The National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot” survey of more than 1,500 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) – reveals that local and hyper-local sourcing, healthy children’s meals, sustainable seafood, and gluten-free cuisine will be among the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2011.
“The top trends identified by these culinary professionals for 2011 are reflecting larger societal trends, underscoring that American diners are becoming more and more interested in what’s on their plate. Sustainability and nutrition are becoming key themes in our nation’s nearly one million restaurants,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the National Restaurant Association.
The top 10 menu trends for next year will be locally sourced meats and seafood, locally grown produce, sustainability as a culinary theme, nutritious kids’ dishes, hyper-local items, children’s nutrition as a culinary theme, sustainable seafood, gluten-free/food allergy-conscious items, back-to-basics cuisine and farm-branded ingredients.
“Locally sourced food and a focus on sustainability is not just popular among certain segments of consumers anymore; it has become more mainstream. Diners are requesting to know where their food comes from, and are concerned with how their choices affect the world around us,” said Michael Ty, CEC, AAC, ACF national president.
Rounding out the top 20 hot menu trends are artisan liquor, locally-produced wine and beer, smaller portions for a smaller price, organic produce, nutrition as a culinary theme, culinary cocktails, newly fabricated cuts of meat, fruit/vegetable children’s side items, ethnic-inspired breakfast items and artisan cheese.
The chefs were also asked about the top operational trends next year. Thirty percent of the chefs said that mobile food trucks and pop-up restaurants will be the hottest operational trend in 2011; 18 percent said restaurants with gardens will be the top trend, and 17 percent said social media marketing.
In addition, 55 percent of the chefs said they are currently using social media for professional purposes, and another 16 percent said they plan to start using such channels.
On the drink menu, micro-distilled spirits is the top item, with nearly three-quarters of the chefs ranking it as a hot trend. Other alcohol items high on the list include locally produced beer and wine, culinary cocktails, food-beer pairings and beer dinners.
Topping categories within the survey are: street food-inspired items and amuse bouche/bite-size hors d’oeuvre in appetizers; black-forbidden rice and quinoa in sides/starches; ethnic-inspired and traditional ethnic items in breakfast/brunch; house-made ice cream and bite-size items in desserts; regional and fusion in ethnic cuisines; artisan cheeses and ethnic cheeses in ingredients; sous-vide and braising in preparation methods; and specialty iced tea and organic coffee in nonalcoholic beverages.
These and many other restaurant industry trends will be showcased at the 2011 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, to be held May 21-24 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Exhibiting companies from across the United States and around the world will cater to tens of thousands of industry professionals, and top chefs and trend-watchers will share their expertise in culinary demonstrations and education sessions.
The Association surveyed 1,527 American Culinary Federation member chefs in October 2010, asking them to rate 226 individual food items, beverages, cuisines and culinary themes as a “hot trend,” “yesterday’s news,” or “perennial favorite” on restaurant menus in 2011. Foor additional information and complete survey results, go to www.restaurant.org/foodtrends.
Watch our video of What's Hot in 2011.
