What are restaurant goers in the United States and around the world looking for in 2014? Chicago-based research and consulting firm Technomic Inc. has identified several trends that both probe the dining public’s psyche and span the globe. Chief among them: food that is genuine and wholesome, a variety of exotic cuisines and items that can be eaten on the go. Howard Riell reports.
“Trends travel across continents both ways,” says Karen Malody, MSW, FCSI, the principal of Culinary Options, a consultancy in Santa Fe (NM). “But the USA often adapts a behaviour or eating pattern that is not new at all if we look at how other countries eat, and have always eaten.”
What, then, are diners looking for?
Real
Consumers today want assurances that what they’re eating is real, in every sense of the word.
“Today’s menus describe items far more thoroughly, listing not only the ingredients but also where they came from and how they were prepared,” Technomic reports. Local sourcing is more important than ever, “but beyond that is the idea of being true to place; if the restaurant positions itself as authentically Italian, for instance, it must use ingredients sourced from Italy and/or prepared using authentic Italian methods.”
“From a fringe idea a few years ago, the ‘local, fresh and healthy’ concept for food has taken hold and is now mainstream throughout the U.S. and Canada,” notes T. W. Mac Dermott, FCSI, the principal of The Clarion Group in Kingston (NH). “Now, most restaurants and all foodservice contractors actively promote the concept, driven by demand from increasingly health-conscious consumers.”
Examples abound, says Mary Chapman, Director of Product Innovation for Technomic:
- Burger chain Bagger Dave’s promotes ‘real butterfat’ in its ice cream.
- Regional fast-casual Chicago Connection pizza says its cheese is from Nampa, Idaho, and its flour from Blackfoot, Idaho.
- Italian chains Biaggi’s and Il Fornaio tout that their buffalo mozzarella is imported from Italy.
- RiRa Irish Pub notes that its cold smoked salmon appetizer uses salmon imported from Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna, Ireland.
- Los Angeles fine-dining restaurant The Bazaar recently offered a salad with tuna from Spain and local radishes.
“Being real is more important today than ever,” insists Chris Tripoli, FCSI, the owner of A’la Carte Foodservice Consulting Group in Houston, Texas. “Simple, honest and fresh are the best buzz words to describe menu trends for the next year or two. This is necessary in every market segment from fast casual to fine dining. Smaller portions, fresh ingredients, and rotating menu items seasonally will become more common. Using locally grown product and encouraging health-ier ‘children’s menu’ items are trends gaining in popularity. Menu design is trending toward more direct descriptions that are simple to read and understand. Less is more.”
“Europeans have been way ahead of Americans in celebrating their local ingredients and lifestyles,” says Arlene Spiegel, FCSI, the principal of Arlene Spiegel & Associates in New York City. “We are catching up with them. Diners won’t find out of season or contrived items on their menus.”
Protein
Rising commodity costs for beef mean that chicken will be big again in 2014. However, the latest protein star is pork – appearing in regional barbecue items, in Hispanic and other ethnic fare, in charcuterie and as pulled-pork sandwiches, Technomic noted. Look also for creative center-of-the-plate egg dishes as well as vegetarian alternatives, from mushrooms to beans to soy-based products.
Over the years, says Spiegel, consumers have recognised the benefits of both animal and plant proteins in their daily diets. “The Paleo Diet focuses on both of these ingredients. The greater trend is in eating non-processed/factory foods. I believe more menus will dedicate dishes to appeal to savvy diners.”
Lean, high-quality meat, fish and game will continue to be popular, Tripoli suggests. “The public’s demand for quality and balance will grow. The recent recession created an increase in comfort foods such as sandwiches, burgers, and breakfast, which has resulted in the growing trend of using eggs in lunch and dinner menus. Concepts allowing guests to personally select seafood from a fresh fish display, then having it filleted and grilled tableside are becoming successful. I believe we will see more of them in near future.”
“I believe this trend is being driven by, again, a confluence of forces,” says Malody. “Economic insecurity, a desire to eat healthier, a growing concern about envir-onmental sustainability and the world’s carbon footprint, and weather conditions shifting globally, which have made a huge impact on certain proteins being available.”
