The State Fair Foodie Frenzy retrospective invites your team to reflect on successes, learn from missteps, and cook up creative improvements—using a fun, food-themed approach.

When to use this template

This playful template works well at the end of a project, sprint, or milestone when your team needs to re-energize, celebrate wins, and brainstorm fresh ideas together.

How to facilitate

Open by welcoming the team and introducing the state fair foodie theme to set a fun, relaxed tone.

Briefly explain each column: Blue Ribbon Bites for highlights, Soggy Corn Dogs for challenges, and Next Year’s Recipes for future improvements.

Invite everyone to spend a few silent minutes adding their thoughts and examples to each column using sticky notes or the digital board.

Review submissions as a group, starting with Blue Ribbon Bites to celebrate positives, then discuss Soggy Corn Dogs to share challenges openly, and finally focus on Next Year’s Recipes for action-oriented ideas.

Encourage the team to spot themes, clusters, or patterns within each column and discuss underlying causes or connections.

Facilitate a group vote or prioritization to identify the most impactful improvement ideas from Next Year’s Recipes.

Wrap up by deciding on specific action items, assigning owners, and confirming what will be tried or changed before the next retrospective.

Pro Tips

Use the food fair theme actively—ask about favorite real-life snacks to help people open up and have fun discussing difficult topics.

Create a visual break by adding playful backgrounds or images—this can help lower defenses and spark creativity.

Encourage all voices by rotating who shares first or using anonymous note submissions, especially when surfacing failures.

Combine similar ideas from the improvement column before voting to focus the team’s energy on feasible, high-impact changes.

FAQ

How can I keep the team engaged with the theme?

Lean into the humor and food analogies, invite stories, and sprinkle in lighthearted questions to create a relaxed environment that encourages sharing.

What if some team members hesitate to share mistakes?

Model vulnerability as a facilitator, remind everyone that honest reflection leads to growth, and use anonymous submission options if needed.

How do we decide which improvements to act on?

Let the team vote or discuss which recipe suggestions feel most urgent or impactful, then agree on 1-2 concrete actions to carry forward.

Is this template suitable for serious or urgent reviews?

While the format is playful, it still surfaces key insights—in high-stakes situations, set clear expectations that meaningful reflection is the goal.

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At a glance

Duration
45–60 min
Team Size
4-12 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

🍿🎡 State Fair Foodie Frenzy

Step right up! Let’s savor our project like a state fair feast—celebrating the funnel cakes of success, the fried mishaps, and dreaming up new treats for the next round. Dig in and share your tastiest bites and lessons!

Template Columns

🍩 Blue Ribbon Bites

🌭 Soggy Corn Dogs

🍏 Next Year’s Recipes

About this template