Dr. Lisa Slevitch, an associate professor in Oklahoma State University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, was part of a team that took home top research honors at the 2026 Global Conference for the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education, which took place July 15-17 in Las Vegas.

Slevitch co-authored a paper, “Designing Menus that Welcome Everyone: How Inclusive Menu Cues Drive Customer Behavior for Diners with Dietary Restrictions,” which won first place at the ICHRIE Industry Research Competition.

"These awards continue a long tradition of success at ICHRIE and reaffirm our standing as one of the leading hospitality and tourism programs in the nation,” Slevitch said. “What makes this year especially meaningful is that our recognition spans both student competition and research. Winning the Industry Research Competition demonstrates our commitment to translating academic research into insights that make a real impact on the hospitality industry."

The research found that when restaurant menus clearly note which dishes can be customized for allergies, religious diets or lifestyle choices, customers feel more welcome and are significantly more likely to want to eat there. The research also found that spelling out specific modifications, such as notating when an item can be made gluten-free, matters more to customers than any other menu feature, including ingredient lists or dietary symbols.

For the study, Slevitch teamed up with faculty from other universities, including Dr. Cortney Norris from the University of South Carolina, Dr. Matthew Bauman of Purdue University Northwest, Dr. Soyoung Park from Florida Atlantic University and Dr. Seung Hyun Lee of East Carolina University.

This is just the latest success story for the Spears School of Business at recent ICHRIE events. In December 2025, a pair of Hospitality and Tourism Management undergraduate students, Mel Gelnar and Carrie Bailey, took first and second place, respectively, in the Fall 2025 ICHRIE Hotel Challenge by Knowledge Matters.

Doctoral student Abraham Terrah and undergraduate senior Sienna Lawson earned second and third place, respectively, at the ICHRIE 2025 Level Up Competition, which pitted students against each other in a realistic hotel management simulation in April 2025.

In February 2025, Mikayla Herrera received the Best Paper Award for her research on authentic Native American tourism, while junior Emily Howe earned the Meritorious Award for her study on event inclusivity for attendees with disabilities at the ICHRIE Eta Sigma Delta Undergraduate Research Symposium.

The ICHRIE is the leading professional association for hospitality and tourism education worldwide, and its annual conference brings together educators, researchers, graduate students and industry professionals from across the globe.

Founded in 1937, the OSU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in the Spears School of Business has evolved into a business-focused academic program that educates students and conducts research for the food and beverage, lodging, event planning and tourism management industries. OSU ranks 11th nationally and 27th globally among hospitality and tourism management programs, according to ShanghaiRanking.com.

Story By: Stephen Howard | stephen.howard@okstate.edu