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2011 restaurant trends

Chefs Identify the Hot Food Trends for 2011

by Janet on December 3, 2010

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[Photo:  Lunch at Canoe in Toronto by jhritz on flickr.com]

The trends keep coming.  It is that time of year, after all.

My latest restaurant and dining trend story summarized the predictions from several sources.  This time the 2011 trends are from a survey of 1,500+ chefs conducted by the National Restaurant Association.

The survey was recently covered by Bret Thorn in Nation’s Restaurant News.

It’s interesting to see the similarities and the differences between all of these predictions.  For example, this new NRA survey predicts big things for organic produce, yet Independent Restaurateur thinks organic will decline on restaurant menus in the coming year.

It’s great that several trend trackers predict children’s nutrition and improved kids’ menus will be top priorities in 2011.  Other consistent predictions:  locally sourced ingredients, farm/estate branded ingredients, smaller portions, food trucks, ethnic-inspired and artisan menu items.                                                   [Photo:  La Tartine Gourmande on flickr]

Top 30 Trends

  1. Locally sourced meats and seafood165291189_c376c24264_o
  2. Locally grown produce
  3. Sustainability
  4. Nutritionally balanced children’s dishes
  5. Hyper-local (restaurant gardens, do your own butchering)
  6. Children’s nutrition
  7. Sustainable seafood
  8. Gluten-free/food allergy conscious
  9. Simplicity/back to basics
  10. Farm/estate-branded ingredients
  11. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor
  12. Locally-produced wine and beer
  13. Half-portions/smaller portion for a smaller price
  14. Organic produce
  15. Nutrition/health
  16. Culinary cocktails (savory, fresh ingredients)
  17. Newly fabricated cuts of meat (Denver steak, pork flat iron, Petite Tender)
  18. Fruit/vegetable children’s side items
  19. Ethnic-inspired breakfast items (Asian-flavored syrups, chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes)
  20. Artisan cheeses
  21. Non-traditional fish (branzino, Arctic char, barramundi)
  22. “Kid cuisine”/gourmet children’s dishes
  23. Ethnic cheeses (queso fresco, paneer, lebneh, halloumi)
  24. “Mini meals” (smaller versions of adult menu items)
  25. Artisan/specialty bacon
  26. Ethnic/street food-inspired appetizers (tempura, taquitos, kabobs, hummus)
  27. Black/forbidden rice
  28. Superfruits (acai, goji berry, mangosteen, purslane)
  29. Quinoa
  30. Ancient grains (kamut, spelt, amaranth)
2456975647_3d11f050af[photo: Lebneh with mint and vegetable pickles by Snapdragon in Lebanon on flickr.com]

Top Trends by Category

Main Dishes/Center of the Plate

  1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
  2. Sustainable seafood
  3. Half-portions/smaller portion for a smaller price
  4. Newly fabricated cuts of meats (Denver steak, pork flat iron, Petite Tender)
  5. Non-traditional fish (branzino, Artic char, barramundi)

black quinoa

[photo:  Black quinoa with root vegetables by La Tartine Gourmande on flickr.com]

Sides/Starches192781224_ee1a5b7cfe_o

  1. Black/forbidden rice
  2. Quinoa
  3. Red rice
  4. Vegetable pickles
  5. Asian noodles (soba, udon, rice noodles)

Appetizers

  1. Ethnic/street food-inspired appetizers (tempura, taquitos, kabobs, hummus)
  2. Amuse bouche/bite size hors d’oeure
  3. Warm appetizer salads
  4. Appetizer combos/platters
  5. Dumplings/dim sum

Desserts

  1. Artisan/house-made ice cream
  2. Bite-size/mini desserts
  3. Dessert flights/combos
  4. Deconstructed classic desserts
  5. Savory desserts
[photo: Black rice stuffed zucchini by La Tartine Gourmande on flickr.com]

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[photo: Red Velvet Sweet Shots (mini dessert trend, dessert shots) by Delicious Desserts on flickr.com]

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Top Ten Projected Restaurant Trends for 2011

by Janet on November 30, 2010

canape with Roquefort cheeseI recently wrote about 2011 restaurant trends, including predictions from Mintel, Andrew Freeman & Co. and Baum & Whiteman Co.  This time the projected trends are from Independent Restaurateur:

A decline in organic produce. Consumers may have a growing interest in organic, but farmers and growers have realized that growing organic produce is extensive and costly. The government has also tightened the regulations around the criteria for defining and achieving organic status.  If organic growing becomes too costly for farmers, they will grow less and prices will increase. That means customers will likely see a decline in organics on restaurant menus.

