From Hospitals to Filling Stations: Navigating Food Transition's Challenges and Opportunities

GFS CONGRESS 2025 - During breakout group sessions, attendees at the inaugural Gondola Foodservice Congress immersed themselves in real-world scenarios, seeking practical solutions to industry challenges.

Inspiring insights are valuable — but real-world experimentation is even more impactful. Mattias Thuysbaert, Key Account & Business Development Director at La Lorraine Bakery Group, and Sarah Pillen, Shop & Dealer Performance Manager at Q8, led a session focused on the evolving role of gas stations as destinations for food and beverage consumption.

In another interactive workshop, Karolien Sottiaux, COO at Sirius Insight, and Oskar van Der Rest, co-founder and partner at Buddy, challenged participants with a geomarketing exercise. Attendees were asked to identify and justify target groups for the launch of Buddy, an organic energy drink produced in Belgium.

Meanwhile, Sylvain Voussure, Head of the Dietetics Department at Liège University Hospital (CHU Liège), addressed the future of food and beverages in hospitals. He outlined the current situation at his facility, where a team of 42 people supplies meals not only to the hospital but also to two nurseries and a retirement home.

Voussure did not shy away from problems, specifically highlighting the three tons of green waste and a large quantity of plastic waste generated weekly. Hospitals are keen to improve, though budgets remain tight. A key question raised was whether suppliers could play a role in helping optimize and increase the sustainability of the entire supply chain.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of restaurants are viewing home delivery as a strategic lever, helping to better utilize staff and infrastructure, while driving revenue growth and improved margins.

Yoan Antoine and Alexander De Vil, Head of Commercial and Lead Retail & FMCG at Deliveroo respectively, emphasized the potential of shared platforms and brand partnerships to accelerate and scale home delivery services.