American palates growing more adventurous

Nine in 10 restaurant operators say their guests are more knowledgeable about food than they used to be and pay more attention to food quality than just two years ago, according to the National Restaurant Association's (NRA) 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast.

"As dining out has grown into an everyday activity over the last few decades, we essentially have become a generation of 'foodies' with a much wider base of experience and trial of new cuisines and flavors than previous generations," said Annika Stensson, director of research communications for the NRA. "Growth of international travel and increased diversity of cuisines offered here at home have driven today's diners to be more adventurous and generally more willing to try new things when dining out."

NRA research shows that 64 percent of consumers consider themselves more adventurous in their food choices when dining out now than just two years ago. This sentiment is even stronger among millennials, where 77 percent consider themselves more food adventurous. 

Seventy-two percent of consumers also say that restaurant food provides tastes and flavors they can't duplicate at home, which especially true for global cuisines. Roughly seven out of 10 consumers say they are more likely to try ethnic cuisines in a restaurant than they are trying to cook such dishes at home.

The rise of ethnic cuisines has been evolving for decades, resulting in ethnic cuisines and flavors increasingly making their way onto mainstream menus. Currently, more than a third of restaurant operators say they offer ethnic cuisine items outside of their main menu theme, with the highest number reported among fine-dining restaurants (51 percent) and casual-dining restaurants (48 percent). In addition, a majority of operators believe this will become even more common in the future. 

Chefs grow lukewarm to insects, foam and gazpacho

Nothing lasts forever, including food trends. What was hot yesterday might now be yesterday's news. The National Restaurant Association's What's Hot in 2015 culinary forecast identifies food and drink items that are no longer trending on menus. For 2015, insects as an alternative protein, foam garnish, and chilled tomato soup top the list of yesterday's news.

Rounding out the top 10 list of things that were trendy at one time, but professional chefs now believe are not anymore, are bacon-flavored chocolate, popovers, mini-burgers/sliders, molecular gastronomy, edible flowers, flavored water, and tater tots. Further, sweet-potato fries, fun-shaped kids' items and liquid-nitrogen freezing also ranked high on the yesterday's news list.

"When an item is losing ground as a hot trend, it can go one of three ways. It can move toward becoming a perennial favorite on menus - something that is timelessly popular. It can bounce back as trendy soon after dipping as a yo-yo trend that hasn't quite found its place yet. Or it can fade away further to become a fondly remembered thing of the past," said Annika Stensson, the National Restaurant Association's senior manager of research communications. "Only time will tell which way this year's yesterday's news items will go."

In addition to identifying yesterday's news items, What's Hot in 2015 chef survey also analyzes items that have lost the most momentum as hot trends since the previous year's survey. Some of those items still show up toward the top of the hot trends list, but fewer chefs now rate them as a hot trend, indicating that they are cooling off. For 2015, bruschetta, kale salads and nose-to-tail cooking each lost 10 percentage points in their hot-trend rating. In addition, hybrid desserts, house-made soft drinks and gluten-free cuisine lost ground. 

In the What's Hot in 2014 survey, nose-to-tail cooking had gained 16 percent as a hot trend, making this year's drop less severe. However, Greek yogurt lost 11 percent in its hot-rating in last year's survey, and another 6 percent this year.

The NRA surveyed nearly 1,300 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) – to identify trends on restaurant menus in 2015. The survey asked the chefs to rate 230+ culinary items as a hot trend, yesterday's news, or perennial favorite. 

Technology on the front burner, culinary survey says

Professional chefs see tablets and smartphones as the hottest tech trends for next year, the National Restaurant Association’s 2015 What’s Hot culinary forecast has found.

The food trends survey, conducted with approximately 1,300 professional chef-members from the American Culinary Federation, mirrors what restaurant operators and consumers say about restaurant technology – it can facilitate customer service, enhance order speed and accuracy, and promote back-of-the-house efficiencies. When asked about the hottest technology trends for 2015, here’s what chefs said: 

• 29 percent of respondents said tablet computers, such as iPads, would be used to showcase menus, wine lists and facilitate ordering
• 26 percent indicated that smartphone and tablet apps for consumers, especially those featuring menus, daily deals and facilitate menu ordering
• 22 percent agreed that smartphone and tablet apps for chef/restaurateur use would be helpful in tracking recipes, table management and POS data, and
• 21 percent said mobile and/or wireless payment options would factor in as a key trend.

“With technology becoming a daily part of our lives, consumers are increasingly building their tech expectations into the dining experience,” said Annika Stensson, the NRA’s senior manager of research communications. “iPad menus and smartphone apps have been around for several years now, but as consumer acceptance and understanding of those tools grow, so is the chef’s attention to them as service enhancers.”

Respondents were generally upbeat about consumers’ increased use of social media, especially regarding the posting of restaurant food photographs. The survey found:

• 57 percent of chefs said social-media postings of food photographs is free advertising and should be encouraged
• 32 percent said it’s fine as long as guests are discreet as they post photos, and
• 9 percent said the practice is disruptive and should be discouraged.

“We’ve all seen them – fellow diners who snap pictures of their food and drink and upload them to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook,” Stensson said. “Chefs have noticed this too. It turns out chefs generally think it’s a good thing that guests share their food experiences in the social-media universe. Only about one in 10 said it doesn’t belong in their dining rooms.”

For more information on the What’s Hot culinary trends forecast, go here.

Sustainability tops trends on 2015 What's Hot survey

Environmental sustainability, sustainable seafood and food-waste reduction are among the top trends at restaurants in 2015, according to the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) annual What’s Hot culinary forecast.

The NRA, as it does every year, surveyed approximately 1,300 professional chefs – all members of the American Culinary Federation – to determine the industry’s hottest trends, and in 2015 sustainability is going to be center of the plate, the respondents said.

“We’ve been seeing strong trends toward sustainability in the food space for several years now and that’s going to continue to grow,” said Annika Stensson, the NRA's senior manager of research communications. “Chefs and restaurateurs are realizing the benefits and cost savings that conservation and food-waste reduction bring, in addition to doing what’s good for the environment.”

Among the survey’s top 20 trends, environmental sustainability came in third, sustainable seafood eighth and food waste reduction/management ninth. Food waste reduction and management also ranks as a new top trend for 2015, while environmental sustainability and sustainable seafood retained their status as steady, top food trends for the sixth consecutive year.

“Managing food waste is gaining momentum right now as wholesale food costs are, again, on the rise and a top challenge cited by operators,” Stensson said. “This year alone, food prices have risen more than 5 percent, so minimizing waste and maximizing ingredient yield is top of mind for the industry.”

Further, chefs and restaurateurs recognize more customers are incorporating sustainability practices into their daily lives and want to extend that into the food space as well ‑ particularly when dining out.

“Diners want to learn as much as possible about what they’re eating,” said Jeff Clark, director of the NRA’s Conserve sustainability program. “They want to know why something tastes a certain way, how a farmer planted it and how far it traveled to get to a restaurant. Chefs and operators know this and are embracing it. They understand their guests are seeking foods that are good for them, flavorful, and minimally impact the environment.”

Stensson added that NRA research found 55 percent of consumers are more likely to choose restaurants that serve food grown or raised in an environmentally friendly way. She said that number is expected to grow.

The survey also found 42 percent of respondents thought environmental sustainability would be the hottest menu trend 10 years from now.

Visit Conserve for more information on sustainable practices for the restaurant industry. For information on the What’s Hot culinary trends forecast, go here.