[photo: Starush on Flickr.com]

Less becomes more. Portion sizes used to be immense, but restaurants are beginning to see requests for smaller portions. Chef Bobby Lane of Chester’s Chophouse agrees, saying that for 2011 he sees “more ‘smaller plate’ offerings – a movement away from traditional big plate, main course offerings.” What makes this trend particularly viable is that it allows the consumer both to eat less and to save money.

Better nutritional choices for children.  Now parents have healthier options for their children when eating out. Fruits, vegetables and milk can be ordered with kids’ meals everywhere.  It seems that if parents know their kids are eating well, they don’t mind paying for it.  Eric Mason of The Grill on Twenty First agrees:  [In 2011] we will continue to focus on kids. Win the kids over and the parents don’t have a chance!”

An increase in quality foods. Too many outbreaks have led consumers to be cautious of foodborne illnesses, which means they’ll agree to pay for higher quality items to avert potential food safety issues.

More variety on the menu. People are tiring of the same choices at restaurants, so more and more restaurants strive to spice things up, literally, by drawing on recipes from all over the world. Complementing this trend, Chef Bobby Lane of Chester’s Chophouse sees “more craft beer brands and craft beer dinners (like wine dinners but pairing with beers).”  [photo:  beer flight by +russ on flickr]

3969882519_d2d0c619f1Clean ingredient statements. Consumers are learning more about what they’re eating, and if they see preservatives or high fructose corn syrup on the label, they are less likely to buy the product. Restaurants will follow this lead in an effort to draw in new customers, preparing their products in house more often and using better ingredients.

Yogurt shops. If you’ve driven around lately, you’ve probably seen these little yogurt shops surfacing on just about every corner. Serving homemade yogurt with fresh fruit and other toppings has become a craze that transcends the summer months.

yogurt

[photo: rowkitcat on flickr.com]

Convenient foods. Remember those state-of-the-art TV dinners? Well, things are getting easier. Convenience stores are getting in on the action, offering prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner items. Restaurants will have even more competition.

Food traceability. Mad cow disease is so five minutes ago. There are many more viruses far more difficult to spell that can potentially reside on our food, which is exactly why consumers want to know where their food comes from. In some countries, they have a system that can tell the buyer the farm that produced a specific piece of meat. Such technology will be a useful tool for restaurants across nations and will help quality assurance even more.

Value dining. People want to eat out but they don’t want to – and often can’t – pay too much for it. Look for more deals like the popular “two for twenty,” where two people eat for $20 and get drinks, an appetizer, two meals and desserts. Eric Mason of The Grill on Twenty First sees this trend continuing from this past year, saying, “We served many families in 2010 that split meals to cut costs. Our traffic count was as good if not better than last year, but the per-check order was down this year as a result.” His solution? “We made sure our menu had something for everyone, whether customers had only $10 or they were going out for a special treat.”

Read the full article here.

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A Look at 2011 Restaurant Trends

by Janet on November 23, 2010

When we eat out, what will we be eating in 2011?

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Visit Loudoun on flickr.com

One thing is for sure, restaurants are scrambling to increase their offerings of healthier menu options and to serve up more nutrition information.

That’s a positive trend, but restaurant-goers are still wanting the occasional indulgent dining experience and value is still a priority, according to Chicago-based market research firm Mintel. Operators are tasked with balancing federal regulations with the differing demands of their customers. Next year will be about walking that fine line between open disclosure and customer satisfaction, said Eric Giandelone, director of foodservice research at Mintel.

Here are the top five foodservice trend predictions in Mintel’s Menu Insights report:

Healthy by association Surveys indicate that 62% of consumers say they plan to eat healthier in the upcoming year, but many complain that healthier food doesn’t taste as good without the added sugar, sodium and fat. Restaurants will address this problem by swapping better-for-you ingredients to their customers’  favorite dishes to make them appear healthier. For instance, Taco Bell has quietly reduced sodium at 150 stores in the Dallas market, while Jason’s Deli promotes its food as being free from high fructose corn syrup, trans fats or pesticides. When consumers visit restaurants that are perceived as healthy, it makes them feel good about themselves and their meal choices, even if they’re wooed by the not-so-healthy limited-time-only special when they get there, Mintel said.

