Informa Connect names inaugural Bevvy Awards winners

Informa Connect Foodservice has announced the first Bevvy Awards winners, with 7-Eleven, Sheetz, Chili's and others recognized for beverage innovation across convenience retail and restaurants. The awards will be handed out at the Future of Beverage Conference in Dallas on Nov. 11, 2026.

Why it matters: - The Bevvy Awards spotlight beverage programs that can lift traffic, margin and loyalty in foodservice and convenience retail. - The first awards recognize how drinks have become a bigger growth lever, not just a menu add-on. - Winners range from c-stores to restaurant chains, showing how broad beverage innovation has become across the industry.

What happened: - Informa Connect Foodservice announced the winners of the inaugural Bevvy Awards on Sept. 14, 2026. - The awards will be presented during the 2026 Future of Beverage Conference in Dallas, Texas, Nov. 10-12, 2026. - The Bevvy Awards were created with Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, CSP and Technomic. - The ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.

The details: - In convenience retail, Hot Spot won Best Adult Beverage Program for building a craft-beer destination in c-stores. - 7-Eleven won Best CPG/Retailer Collaboration for exclusive launches, limited-edition flavors and co-branded beverage experiences. - Weigel's won Cooler Marketing Excellence for tying cold-vault promotions to loyalty, digital gamification, sports, prizes, fuel rewards and cultural moments. - Twice Daily Convenience Stores won Beverage Trendsetter for its White Bison concept, which blends café-style service with technology. - QuikTrip won Best Build Your Own Beverage Station (Hot) for self-serve taps that deliver coffeehouse-style drinks. - Sheetz won Best Build Your Own Beverage Station (Cold) for its FizzCity self-serve fountain stations and Made-To-Order Craft'd Popz program. - In restaurants, Scooter's Coffee won Best Coffee Program for its compact footprint and proprietary in-house roasted specialty-grade Arabica beans. - HTeaO won Best Tea Program for its reverse osmosis water system, tea-leaf-based brewing and Tea Buffet with more than 26 flavors. - Lazy Dog Restaurant won Best Non-Alcohol Beverage Menu for handcrafted mocktails, scratch-made syrups and zero-proof elixirs. - Sonic won Beverage Trendsetter for more than a million possible drink combinations, early adoption of dirty soda and new refreshers with fruit and electrolytes. - Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar won Best Limited Time Offer/Collaboration for celebrity spirit partnerships, novelty garnishes, merchandise and the revived $1 Dollarita. - Chili's Grill & Bar won Best Adult Beverage Menu for a dual-tier pricing model and new frozen margarita, color-shifting and popping boba drinks. - Playa Bowls won Best Functional Beverage Offering for Protein Clouds and the Tidal Wave Smoothie, which has 31 grams of protein and 520 calories and became the company's top-selling LTO smoothie.

Between the lines: - The winners reflect a shift toward beverage as an experience category, with customization, limited-time offers and functional ingredients doing more of the work. - Convenience chains and restaurants are using similar playbooks: exclusivity, personalization, novelty and loyalty hooks. - The awards also show how beverage innovation now spans coffee, tea, mocktails, alcohol and functional drinks.

What's next: - The Bevvy Awards will be presented at the Future of Beverage Conference in Dallas in November. - Attendees will gather from top, mid-sized and emerging chains to track consumer shifts in wellness, indulgence, sustainability and innovation. - More information is available in the company's announcement Future of Beverage 2026.