9 Flavors Shaping Modern Menus
By Alaina Lancaster on Apr. 27, 2018CHICAGO -- As the delineations between restaurant and convenience-store foodservice continue to fade, c-stores are picking up on trends more readily than in the past. And knowing which food trends blowing up on Instagram today actually have lasting power is somewhat of a science.
To help, CSP mined menus and gathered data through Technomic’s MenuMonitor. The research unearthed the rapidly growing ingredients at emerging chains and high-volume independents—the flavors consumers are likely to become increasingly familiar with and also expect to see creeping into larger foodservice operations. Forward-thinking retailers might consider adding these ingredients to stay ahead of the trends.
1. New outlets for spice
2. Drinkable heat
3. Spicy-sweet fusion
4. Next iteration of ethnic
Operators are globalizing classic condiments such as slaw and relish to breathe new life into stagnant recipes. Often, incorporating an ethnic ingredient will differentiate an otherwise dull recipe. This will appeal to the 43% of consumers (and 59% of 18- to 34-year-olds) who want restaurants to offer more ethnic sauces, according to Technomic’s Flavor Consumer Trend Report. Zesting up the typically cabbage garnish, LYFE Kitchen’s Buffalo chicken wrap is topped with chayote slaw. Native to Central and South America, the gourd has a delicate flavor that can serve as a carrier for more intense spices and sauces.
5. Region-specific callouts
6. Citrus, beyond the lemon
7. Weeds for wellness
8. Moves away from meat
Operators are leveraging the perception that vegetarian dishes are just as filling as meat (which 49% of consumers agree with, according to Technomic’s Center of the Plate: Seafood & Vegetarian Consumer Trend Report) to build selling stories that drive veggie sales. The Ruin Daily, for example, markets its cauliflower sandwich as “spicy and satisfying” on its Facebook page. New York's The Cinnamon Snail labels its all-veggie burger “Beast-mode,” while LYFE Kitchen dubs its kale Caesar “Mighty.”