Menu Matters hires Erin Murray as senior director of client partnerships

Menu Matters has named insights veteran Erin Murray as senior director of client partnerships, adding more than 30 years of food and beverage research and strategy experience. The Chicago consulting firm says Murray will help clients turn market signals and consumer shifts into innovation, positioning and communication decisions.

Why it matters: - Menu Matters is expanding its client-facing team as food and beverage brands face faster-moving consumer preferences and tighter innovation cycles. - Murray’s background across research, consulting and brand-side insight work gives Menu Matters added depth for clients seeking strategy grounded in both data and market execution. - The hire also supports the firm’s push to take on more client work tied to trend forecasting, innovation and communications strategy.

What happened: - Menu Matters named Erin Murray senior director, client partnerships. - The Chicago-based food industry consulting firm announced the hire on September 22, 2026. - Murray will work with clients to translate market signals, cultural shifts and changing behavior into direction for innovation, positioning and communication strategy.

The details: - Murray brings more than 30 years of experience helping food and beverage brands understand emerging consumer needs. - Her resume includes senior insight and consulting roles at Sara Lee, Mintel, Datassential, GfK, Barilla and Bimbo Bakeries USA. - Murray has worked with quantitative and qualitative research methods. - Her experience includes identifying growth opportunities for food and beverage manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, retailers, chain operators and food trade associations. - Murray focuses on how trends and counter-trends can coexist in the market. - She looks for what Menu Matters calls “sweet spots,” or ideas that are both unique and ownable. - Murray holds a B.A. in Psychology from William & Mary. - Murray also holds a Master of Integrated Marketing Communication from Northwestern University’s Medill School. - She recently completed the Institute for the Future’s Foresight Essentials course. - Murray’s current interests include food as medicine, the future of fresh and biodiverse ecosystems in food production. - Menu Matters works with food manufacturers, commodity boards, restaurant chains and ingredient suppliers. - The firm’s services include menu innovation, trend forecasting, consumer research and thought leadership. - Menu Matters is led by President Maeve Webster. - The company says it combines culinary expertise with strategic thinking, analytical precision and a creative touch. - Menu Matters is a certified women-owned business. - Webster said Murray’s experience on both the brand side and research side will strengthen the firm’s work for clients. - Webster said Murray’s background aligns with the questions clients bring to Menu Matters about what people need now and what brands should do next. - Murray said the food and beverage industry is moving faster than ever and that she is focused on helping clients turn insight into action.

Between the lines: - The hire signals that Menu Matters is leaning further into foresight and applied strategy, not just trend reporting. - Murray’s cross-functional background suggests the firm wants more credibility with clients that need research translated into business decisions. - The emphasis on both cultural shifts and “sweet spots” points to a market where differentiation matters as much as raw consumer data.

What's next: - Menu Matters said Webster, Murray and Vice President Mike Kostyo are available for media interviews. - The team is available to discuss company growth, 2027 food and beverage trends and general food industry commentary. - Murray is set to support existing client work and help the firm deepen its advisory work.

The bottom line: - Menu Matters is betting that deeper insight expertise will help food companies act faster on changing consumer demand.