2020 Flavors to Watch
Crafted coffee
In general, bolder coffee formats are trending, with strong espressos, cold brews and Americanos on the upswing. But mocha—a blend of chocolate and coffee— is also growing as a flavor in hot and iced coffee. Technomic finds that younger consumers seem to prefer sweeter, dessert-like flavors in their coffee drinks: 43% of 18- to 34-year-olds find mocha appealing, and 49% favor caramel.
2020 Flavors to Watch
Peppery cocktails
Along with herbal, floral and bitter flavors, cocktails are featuring more peppers and spice. The peppery ingredients are often used to balance sweeter fruity flavors or extend a spicy Mexican or Asian menu theme to the drinks list.
Flavor innovation is not only happening on the food side of the menu—there’s a lot of activity around beverages, too. Mixologists are freshening up cocktails with vibrant flavors and ingredients, some of which are borrowed from the kitchen. There’s a concurrent trend toward lower-proof and zero-alcohol drinks, including hard seltzers in a range of flavors, fruity spritzers and housemade lemonades and other refreshers. In fact, 47% of 24- to 34-year-olds are ordering low-alcohol cocktails more often than they were three years ago, according to Technomic’s 2019 On-Premise Intelligence Report. And it’s the huge flavor boom powering the explosion of beverage options.
Customizable noodle bowls have been trending in college dining, fast casuals and other foodservice operations for a couple of years. The recipes are often inspired by Japanese ramen, Vietnamese pho and other Asian bowls. These are continuing their ascent, now joined by Asian noodles in other applications, appearing on menus that are decidedly non-Asian.
Introducing a global ingredient in a familiar platform is a low-risk way to get buy-in from customers. Sandwiches are a natural platform for ethnic breads. Operators are turning to breads from India, the Middle East, the Balkans and Southeast Asia to differentiate the sandwich menu with unique twists. But these breads are also accompanying appetizers and sides and serving as a base for pizza on mainstream menus.
Trend forecasters have been predicting Indian to be the next “hot” ethnic cuisine to take off stateside. While Indian-centric fast-casual concepts are beginning to expand and Indian stations are common in college dining, 2020 may be the year that Indian flavors catch on in both authentic and nontraditional applications. Technomic’s Ethnic Food & Beverage Consumer Trend Report reveals that 34% of consumers have tried Indian food and like it, plus they find the cuisine to be unique and exciting.
Consumers continue to crave ethnic dishes, so operators continue to dig deeper into Asian, Mediterranean and Latin cuisines to unearth innovative flavors and ingredients. Chinese, Italian and Mexican are solidly in the mainstream, but 18% of 18- to 34-year-olds are seeking emerging ethnic foods and flavors, as per Technomic’s Ethnic Food & Beverage Consumer Trend Report. In fact, 40% of younger consumers say they’re visiting a wider variety of restaurants now than two years ago to try new or unique flavors, according to Technomic’s Flavor Consumer Trend Report. Unique flavors can give noncustomers a reason to visit and draw in regulars who want a taste of something different.
Trendy diets such as Whole30 and paleo have turned consumers away from carbs and popularized lookalike substitutions for pasta, rice and other starchy sides. Nondairy milk alternatives, which appeal to vegans and many health-conscious consumers, also are more prevalent. Oat milk is joining almond, cashew and other nut milks on menus.
With strong consumer demand for plant-forward bowls and burgers, chefs are looking beyond quinoa and couscous for grains that can be used as a base. Lesser-known, sustainable crops such as fonio and buckwheat are on the rise. And healthful plants found in the wild, such as dandelion greens and gooseberries, are now being cultivated and distributed.