7-Eleven, Sheetz, Chili's, and others take home top honors for standout beverage innovation.
Beverage continues to serve as one of the strongest drivers of traffic, profitability, and customer loyalty across foodservice and convenience retail. We extend our congratulations to every winner for pushing the category forward.”— Joseph Donnelly, President, Media & Events, Informa ConnectNEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Informa Connect Foodservice has revealed the recipients of its debut Bevvy Awards, set to be presented during the 2026 Future of Beverage Conference in Dallas, Texas, taking place November 10-12, 2026. The honors, developed jointly by Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, CSP, and Technomic, recognize the most inventive beverage initiatives fueling momentum across the convenience store and restaurant sectors.
Whether it’s elevated coffee creations, functional drinks, eye-catching cooler displays, or creative partnerships, today’s beverage offerings reflect customers who are no longer just grabbing a drink — they’re looking for experiences, customization, and standout moments that inspire repeat visits.
"We’re thrilled to celebrate our first-ever Bevvy Award winners for raising the bar on beverage innovation. From restaurant chains to convenience retailers, these teams are transforming insights into irresistible offerings. Beverage continues to serve as one of the strongest drivers of traffic, profitability, and customer loyalty across foodservice and convenience retail. We extend our congratulations to every winner for pushing the category forward," remarked Joseph Donnelly, President, Media & Events, Informa Connect, which serves as the parent organization for Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, CSP, and Technomic.
Convenience Retail Winners
Best Adult Beverage Program (The Buzz Builder): Hot Spot
Hot Spot has raised the bar in the convenience channel by showing that c-stores can go head-to-head with specialty beverage retailers through outstanding curation and know-how. The chain turned its locations into go-to destinations for craft beer fans. This initiative has fueled notable sales growth, fostered customer loyalty, and aided craft brewers by expanding their distribution reach.
Best CPG/Retailer Collaboration (The Power Partnership): 7-Eleven
7-Eleven forged strategic beverage alliances that bring fresh ideas and exclusive offerings to its store network. The company has shown a sharp grasp of beverage trends by teaming up with top CPG brands to introduce exclusive product drops, limited-run flavors, and co-branded experiences that appeal to today’s consumers on the move.
Cooler Marketing Excellence (The Cold Case Closer): Weigel's
Weigel's turned its cold vault into a year-round engagement hub. The company elevated beverage marketing from short-term promos into an ongoing platform that ties cooler execution to loyalty programs, digital games, sports tie-ins, big prizes, fuel rewards, and culturally timely moments. This approach has bolstered supplier partnerships, boosted beverage sampling, increased foot traffic, and carved out a unique competitive edge.
Beverage Trendsetter: Twice Daily Convenience Stores
Twice Daily's White Bison initiative merges a third-wave coffee shop vibe with advanced technology. The brand introduced “store within a store” layouts and standalone locations that deliver premium beverage offerings.
Best Build Your Own Beverage Station (Hot): QuikTrip
QuikTrip’s self-serve taps serving café-quality drinks blend upscale coffee bar style with highway-stop practicality. This concept was rolled out across the entire chain, raising the benchmark for the truck stop segment.
Best Build Your Own Beverage Station (Cold): Sheetz
Sheetz combines self-serve ease with craft soda creativity through its “FizzCity” fountain stations and Made-To-Order Craft'd Popz offering. The program cements Sheetz’s position as a frontrunner in personalized drink creation.
“It wasn’t all that long ago we were handing customers stale coffee and the same old soda brands,” said Mitch Morrison, CSP VP of Retail Relations and Event Content Director. “Nowadays, c-stores are incredibly impressive: dirty sodas, artisanal lattes, custom syrups and creams across soft drinks and coffees. The Future of Beverage is the first event to truly acknowledge that QSRs and convenience stores are competing in this exciting liquid treasure hunt.”
Restaurant Company Winners
Best Coffee Program (Brew Master): Scooter's Coffee
Scooter's Coffee has set itself apart with a compact, cost-effective store design built to fulfill the brand's “amazingly fast” service commitment, all while preserving flavor quality through proprietary, in-house roasted specialty-grade Arabica beans. Scooter's Coffee demonstrates how operational efficiency, menu innovation, and digital engagement can come together to craft an outstanding coffee experience.
Best Tea Program (Brew Master): HTeaO
HTeaO took classic sweet tea and turned it into a craft beverage experience that rivals specialty coffee culture. Its proprietary reverse osmosis water filtration, real tea leaves, pure cane sugar, and natural fruit infusions ensure uncompromising quality. The inventive “Tea Buffet” allows guests to sample and personalize drinks from more than 26 flavor options.
Best Non-Alcohol Beverage Menu (Cool Sips): Lazy Dog Restaurant
Lazy Dog redefined alcohol-free dining with a chef-driven beverage menu that matches traditional cocktails in both flair and craftsmanship. Their handcrafted mocktails, made with fresh fruit purées, scratch-made syrups, and house-crafted zero-proof elixirs, have elevated the non-alcoholic drink experience for casual dining patrons.
Beverage Trendsetter: Sonic
Sonic led the way in massive drink customization, offering over a million possible flavor combinations. The chain was among the first to embrace the “dirty soda” craze and launched creative formats such as bursting bubbles and green-tea-based refreshers featuring real fruit pieces and electrolytes.
Best Limited Time Offer/Collaboration (The Power Partnership): Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar
Applebee's has strengthened its beverage approach by combining budget-friendly, high-profile celebrity spirit partnerships with interactive novelty garnishes, playful merchandise, and multi-pour serving styles that deliver memorable guest moments. Additionally, their seasonal themed campaigns, gamified interactive extras, and the strategic comeback of their most popular viral deal, the $1 Dollarita, brings creativity, cultural relevance, and strong value to their guests.
Best Adult Beverage Menu: Chili's Grill & Bar
Chili's earns recognition for its standout bar offerings, successfully executing a two-tier pricing strategy that balances affordability with premium choices. The brand’s ongoing dedication to beverage innovation — such as a new frozen margarita lineup, color-changing drinks, and popping boba toppings — has reshaped its adult beverage menu.
Best Functional Beverage Offering (Bevvies with Benefits): Playa Bowls
Playa Bowls takes an inventive approach to functional beverages by zeroing in on emerging nutritional trends, combining high-purity superfoods, and launching forward-thinking menu lines like their Protein Clouds series, which delivers high protein along with MCTs and B12, as well as their Tidal Wave Smoothie, offering 31g of protein and 520 calories and becoming the top-selling LTO smoothie in company history.
Attend Future of Beverage 2026
The Future of Beverage Conference is scheduled for November 10-12, 2026, bringing together a broad mix of industry players from leading, mid-sized, and up-and-coming chains navigating the fast-changing beverage landscape. Attendees represent businesses across various sectors, all influenced by shifting consumer tastes, health and wellness priorities, indulgence, and a growing focus on sustainability and innovation. The first Bevvy Awards ceremony is slated for Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
To learn more about Future of Beverage 2026, visit informaconnect.com/future-of-beverage
About Informa Connect Foodservice
Informa Connect Foodservice unites top-tier brands, exceptional talent, and deep customer connections within the expanding B2B foodservice sector, offering premium editorial content, digital and print publications, data resources, and events that audiences rely on.
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