The so-called ‘flexitarian’ shift to eating non-meat based meals at least once a week will continue to grow, she adds. “There is an actual ‘health halo’ surrounding vegetarian eating, to say nothing of vegan. Again, other cultures have been eating this way for centuries, mostly due to a lack of supply of animal-based proteins coupled with economic incapability of purchasing them.”
Carbs Return
Starches — from ramen to buckwheat noodles to pasta made with unusual ingredients – are staging a comeback. According to Technomic, rice bowls (and jasmine, basmati and brown rice) will be popular, in part because of continued fascination with Asian fare and in part because of an association with healthfulness. “Look for more in the way of flatbreads, wraps and all kinds of artisan breads, including healthy whole-grain varieties.”
“When we did this research, we found that Asian bowls and rice dishes had increased in incidence on menus by 33%,” says Chapman. “New items included Country Pride’s shrimp stir-fry, Jerry’s Famous Deli’s Korean bibimbap bowl, and La Madeleine’s Mediterranean Paella.”
“Healthy carbs are returning in the form of ancient grains which are gluten-free,” Spiegel suggests. “Say goodbye to processed white flour and refined sugars.”
Going Exotic
The months ahead will see growing interest in less-familiar ethnic cuisines, the research house reports, from Korean to Scandinavian. These are partly respon-sible for growing interest in pickled, fermented and sour foods. Korean kimchi as well as pickled onion, jalapeño, ginger, radish and more are showing up everywhere from ethnic eateries to burger joints.
“Korean BBQ, Japanese restaurants, and tea rooms aren’t enough anymore,” Tripoli insists. “Small over-the-top custom donut bakeries and specialty cocktail bars are growing, and should continue for the near future. Ethnic tastes have become mainstream, and expectations for creative Latin and Asian foods are increasing.”
Adventurous eating is emerging, Spiegel notes, as diners “want new, different experiences. South American regional cuisine is the next big thing.”
“We didn’t call this trend ‘going exotic’,” says Chapman. “It’s actually about sour flavours. We have a sandwich chain here in Chicago called Alonti that has pretty standard fare, but recently added zesty pickled vegetables in a wheat vegetar-ian wrap. Boloco, a fast casual burrito/wrap chain, offers pickled onions as a filling option. At the other end of the spectrum, Aureole recently offered diver scallops and Korean short ribs with kimchi.”
With the world smaller than ever and more consumers more interested in the latest trends, borders and oceans matter little. What dining out customers want to eat is, in the final analysis, fairly universal.
Snack Attack
As the so-called ‘snacking lifestyle’ goes mainstream, diners are “paradoxically less interested in snack menus per se,” Technomic found. Younger consumers view dollar and dollar-plus menu items as snack, while limited-service restaur-ants are “paying more attention to snack-size handhelds and car-friendly packaging.”
They are also stepping up their game with grab-and-go or market-style offerings. As full-service dining customers move away from meat-and-potatoes meals, operators are catering to the snacking-and-sharing ethos with pairings, trios and flights from all parts of the menu, Malody notes, “from soup trios to beer samplers to retro popsicle-flight desserts.”
“Short attention span equals small meals of many varieties, so much of which is available on the street,” says Angela Phelan, FCSI, of The Clarion Group. “American lifestyles are so varied and busy that ‘eating decisions’ are more based on mood than meal time,” Spiegel points out. “This leaves an opportunity for filling more day parts with diverse menus and offerings. Portability is key for the grab-and-go set.”
“Snacks aren’t just late-night sweets any-more,” Tripoli points out. Restaurants will offer more small plates for sharing and ‘bar bites’ – small portions of regular menu offerings served at the bar during off peak periods and late night. “Food trucks have made hand-held, good quality snack items easier to find and more acceptable.”
“The trick is this,” Malody concludes. “Snacking has become associated with eating bad food, junk food. We now have to convert that thinking to healthful, nutrient-dense food that satiate and provide benefits to the body.”
