The one thing about predictions is that you can never go wrong: It’s just a prediction. You can always hide behind the change and blame barometric pressure as a contributing factor or whatever else comes to mind!
Following on the heels of the just concluded 35th Winter Fancy Food Show in SF, some of the trends that emerged from the large show with over 80,000 products are nothing new to readers of this blog:
–Gluten-Free, exotic citrus, coconut, good-for-you foods, and nostalgic foods. These are all topics and categories (check the search part of the site) we have seen evolve over the past year. Good to know we are on the right track!
The National Restaurant Association just released its Industry Forecast which has a more upbeat tone than last year with an anticipated increase of 2.5 percent in sales spending. Everyone in the industry has his fingers crossed for that to occur. Some other items of interest include:
–A greater emphasis on locally sourced food, sustainability, health, and nutrition will be the top trends on restaurant menus this year. Individuals say they are more focused on eating healthy in restaurants than they were even two years ago.
–More restaurants are stepping up their efforts to go green and 4 in 10 consumers say they choose restaurants based on their conservation practices.
–Ethnic cuisines and flavors continue as a hot menu trend including regional ethnic cuisine and fusion cuisine. Interesting to watch the fusion idea which has come and gone any number of times! As for ethnic menus, they may also qualify as a more affordable price decision. I believe, price and value will continue to permeate much of our decision-making.
No matter which trend list jumps to the top of the pile, the most important takeaway is that diners are more savvy in terms of what they look for when dining out. Many arrive at restaurants after they have read reviews and studied the menu.
Expectations are high. The diner wants value and the restaurants need to focus.
That’s how tables get full and the buzz stays positive.
