Columbus’ status as one of America’s best “test markets” for new restaurant and food-related concepts has caught the attention of CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood.

During the segment which recently aired, news correspondent Tracy Smith visited an array of shops and restaurants, ranging from Wendy’s and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams to the Giant Eagle Market District and Piada Italian Street Food. In fact, Wendy’s shared some of the secrets behind its high-security test kitchen where the company recently tested what it hopes will be the next big thing, its Black Label burger.

Columbus’ varying demographics, large student population and strong international presence make it a “near-perfect cross-section” of American consumers, the program notes.

“You have this interesting blend of a funky culture – creativity, diversity – and a corporate culture that really mix it up,” notes Alex Fischer, president and CEO of the Columbus Partnership. “And I think that’s really what makes us a unique test bed, as opposed to being average.” And, no one disputes that there is nothing average about Jeni’s popular cayenne pepper flavored ice cream.

View the segment.