Bento Perspectives is our monthly look at the ideas and shifts shaping fresh, convenient food in North America and beyond. Each edition brings forward perspectives from the team at Bento, grounded in hands-on experience and a shared commitment to quality, innovation, and continuous improvement. Through this series, we aim to share what we are learning, highlight emerging trends, and offer a thoughtful view on how the broader food, retail, and consumer landscape continues to evolve.
The Future of Grab and Go and What Consumers Expect Next
Andrew Siu, Executive Vice President, Commissaries
When I look at grab and go today, it is almost unrecognizable from where it started. Thirty years ago, when Bento first came to market, the category was narrow and unfamiliar to many shoppers. Today it spans sushi, fresh sandwiches, salads, hot meals, global flavours, bakery items, and premium snacks. The shift has been steady, but the pace of change in recent years has been dramatic.
Even within sushi, the shift has been remarkable. I remember when California rolls still felt new to many consumers. Now, it is common to see young kids grow up eating sushi as a staple. In my own house, my toddler reaches for raw salmon over a cucumber roll without hesitation. That kind of familiarity would have been hard to imagine even 20 years ago, and it speaks to how quickly tastes have evolved. At Bento, we see that evolution up close, and it is reshaping how we think about innovation.
While sushi remains core to our business, innovation at Bento has evolved to include non-sushi Japanese offerings that are growing in demand, like ready-to-heat entrées like teriyaki bowls, onigiri, desserts, and bubble tea. These are not just add-ons, they are essential parts of how customers engage with the category. We are also beginning to see growing curiosity for more premium and unexpected ingredients in grab and go, a space we are starting to explore with new protein offerings like fully cooked scallops, in a range of grab-and-go formats from sushi to onigiri to poke bowls.
The past five years accelerated many of these changes. Inflation, new routines, and a stronger focus on value and health pushed consumers toward fresh, ready to eat options they could trust. We are also seeing meaningful shifts in when people are buying. Our customer research shows that in suburban markets especially, demand is increasingly moving toward dinner. That is a notable change for a category that was once heavily lunch-driven.
Innovation in grab and go follows its own rules. Packaging is a core part of the experience because it must protect freshness, maintain quality across distribution, and support food safety at scale. At the same time, menus are evolving. Consumers are embracing globally inspired meals, ready to heat formats, protein forward snacks, and fresh bakery items that fit naturally into busy days.
Today’s shoppers are informed, selective, and clear about what value looks like. Items that were once niche, whether sushi or plant-based meals or specialty snacks, are now everyday choices. This creates opportunity for operators who can keep pace, and pressure for those who cannot. Hybrid work has also reshaped demand. Urban lunch traffic has softened, while suburban stores are seeing stronger interest. Universities and hospitals have largely returned to pre pandemic patterns, with younger consumers driving demand for bold flavours and new formats.
Looking ahead, the direction is unmistakable. Consumers will expect cleaner labels, fresher ingredients, healthier choices, and fair pricing. The biggest challenge is distribution, especially in North America where geography makes frequent delivery difficult. Solving this will unlock a new level of freshness and variety across all locations.
Grab and go is entering its next era. The companies that lead will be the ones that understand rising expectations and continue to rethink how fresh food is made, moved, and experienced.