Transparency Consumers want to know what they’re eating, and the recently passed healthcare bill mandates such disclosure. Restaurants with 20+ units are now required to list calorie counts on their menus. Consumers seem happy with the impending disclosure, as 61% agree that restaurants should post nutrition information, like calorie counts and fat grams, on menus. Additionally, more cities will start forcing restaurants to visibly display their letter grades from local health departments, further increasing menu transparency.

2501902355_d98078dca8Kai Brinker on flickr.com

Exemptions to the rule A vast majority of restaurants will have to disclose calorie counts on their menus, but that rule doesn’t apply to limited-time-offers. Mintel predicts that many restaurants will take advantage of this loophole by offering less-than-healthy novelty or seasonal menu items, allowing customers to indulge in a guilty treat, without feeling pressured to make a healthier menu choice. According to Mintel, 43% of consumers say they’re likely to change what they order when calorie counts are listed on the menu. Limited-time-offers allow consumers the occasional opportunity to indulge in a meal out.

Indigenous ingredients While the local food movement continues to grow, the push toward indigenous ingredients takes that trend a step further. In 2011, we will see restaurants incorporating more traditional or authentic ingredients to their ethnic or globally-positioned entrees. One example of this trend is Frontera Grill’s Panucho Yacateco, an entrée that boasts a traditional Yucatan crispy tortilla filled with black beans and hard-boiled egg with shredded chicken in tangy escabeche. “Local” as an ingredient marketing claim has grown by 15% from the second quarter of 2009, according to Mintel Menu Insights, and it’s likely that number will increase in the coming year.

3336546068_74341f5ef1ExperienceLA on flickr.com

Automated menus Convenience and technology will form the perfect union this year as restaurant-goers will see an increase in automated menus at their favorite establishments. These electronic order-takers will provide customers with the opportunity to order food to their specifications in do-it-yourself style, thus reducing the restaurant’s reliance on front-of-house staff, as well as full-time employees. Automated menus, in addition to mobile applications, will allow restaurants to reach a younger, more mobile consumer.


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Predicting 2011 Food and Dining Trends

by Janet on October 30, 2010

ice pops

Photo:  Rhubarb & Raspberry Yogurt by Flickr user La Tartine Gourmande.

I recently wrote about 2011 food and restaurant trends based on the predictions from Andrew Freeman & Co. This time the forecasting comes from Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co. Inc., international restaurant consultants based in Brooklyn.  I found myself comparing the two lists — there were some similarities (including the popsicle trend) as well as some contradictions.  For example, Freeman predicts big things for hot dogs, yet Baum & Whiteman think they’re on the downside.  They both agree that cupcakes have probably peaked, Meatless Mondays have gone mainstream, and ethnic influences are stronger than ever.

Here’s a summary of Baum & Whiteman’s food and dining trends in restaurants and hotels for 2011:

  • Artisan ice pops: Popsicles are taking on an upscale, global vibe bursting with exotic flavors.  In New York, La Newyorkina sells flavors like tamarind and passionfruit,  People’s Pops creates treats-on-a-stick like roasted red plum, blackberry-black tea and pear-ginger, and you can find pomegranate-tangerine, Mexican chocolate and orange-mango-ancho at Locopops in Raleigh and surrounding towns.
  • Meatballs. Old Italian is getting new respect. Meatballs are gaining momentum, along with other old-school Italian classics like eggplant parm and lasagna. The Meatball Shop in New York (five kinds, four gravies) has endless lines, and Disney opened a Meatball and Beer Bar (also four kinds).
  • Korean spicing and condiments. Kogi, the LA food truck that launched a thousand wheels, has propelled Korean cuisine into the big time.  Bulgogi, bibmibap and kimchee will enter America’s gastronomic lexicon. Publicity around the Momofuko chain will also give Korean a push.
  • Tacos with global and wacky fillings. Look for an outburst of outrageously creative mult-culti tacos, soft and hard, from fast food to haute cuisineries.
  • Grits are the hot new grain.  Expect grits to leap from morning food to an all-purpose starch.  It’s part of another trendlet: down-home southern cooking.  Shrimp and grits could be the dish of the year.  Grits are also gaining popularity because of its gluten-free status.  Look for more gluten-replacing starches like grits, quinoa and chickpeas on menus.
  • New-fangled sandwiches. Last year it was gussied up hot dogs and gourmet hamburgers, next year it’ll be sandwiches over the moon but they’ll be called something else.  There are Mexican cemitas, Vietnamese banh mi, baos (traditionally yeasty steamed buns with savory fillings that are now being formed as fluffy flatbreads to wrap around banh mi-like ingredients, tartines, and regional American sandwiches.  To me, it seems Banh mi (pronounced “bun me”) will be the sandwich that really breaks through. This Vietnamese street food that unites the flavors of France and Vietnam has sparked the site BattleoftheBanhmi.com that allows visitors to search for and nominate their favorite banh mi shops by states, and includes recipes so you can make your own at home.

