Attracting Customers with Today’s Food Trends
As food costs and ingredient shortages continue to put pressure on restaurants,¹ knowing the trends that trigger visits can help ease some of the stressors. Consider incorporating these four trends into your menu to keep customers coming and your kitchen at its best.
SPECIFICALLY SATISFYING
To place an emphasis on quality or uniqueness, restaurants have been getting more specific in their menu descriptions.² Chicken kabobs become pasture-raised chicken kabobs. Spicy sauce shifts to Chipotle Pepper Aioli. As a bonus, being more specific creates a welcomed transparency of what goes into a guest’s dish.
CURATED CHAOS
Whether to tout expertise or to garner followers, foodies on social media are constantly creating odd-yet-audacious types of meals. A smoky hot dog topped with Hot Thai Peanut Sauce may not seem like the most likely pair, but it’s just the obscure flavor combo some might seek.
It’s food fads like this that can cause a beneficial domino effect: out-there arrangements become popular on social media, users get the craving for adventurous foods, and restaurants answer by menuing have-to-try-it items.
TOMATO’S TIME
Never uncommon, but rarely the star, the tomato may have a chance to shine in the coming years. Some researchers foresee restaurants using tomato in nontraditional ways, including in desserts and cocktails.²
SEEING SAUCES
The number of food photos snapped at any restaurant table shows that visual appeal is a true part of the dining experience. 72% of TikTokers say the appearance of food is what prompts them to seek out eateries.³
Sauces—with their ease of use and versatility—could very well be the leading way in helping kitchens create eye appeal in the future. And getting artistic is easy: just pick a sauce and play around to see what you can make.
1 Datassential, 2023
2 Technomic, 2023
3 Restaurant Dive, 2022
