The National Restaurant
Association (NRA) each year prepares its
What’s Hot culinary forecast of menu trends for the coming year. The NRA
surveyed nearly 1,300 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) – to find which food and beverage items will be hot trends on
restaurant menus in 2014.
Top 10 food trends for 2014:
1.
Locally sourced meats and seafood
2.
Locally grown produce
3.
Environmental sustainability
4.
Healthful kids' meals
5.
Gluten-free cuisine
6.
Hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens)
7.
Children's nutrition
8.
Non-wheat noodles/pasta (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat)
9.
Sustainable seafood
10. Farm/estate
branded items
“Today’s consumers are more interested than ever in
what they eat and where their food comes from, and that is reflected in our
menu trends research,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the
National Restaurant Association’s research and knowledge group. “True trends –
as opposed to temporary fads – show the evolution of the wider shifts of our
modern society over time, and focus on the provenance of various food and
beverage items, unique aspects of how they are prepared and presented, as well
as the dietary profiles of those meals.”
“The American Culinary Federation chefs who took
part in the survey understand that sourcing locally and environmental
sustainability tie in with ongoing efforts to provide more-healthful foods for
everyone, especially children,” said Thomas Macrina, CEC, CCA, HGT, AAC, ACF
national president. “Chefs recognize that nutrition is a vital component of the
foodservice industry, and constantly revise and update recipes to reflect the
concerns and desires of a diverse group of consumers who are looking for good
food choices to best meet their nutrition and other needs.”
The What’s Hot in 2014 survey also found that the
top five alcohol and cocktail trends will be micro-distilled/artisan spirits,
locally produced beer/wine/spirits, onsite barrel-aged drinks, culinary
cocktails (e.g. savory, fresh ingredients), and regional signature cocktails.
When asked which current food trend will be the
hottest menu trends 10 years from now, environmental sustainability topped the
list, followed by local sourcing, health-nutrition, children’s nutrition and
gluten-free cuisine.
The five items with the highest ranking as a waning
trend in 2014 were foam/froth/air, bacon-flavored chocolate, fish offal,
gazpacho, and fun-shaped children’s items. The five items with the highest
points as perennial trends next year were fried chicken, Italian cuisine,
frying, barbeque, and Eggs Benedict.
The five items that gained most in trendiness since
last year in the annual survey were nose-to-tail/root-to-stalk cooking,
pickling, ramen, dark greens, and Southeast Asian cuisine. The five items with
the largest drop in “hot trend” rating were Greek yogurt, sweet potato fries,
new cuts of meat, grass-fed beef, and organic coffee.
Compared with five years ago, items that have
remained top 20 food trends include locally grown produce, healthful kids’
meals, gluten-free cuisine, sustainable seafood, and health/nutrition. Items
that have dropped substantially down the list from the top 20 food trends in
2009 include gelato, micro-greens, flatbreads, tapas/meze/dim sum, and dessert
flights.
Also included in the What’s Hot in 2014 survey were
questions about other trends. Nearly six out of 10 (59 percent) of the chefs
said they always make efforts to adjust dishes and recipes to be more
healthful, while one-third (33 percent) said they cook with nutrition in mind,
but that not all recipes are easily adjusted.
When it comes to technology trends, the chefs
ranked menus on tablet computers as the top trend, followed by smartphone apps
for consumers (ordering, reservations, daily deals, etc.), smartphone apps for
chefs (recipes, table management, POS tracking, etc.), mobile payment and
social media marketing.
The NRA surveyed 1,283 American Culinary Federation members
October-November 2013, asking them to rate 258 items as a “hot trend,”
“yesterday’s news,” or “perennial favorite” on menus in 2014.
