Biography

Patricia Cobe

Senior Editor

 Contact Patricia

Pat plans and executes menu, food and drink stories for Restaurant Business, covering food and beverage trends, Menu R&D, profiles of chefs and restaurateurs and Technomic research. She edits the weekly On the Menu newsletter and writes the regular Behind the Menu and Taste Tracker features. Pat hosts a weekly podcast called Menu Talk in collaboration with Bret Thorn of Nation's Restaurant News, covering a wide range of menu topics through interviews with chefs and operators.

Pat came to Informa Connect from Hearst, where she was an executive editor. She is the co-author of the Mompreneurs series of books as well as two cookbooks. She graduated from Cornell University and earned a Masters in Journalism from Boston University. She is active in several professional organizations, including Les Dames d’Escoffier and the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC), and serves as a judge for the James Beard Media Awards.

Articles by
Patricia Cobe

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Consumer Trends

Valentine's Day dining is no longer for couples only

Recent data from OpenTable finds that friends, groups and even solo diners plan to visit a restaurant on the traditionally romantic holiday.

Food

Taco Bell taps into snacking trend with Mini Taco Salad

Behind the Menu: The Mexican fast-food chain refreshed the format and flavor of its classic Fiesta Taco Salad to launch as part of its new Luxe Value Menu.

Matcha also gets more play, as the coffee giant expands the selection with permanent additions, featuring more berries and banana.

Menu Talk: A month into the new year, Lizzy Freier, senior director of menu research & insights at Technomic, revisits the team’s top trends.

Taste Tracker: Outback, 7 Brew, Logan’s, Dunkin’, Whataburger, Nothing Bundt Cakes, P.F. Chang’s, Portillo’s, Polly’s Pies, Baskin-Robbins, Lou Malnati’s and more headline restaurant menu news and trends.

The culinary team at the Atlanta-based pizza chain tested countless iterations to elevate the pie’s flavor and texture and have it stand out in a crowded category.

Two menus show how protein grams can add up without eating a big steak or three-egg omelet. And they have the numbers to prove it.

Behind the Menu: Emmy Lou’s in Charlotte is half bottle shop, half restaurant, where the retail shelves work as the wine list and the food is much more than an afterthought.

The beverage director of Miraté and Daisy Margarita Bar in Los Angeles also delves into rum, gin and more.

Taste Tracker: Wingstop, Taco Bell, STK, Dog Haus, PJ’s Coffee, Tijuana Flats, Wings Etc., Paris Baguette, Farmer Boys, Robeks and more headline restaurant menu news and trends.

Taking a break from booze may gain traction during the first month of the year, but a good selection of alcohol-free drinks is now table stakes at bars and restaurants year-round.

The winners of the 2026 Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. span 34 states and a diversity of restaurants and cuisines.

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