CHICAGO, November 12, 2025 —If any attendee didn’t see why this year’s Presidents Conference was themed “Clarity Among the Chaos,” the ah-ha moment might have come about 15 examples into a review of the forces reshaping the food-away-from-home business.
The rundown didn’t stop with the obvious influences of new government policies, vexing shifts in consumer behavior, and ongoing supply chain challenges. Indeed, each of those topics was given its own track or “pathway,” a series of educational sessions addressing different facets of the issues.
The chaos factors covered in the keynote address from Phil Kafarakis, CEO of conference host IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, extended to such matters as the appeal of private-label goods during a time of heightened price sensitivity.
He recounted how innovation is being redefined, its boundaries stretched to lengths once seemed unimaginable. The example he cited: A major food manufacturer’s launch of an underarm deodorant that smells like the soup it's sold with.
Political and social sensitivities have always been a backdrop the industry needed to address. Those external considerations have often prompted businesses to make significant changes, such as removing racially charged figures like Aunt Jemima or Uncle Ben from the logos of established brands.
Contrast those developments, suggested Kafarakis, to what befell Cracker Barrel when it adopted a new, more modern logo that phased out a character known as Uncle Herschel, whom many saw as a classic redneck. The political right objected that Herschel was getting the heave-ho because of “wokeness” and political correctness, yelping so loudly that even President Trump interjected himself into the protests. They demanded that the logo be restored to what it was.
Cracker Barrel said it had no choice but to bring Uncle Herschel back. It even apologized for dropping a figure that was seen by both sides as a controversial stereotype.
Kafarakis also brought up Robby Starbuck, the online political commentator who’s pressing well-known corporations like many of the ones represented at Presidents Conference to end their diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies. Once a laudable pursuit, DEI has now been demonized as a form of prejudice against the white male mainstream.
He also cited Alec Opperman of the advocacy group More Perfect Union, who’s been drawing attention to what he’s positioned as an expose about the restaurant business. Opperman contends that food often tastes the same across a number of establishments because of the industry’s dirty little secret: The restaurants are all using the same products from the same source, mega-distributor Sysco Corp.
Kafarakis’ message was clear: The FAFH industry is growing ever more complex because of highly charged issues intruding into the business from the political, economic, and social turmoil raging outside.
The 2025 Presidents Conference, he explained, was choreographed to help attendees get a handle on forces they never would have imagined five years ago but now face routinely.
The event was held Nov. 2-4 at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.
Cover image courtesy: Closed Loop Project