bahn biPhoto:  Banh mi by Flickr user Ric_W

  • Convenience store cuisine. Drug stores and convenience stores are ramping up their food departments with newly conceived fresh “grab-and-go” departments.
  • Popup restaurants. The recession created lots of empty restaurants and lots of chefs with no kitchens.  Now we have popup restaurants (like food trucks) with no location at all.  Impromptu  food places are popping up and customers are finding them via Twitter and word of mouth. Many popups are now treated in the media alongside major restaurant openings.
  • Food trucks 2.0. Expect to see more food truck “rodeos” where a dozen or more vendors turn an empty field or parking lot into a food fair on wheels. Look for more restaurant operators and big-name chefs to supplement their businesses by chasing after customers with their own trucks.
  • Snacks and multiple snacks replacing meals.
  • Breakfast all the time. More restaurants and chains are entering the breakfast biz, and soft slow-cooked eggs are appearing all over upscale restaurant menus.  They’re comforting, turning fancy dishes into homey offerings — runny eggs on pasta, pizza, braised meats and grits.
  • Going collaborative. Group couponing and location-based restaurant promotions — Groupon, Village Vines, Open Table.
  • A couple of nutrition trends: “Free-from” foods, especially gluten-free items on restaurant menus, and “gross is good.”  Baum & Whiteman say the recession has everyone so stressed that they’re finding refuge in the massive “calorie bombs” that are showing up on menus.

Buzz-worthy foods and ingredients:4482216155_883e4bb7ce

  • Coconut water, awash in a mythology of good health
  • Bourbon, for people who actually like booze
  • Cucumbers, lavender and  hibiscus, especially in cocktails
  • Burrata cheese
  • Umami along with stealth use of miso
  • Sangria with new twists
  • Peppadew
  • Macarons, not macaroons
  • Whoopee pie
  • Fregola, a pasta from Sardinia
  • Designer donuts imitating froufrou cupcakes
  • Pesto variations
  • Greek yogurt, even larger

Photo:  Kiwi Cucumber Cocktail, Flickr user Zespri Kiwifruit

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2011 Food and Restaurant Trends

by Janet on October 26, 2010

Photo: Flickr Lara Ferroni

Photo: Flickr Lara Ferroni

It’s time for new trend predictions.  The 2011 food forecasting comes from leading restaurant consultant Andrew Freeman & Co., who recently conducted a webinar to predict food and restaurant trends for the upcoming year.

You’ll find a great recap of the webinar and a slide show on The Huffington Post. The original article was written by Ron Ruggless for Nation’s Restaurant News.

Here are the predictions for what will be hot in 2011:

