Baum + Whiteman just released their 11 Hottest Food and Beverage Dining Trends in Restaurant and Hotels, 2016. Here’s a quick summary of the key buzzwords they identified.
Falafel appearing as vegetables in serious restaurants.
Kombucha going mainstream.
Burnt vegetables.
Nashville Hot Chicken.
Everything bagel seasoning mix.
Root-to-stalk cooking, and “vegetable forward” restaurants.
Poke. (Hawaiian poke was also a hot trend identified by Sterling Rice Group)
Paella.
Globalized ramen.
Adding seaweed to popcorn.
General Tso flavorings.
Philippine cuisine.
Alcoholic beverages in quick-service restaurants.
Food halls.
3-D food printers.
“Shack” in restaurant names.
Chains going “clean,” replacing artificial ingredients.
Values, not value (scrutinizing restaurants’ policies on health & wellness, sustainability, GMO, animal welfare, employee wages).
War on food waste.
More automation and kiosks in restaurants to speed service and save labor.
Build-your-own options.
Images: falafel by MrTinDC , poke by Frank Farm on flickr
