The Favorite Meal Feast retrospective turns your team's sprint review into a fun culinary-themed reflection, inviting everyone to celebrate wins, acknowledge challenges, and propose practical improvements.

When to use this template

This format is ideal for teams seeking a playful, engaging approach to retrospectives and works especially well when energy or creativity needs a boost after several routine retros.

How to facilitate

Welcome the team, set the food-inspired tone, and briefly explain the purpose and column structure of the retrospective.

Invite everyone to quietly reflect and write notes in each column: start with Delicious Bites (wins), move to Too Salty Moments (challenges), and finish with Add a Pinch More (improvements).

Encourage participants to share their thoughts aloud or read contributions in each column, diving deeper into key themes and uncovering root causes together.

Facilitate a group discussion to prioritize improvement ideas from Add a Pinch More, ensuring actionable next steps are agreed upon.

Recap the session by highlighting key takeaways and assign owners for selected action items before closing with a team appreciation moment.

Pro Tips

Ask participants to relate their feedback to meal experiences—this often sparks creativity and memorable metaphors.

Encourage specificity when sharing both wins and challenges to uncover details that can inspire meaningful improvements.

Keep discussions light and constructive, using the food theme as an icebreaker to address tricky topics with humor and empathy.

Rotate facilitators or let team members suggest their favorite meals as a fun warm-up at the start.

FAQ

My team is new to themed retros—how do I get everyone comfortable with this format?

Explain the intent is both reflection and fun, and encourage everyone to 'play along' with the food analogies, reminding them that creative participation helps honest conversation.

What if participants only focus on fun and ignore deeper issues?

As facilitator, strike a balance by acknowledging lighthearted comments, then steer discussion back to root causes and actionable insights.

How can we ensure action items don’t get lost after the feast?

Document follow-up steps in your team workspace and assign clear owners during the retro, then check in on progress at the next session.

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At a glance

Duration
35–50 min
Team Size
4-10 people
Columns
3 columns
Base Format
What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve

Ready to get started?

Use this template to run your next retrospective

🍕🍔 Favorite Meal Feast

Gather around the virtual table! Let’s savor our past sprint as a delectable feast—sharing tasty wins, burnt mishaps, and fresh ingredients for a better recipe next time. Dig in and spice up our process!

Template Columns

🍽️ Delicious Bites

🥄 Too Salty Moments

🧂 Add a Pinch More

About this template