  • Pies are the new cupcakes.  Expect to see more pie shops, including sweet, savory and bite-sized pies. Hill Country Chicken in New York City sponsors a “Pie Happy Hour” to showcase its wide variety of pies from whiskey-buttermilk to apple-cheddar and more traditional banana and coconut cream pies.
  • The new mom and pop. Self-financed restaurants built on limited budgets are growing in number. “This is an economic decision,” he said. “There are a lot of people out there who still want to open up restaurants, and it’s a good opportunity to look at real estate in a down economy.” The restaurants are typically small and the owners are extremely involved. Some examples are eVe in Berkeley, Calif., and Sons & Daughters in San Francisco.
  • One-ingredient restaurants. “Restaurateurs are taking one ingredient and building full restaurants around them,” Freeman said. Following on the several-year trend of gourmet burgers, the trend is extending to grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs and sliders. “We’re predicting perhaps a peanut butter restaurant next or a big biscuit restaurant,” he said.
  • Mini plates. “Small plates were the big buzz word over the last couple of years,” Freeman said. “This year mini is the new buzz word. Mini everything: mini portions, mini desserts.” The reason, he said, is it fits into tighter budgets. “Everybody wants a little more of everything. Our sense of wanting to be satisfied and fulfilled and experience as much as possible is really, really key.”
  • Multi-purpose spaces. Eataly in New York is an example. “We are going to see markets opening in the corners of restaurants,” he said.
  • Minimal menus. “A couple of years ago, we found a lot of people were getting very wordy and descriptive in their jargon on their menus,” Freeman said. Eleven Madison Park in New York focuses on ingredients.
  • Dirt. Abandoning sauces, some chefs are turning to dried, crumbled, powdered ingredients to add texture and flavor. Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, offers radishes with toasted-malt “dirt.” Such a technique may be used by chef Dominique Crenn, who plans to open a restaurant in San Francisco in January.
Langoustine & Oyster at Noma, by Flickr user Sakena

Langoustine & Oyster at Noma, by Flickr user Sakena

  • Hearth-healthy. Wood-fired ovens will be used to roast vegetables and larger cuts of meat and whole animals.
  • Hot dogs and sausage shops. Examples include Brats Dogs & Wieners in New York. “They are moving from stands into restaurants,” Freeman said.
  • Vegetables. “There are even restaurants that are going meatless Mondays,” Freeman said. “The reason is the celebration of gardens and farms and relationships with farmers.”
  • Fried vegetables. Once-obscure vegetables are getting the crisp treatment with such items as fried Brussels sprouts, fried cauliflower and turnip chips.

    Fried brussels sprouts Flickr: roboppy

    Fried brussels sprouts Flickr: roboppy

  • Soft-serve. Chefs are using soft-serve ice cream machines to produce savory flavors as well as more exotic flavors, such as the coconut-water soft serve with brownie bites at Belly Shack in Chicago.
  • High-end junk food. “I feel like that munchies we grew up on are going to show up with interpretations done by chefs in really the most unique ways,” Freeman said, suggesting house-made Cheetos, Bugles, Slim Jims and jerky.
  • Popsicles. Similar to the soft-serve trend, iced treats are showing up in flavors such as sugar-snap pea.
  • Yogurt. It will show up as sun-dried, freeze-dried, smoked and pressed and in imported variations such as skyr from Iceland and labne from Lebanon.
  • Swede inspiration. As a trend-influencing region, the Scandinavian countries are now invading U.S. menus.
  • Breads. “Chefs are doing signature breads that they are serving as if they were a course,” Freeman said, citing the Popovers at Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco.
  • Bellies. Goat and lamb belly are showing up on menus as pork-belly prices rise, producing such dishes as the lamb-belly watercress BLT at the Lonesome Dove in Fort Worth, Texas.
Lamb meatballs with lebne, Flickr: roboppy

Lamb meatballs with lebne, Flickr: roboppy

Freeman predicts the new hot ingredients will be:

  • Neck. Lamb, beef, goat and pork neck.
  • Whey. In salads and sauces.
  • Kumquats. In salads, relishes and desserts.
  • Pimento cheese. Smooth, spreadable, spicy and nostalgic.
  • Smoking. Smoked olive oil, cumin and butter.
  • Hay. Used for roasting and smoking, such as the leeks roasted on hay at Castagna Restaurant in Portland, Ore.
  • Hummus. In sauces, spreads and ingredients.
  • Popcorn. In various courses, such as the popcorn ice cream at Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar in Sonoma, Calif.
  • Pretzels. Pretzel sticks and used as a crust, like in the pretzel-bit-covered crab cake at David Burke Townhouse in New York.
  • Honey. Chefs are developing partnerships with local beekeepers for use in sauces and dressings.
Hummus, Flickr: stu_spivack

Hummus, Flickr: stu_spivack

 

Read more: http://www.nrn.com/article/pies-top-2011-restaurant-trend-list#ixzz13SiyPKW2

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