Food
The clockless sandwich
The limitless possibilities of making a meal between two slices of bread have catapulted the sandwich into new menu territory. Breakfast and lunch sandwiches still dominate, but these days, bars and late night menus are featuring mini ethnic sandwiches and full-service restaurants tout overstuffed dinner-size versions.
Consumer Trends
Creativity between the bread
From the “wild salmon-ich” at Jason’s Deli and the sourdough cheesesteak melt at Jack in the Box, to the Omni Hotel’s Moroccan-inspired chicken musakhan sandwich featuring chicken thighs, house-made ketchup and a sumac-garam masala spice blend, the sandwich has been re-imagined.
With health and freshness two of the major forces driving menus today, produce is top on operators’ purchase orders. Indeed, restaurants have been making a big effort to put more fruits and vegetables on the plate. But this effort hit a roadblock with recent E.coli scares and salmonella outbreaks. As a result, food safety has become the priority for suppliers and buyers of fresh produce.