vice president of sales for Wolfgang Puck Catering. She said that “Mocktails have become an expectation” and that people are looking for sophisticated, complex, nonalcoholic drinks. Mixologists and beverage companies are responding to the demand for innovative products in cans and bottles, including house-made botanical tonics and shrubs with fruity flavours, aromatic brewed drinks, refreshing seltzers and zero-proof spirits.

Amy Aversa of Sweet Basil Catering shared that their company has seen an increase in requests for mocktails over the last year. In response, Aversa and her team have created mocktails using seasonal ingredients with small bites at the rim. For winter, a blood-orange spritz is served with prosciutto-wrapped fried bucatini and in spring and summer, a lemon basil fizz is served with a Parmesan-filled cannoli with basil-whipped cream ricotta.

2. Zero-waste practices embedded in the design

According to research, the event industry can be responsible for up to 10% of annual carbon emissions. This has prompted event professionals and planners alike to incorporate sustainable business practices into the entire planning process. This means that catering must find ways to source ingredients sustainably and create effective waste management programmes.

Gabriela Neves is the president of Factory360. She said that some key steps include ordering meals in advance, prioritizing seasonal and local ingredients, working with local venues and organizations to compost, and eliminating plastics for single use. “Also, encourage and challenge catering and venue partners to adopt sustainable practices. Include a sustainability clause in your project bids. This will help you to set clear expectations from the beginning.

3. Dining experiences that focus on wellness

Wellness-centric catering that combines creativity, personalization and contemporary dining trends may be a big hit this year. Constellation Culinary Group has created a CBD-infused ramen bar.

Guests can choose between a CBD-infused chicken broth or roasted herbs and spices as the base of their bowl and customize it with a variety of toppings. The company offers a variety of Asian-inspired drinks, including melon juices and CBD-infused options such as a “Unicorn tears” spritzer.

4. Family-style dinner setups

After years of restrictions due to pandemics, people are now meeting at events and networking in person. Certain strategies, such as catering to the family style, can foster the engagement and connection that planners are looking to achieve.

Sara Beth Raab is the owner of SB Events. She said, “This approach brings people together around communal tables where food is shared and served in a family-style manner.” “It seems the pandemic has reignited our desire for connection, and this style of dining–a stark contrast to COVID-era restrictions–reminds us of the joy in sharing a moment of togetherness.”

Tara Reilly is Vox Media’s vice president for experiential and partnerships. She anticipates dinner parties continuing their momentum in 2024.

5. Menus based on plants

Plant-based foods will be omnipresent at events, and event planners will have the opportunity to innovate this established trend. Claudine Relish, founder of Relish Catering + Hospitality, said that her team will incorporate bold flavors into plant-based meals this year.

Revere said that “in 2025, we can expect to see an increasing emphasis on global flavors, diverse cuisines and plant-based options.” “Visibility is key. Dishes are designed to be scaled-up or down in order to match seamlessly with the vision and style of an event.”

This company offers tandoori-roasted eggplants, vegetable cannelloni, and a vegetable carving station, a colourful vegan twist on the meat carving station.

6. Be mindful of dietary restrictions

Professionals in the event industry encourage planners to be more considerate and accommodating of guests’ dietary needs and to ensure that they can accommodate many different requirements.

Erika Heald is a B2B marketing consultant. She said, “[It]’s about] understanding how food allergies can make or ruin a conference and making adjustments to group meals and accommodations for individuals accordingly.” It’s much easier to accommodate people with food allergies without compromising the quality of food or overall experience. “The best event professionals understand that.”

Kelly Taws is an event specialist at Athena Event Solutions. She says that serving meal alternatives a la carte to attendees who request them is not enough. Menus should be designed to appeal to a larger audience and take into account a variety of dietary requirements. Better labelling will allow attendees to make safer choices or to see that their needs are being met.

7. Experiences of ultra-luxury cuisine

Catering companies are also embracing luxury this year. Nicole Hernandez, national director of sales at Constellation Culinary Group and Design Cuisine, Lancer Hospitality Group, and Abigail Kirsch shared that the key to an ultra-luxury event experience, one that an attendee would not find anywhere else, is highlighting unique ingredients via a multisensory eating experience.

Hernandez said that event planners could create exclusivity through features such as caviar carts or roaming oyster shuckers, as well as tableside carved steaks. Dramatic live-action stations, like hanging shellfish paella, serve as both visual centres and showcases for premium ingredients.

8. Classic cocktails are back!

Some event professionals believe that the return to classic cocktails is imminent. Ingenious, Instagrammable cocktail recipes are constantly being reinvented. Crystal Coser of Bites & Bashes catering company said that complex cocktails with unrecognizable components are on the way out.

Classic cocktails are back with their Old Hollywood glamour. Coser said that our martini station, which offers a variety of dirty martinis, martinis with a twist and Gibson martinis, is currently our most popular. “Thoughtful additions such as a variety of olives or infused olive oil add an interactive element while still keeping it tasteful and – dare I say – demure.

9. Coffee is the focus

Pantone announced Mocha Mousse as its Color of the Year 2025 (see our event design ideas around it here), and the industry could see the shade of brown reflected in F&B offerings–particularly through coffee and desserts. Eva Phelan is a senior creative producer with the agency Heaps + Stacks. She hopes to see coffee incorporated into new and innovative ways.

Phelan said, “With Mocha Mousse as the Pantone color of the year, I expect many brands to build upon this neutral tone by using coffee and ice-cream to bring it alive.”

A collaboration between Sharpie & Paper Mate was one of the most popular SXSW houses in 2024. Attendees were given a clear pouch with pens and a drink ticket where they could draw the drink that they wanted to have made for them. These drink tickets were taped on a wall. Photo: Courtesy Sharpie and Paper Mate

10. Real-time personalization

Customizing food and beverages in real-time is crucial to creating a memorable guest experience. Kim Trieu, Expedia Group’s global events and experience manager, noted that ” real-time or on-the-spot cocktail inspiration” may take off this year. Kim cited Paper Mate and Sharpie’s interactive bar for SXSW as an example. The activation provided attendees with clear pouches containing pens and drink cards, inviting them to draw their preferred drink on the drink card for a bartender who would make it on-site.