According to the survey, menu trends that will be heating up in 2017 include poke, house-made charcuterie, street food, food halls and ramen. Trends that are cooling down include quinoa, black rice, and vegetarian and vegan cuisines.
TOP 20 FOOD TRENDS
- New cuts of meat (e.g. shoulder tender, oyster steak, Vegas Strip Steak, Merlot cut)
- Street food-inspired dishes (e.g. tempura, kabobs, dumplings, pupusas)
- Healthful kids’ meals
- House-made charcuterie
- Sustainable seafood
- Ethnic-inspired breakfast items (e.g., chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes)
- House-made condiments
- Authentic ethnic cuisine
- Heirloom fruit and vegetables
- African flavors
- Ethnic spices (e.g. harissa, curry, peri peri, ras el hanout, shichimi)
- House-made sausage
- House-made pickles
- Ancient grains (e.g. kamut, spelt, amaranth, lupin)
- House-made/artisan ice cream
- Whole grain items in kids’ meals
- Protein-rich grains/seeds (e.g., hemp, chia, quinoa, flax)
- Artisan cheeses
- Savory desserts
- Gourmet items in kids’ meals
TOP 10 CONCEPT TRENDS
- Hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens, onsite beer brewing, house-made items)
- Chef-driven fast-casual concepts
- Natural ingredients/clean menus
- Environmental sustainability
- Locally sourced produce
- Locally sourced meat and seafood
- Food waste reduction
- Meal kits (e.g. pre-measured/prepped raw ingredients for home preparation)
- Simplicity/back to basics
- Nutrition
TOP TRENDS BY CATEGORY
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES 1 Craft/artisan spirits 2 Onsite barrel-aged drinks 3 Locally produced wine/spirits/ beer 4 Regional signature cocktails 5 Culinary cocktails
NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES 1 House-made/artisan soft drinks 2 Gourmet lemonade 3 Locally/house roasted coffee 4 Specialty iced tea 5 Cold brew coffee
BREAKFAST/ BRUNCH 1 Ethnic-inspired breakfast items 2 Avocado toast 3 Traditional ethnic breakfast items 4 Overnight oats 5 Breakfast hash
CONDIMENTS AND ACCOUTREMENTS 1 House-made condiments 2 Ethnic spices 3 House-made pickles 4 Protein-rich grains/seeds 5 Artisan cheeses
CULINARY CONCEPTS 1 Hyper-local sourcing 2 Natural ingredients/clean menus 3 Environmental sustainability 4 Locally sourced produce 5 Locally sourced meat and seafood
DISHES 1 Street food-inspired dishes 2 House-made charcuterie 3 Vegetable carb substitutes 4 Seafood charcuterie 5 Pho
GLOBAL FLAVORS 1 Authentic ethnic cuisine 2 African flavors 3 Ethnic fusion cuisine 4 Middle Eastern flavors 5 Latin American flavors
KIDS’ MEALS 1 Healthful kids’ meals 2 Whole grain items in kids’ meals 3 Gourmet items in kids’ meals 4 Kids’ entree salads 5 Fruit/vegetable kids’ side items
PRODUCE 1 Heirloom fruits and vegetables 2 Unusual/uncommon herbs 3 Hybrid fruits/vegetables 4 Exotic fruit 5 Dark greens
PROTEIN 1 New cuts of meat 2 Sustainable seafood 3 House-made sausage 4 Free-range pork/poultry 5 Heritage-breed meats
RESTAURANT CONCEPTS 1 Chef-driven fast-casual concepts 2 Food waste reduction 3 Meal kits 4 Pop-up/temporary restaurants 5 Food trucks
SWEETS 1 House-made/artisan ice cream 2 Savory desserts 3 Donuts with non-traditional filling 4 Smoked dessert ingredients 5 Bite-size/mini-desserts
