Informa Connect Foodservice names winners of first Bevvy Awards
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Informa Connect
Informa Connect Foodservice announced the winners of the first-ever Bevvy Awards, which will be presented during the 2026 Future of Beverage Conference in Dallas, Texas, November 10-12, 2026. The awards, a collaboration between Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, CSP, and Technomic, celebrate the most innovative beverage programs driving growth across the convenience and restaurant industries.
From premium coffee offerings and functional drinks to eye-catching cooler merchandising and innovative collaborations, today’s beverage programs serve customers who aren’t simply ordering a drink — they’re seeking experiences, personalization, and memorable moments that keep them coming back.
“We’re proud to honor our inaugural Bevvy Award winners for setting a high bar in beverage innovation. From restaurants to convenience retail, these teams are turning insight into craveable experiences. Beverage remains one of the most powerful levers for traffic, margin, and loyalty in foodservice and convenience. Congratulations to all our winners for leading the category forward,” said Joseph Donnelly, President, Media & Events, Informa Connect, the parent company of Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, CSP, and Technomic.
Convenience Retail Winners
Best Adult Beverage Program (The Buzz Builder): Hot Spot
Hot Spot has elevated the convenience channel by demonstrating that c-stores can compete with specialty beverage retailers through exceptional selection and expertise. They transformed their stores into destination locations for craft beer enthusiasts. The program has driven significant business growth, customer loyalty, and supported craft brewers by providing broader market access.
Best CPG/Retailer Collaboration (The Power Partnership): 7-Eleven
7-Eleven developed strategic beverage partnerships that drive innovation and exclusivity across its retail network. They have demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of beverage trends by collaborating with leading CPG brands to create exclusive product launches, limited-edition flavors, and co-branded experiences that resonate with today’s on-the-go consumers.
Cooler Marketing Excellence (The Cold Case Closer): Weigel’s
Weigel’s transformed its cold vault into a year-round engagement platform. They elevated beverage marketing from temporary promotions into a year-round platform connecting cold-vault execution with loyalty, digital gamification, sports, major prizes, fuel rewards, and culturally relevant moments. The program has strengthened supplier relationships, increased beverage trial, driven store traffic, and created a differentiated market position.
Beverage Trendsetter: Twice Daily Convenience Stores
Twice Daily’s White Bison program blends third-wave café experience with cutting-edge technology. The company developed “store within a store” concepts and freestanding locations that deliver elevated beverage experiences.
Best Build Your Own Beverage Station (Hot): QuikTrip
QuikTrip’s self-serve taps that dispense coffeehouse-worthy drinks combine high-quality coffee bar aesthetics with truck stop convenience. The program was scaled across this large chain, setting a new standard for the truck stop segment.
Best Build Your Own Beverage Station (Cold): Sheetz
Sheetz blends self-service convenience with craft beverage creativity through its “FizzCity” self-serve fountain stations and Made-To-Order Craft’d Popz program. The program positions Sheetz as an industry leader in customer-driven drink customization.
“It wasn’t so long ago we were serving customers stale coffee and the same brands of sodas,” said Mitch Morrison, CSP VP of Retail Relations and Event Content Director. “Today’s c-stores are so cool: dirty sodas, crafted lattes, customized syrups and creams across soft drinks and coffees. The Future of Beverage is the first event to truly recognize that QSRs and convenience stores are completing in this thrilling liquid treasure hunt.”
Restaurant Company Winners
Best Coffee Program (Brew Master): Scooter’s Coffee
Scooter’s Coffee has distinguished itself through its compact, cost-efficient footprint engineered to deliver on the brand’s “amazingly fast” service promise, while maintaining flavor excellence through proprietary, in-house roasted specialty-grade Arabica beans. Scooter’s Coffee exemplifies how operational excellence, menu creativity, and digital engagement can converge to create an exceptional coffee experience.
Best Tea Program (Brew Master): HTeaO
HTeaO transformed traditional sweet tea into a craft beverage experience rivaling specialty coffee culture. Its proprietary reverse osmosis water system, real tea leaves, pure cane sugar, and natural fruit infusions deliver uncompromising quality. The innovative “Tea Buffet” lets customers sample and customize from over 26 flavors.
Best Non-Alcohol Beverage Menu (Cool Sips): Lazy Dog Restaurant
Lazy Dog reimagined alcohol-free dining with a chef-inspired beverage program that rivals traditional cocktails in both creativity and craftmanship. Their handcrafted mocktails featuring fresh fruit purées, scratch-made syrups, and house-crafted zero-proof elixirs has elevated the non-alcohol beverage experience for casual dining customers.
Beverage Trendsetter: Sonic
Sonic pioneered massive drink customization with more than a million potential flavor combinations. They were one of the first to tap into the “dirty soda” trend and introduced innovative formats including bursting bubbles and green-tea-based refreshers with real fruit pieces and electrolytes.
Best Limited Time Offer/Collaboration (The Power Partnership): Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar
Applebee’s has elevated its beverage strategy by pairing value-priced, high-profile celebrity spirit collaborations with interactive novelty garnishes, playful merchandise, and multi-pour service formats that create memorable guest experiences. In addition, their seasonal theme campaigns, gamified interactive add-ons and strategic revival of their most viral value promotion, the $1 Dollarita, delivers creativity, cultural relevance and exceptional value to their customers.
Best Adult Beverage Menu: Chili’s Grill & Bar
Chili’s is recognized for its exceptional bar offerings, successfully executing a dual-tier pricing model that balances accessibility with premium selections. They are committed to continuous beverage innovation — including a new frozen margarita line, color-shifting beverages, and popping boba additions — which has transformed their adult beverage menu.
Best Functional Beverage Offering (Bevvies with Benefits): Playa Bowls
Playa Bowls is innovative in functional beverages by targeting emerging nutritional trends, combining high-purity superfoods, and creating trend-forward menu lines such as their Protein Clouds line delivering high protein and MCTs/B12 as well as their Tidal Wave Smoothie, packing 31g of protein and 520 calories, becoming the highest-selling LTO smoothie in company history.
Attend Future of Beverage 2026
The Future of Beverage Conference takes place November 10-12, 2026, featuring a diverse ecosystem of industry professionals from top, mid-sized, and emerging chains who are navigating the rapidly evolving beverage landscape. Attendees represent companies across multiple sectors, all driven by shifting consumer preferences, health and wellness trends, indulgence, and the growing demand for sustainability and innovation. The inaugural Bevvy Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
For more information about Future of Beverage 2026, visit informaconnect.com/future-of-beverage
