Robin Blanchette is Founder and CEO of Houston-based Norton Creative, a full-service advertising agency that specializes in the hospitality industry. Robin founded Norton Creative in 2014, after a celebrated 20-year career in corporate in-house advertising and marketing for retail and restaurants. She now directs a nimble and creative team that delivers big results for clients like Buffalo Wild Wings, Golden Corral, HTeaO and Fogo de Chao on projects ranging from brand identity/positioning, campaign design, customer journey, menu engineering/architecture, and paid digital and social media strategy and execution.
Robin remains committed to her industry and her community. She has served on the Marketing Advisory Board for both Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry, the campaign to end childhood hunger in America, and Women’s Foodservice Forum. She was also the Co-Chair of the Marketing Committee for GLEAM, national mentoring organization for the hospitality industry, and now serves on the Advisory Board for GLEAM.
Robin earned a Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University, where she served on the Executive Board for Neeley Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications (Radio, Television and Film) from Baylor University.
A deep dive into how chefs, culinary directors, and operators merge trend data, sensory research, seasonality, and storytelling to build craveable, repeatable menus. Where do you spot trends first—and how do you know they fit your brand identity? From long-term trends vs. fads to the phases of the R&D process and the eternal marketing-vs-operations balance, this session breaks down what modern menu innovation really takes.
