Menu prices were up and weekend restaurant visits were down, but all the while, diners continued to explore new flavors, ingredients, cuisines, dishes and drinks. It wouldn’t be possible to note all the trends that peaked on social media or grabbed chefs’ attention, so this is a subjective but pretty accurate look at some that rose to the top.
Low- and no-alcohol drinks
Well-crafted, zero-proof cocktail lists became table stakes in 2024, and lower-alcohol variations also began to make more inroads at the bar. “Mindful drinking” is the consumer trend that is driving these selections, and although some operators still call them “mocktails” or “light” cocktails, most are playing up their craftsmanship, sophistication and premium ingredients with names that indicate “better” rather than “lesser.” Spirited and spirit-free is the term Tempo by Hilton hotels uses, while a Portland wine bar has a “High Pressure / Low Proof” highball section, according to the 2024 Liquid Insights Tour by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. Another observation: Bartenders are skillfully creating drinks that offer depth and texture with less or no alcohol.
“As mindful drinking continues to gain momentum, non-alcoholic beverages have solidified their place on menus, especially with THC-infused drinks pushing restaurants to offer "California Sober" alternatives to offset alcohol sales,” said T.J. VanRhee, director of food & beverage, JW Marriott Grand Rapids.
Snacking blurs the dayparts
Restaurants began to ride the snacking wave in earnest in 2024, with limited-service chains creating separate menu categories filled with craveable choices to compete with convenience-store packaged snacks. Subway, Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC and Chick-fil-A all got with the program in the last year, releasing new snack items. And now McDonald’s announced the return of its snack wrap in 2025.
Gen Z is propelling the snacking trend, with their anytime, anywhere eating style blurring traditional mealtimes. That demographic counts the most snackers among its ranks, with 26% saying they eat out more frequently throughout the day. Their style has also boosted traffic at smoothie and treat chains as well as juice concepts and coffee cafes, where a loaded beverage can be considered a snack. Gen Alpha—consumers under 12—are right behind them, pretty much guaranteeing that snacking is here to stay with restaurants playing a bigger part.
Immersive dining experiences
On the full-service side, “experiences” are attracting diners as much as the menu. Elevated plate presentations, tableside food and drink preparation, chefs’ counters and multi-course tasting menus are all contributing to this trend. Anthony Amoroso, VP of innovation and growth at Maggiano’s Little Italy, told me that if a guest is going to spend a few hours of their time with Maggiano’s, it’s the restaurant’s responsibility to deliver a great experience.
OpenTable reported that Experiences Bookings are up 27% year-over-year, and 42% of Americans are more interested in experiential dining next year vs. this year. “Immersive dining experiences will be a key focus for us at Margaux [hotel restaurant], with interactive culinary events, chef and mixologist-led workshops, and collaborations designed to enhance the dining experience,” said Marriott’s VanRhee.
Next-wave Korean cuisine
At the end of 2023, AF&Co + Carbonate named Korean the cuisine of the year for 2024 in its annual hospitality trends report, and that has certainly panned out. Once lagging behind Chinese, Japanese and Thai in popularity among American diners, Korean food has now permeated the dining scene, showing up in chains, independents and fast casuals. Gochujang and kimchi are mainstream, making room for more esoteric Korean ingredients and flavors.
“The rise of K-foods is part of the broader global trend often referred to as ‘hallyu’ or the Korean wave, which is led by music (K-pop), TV/movies (K-drama) and foods, beverages, fashion and cosmetics,” said Aaron Jourdan, director, international research & insights at Technomic.
And speaking of immersive dining experiences, one of the fastest-growing chains in Technomic’s Top 500 ranking for 2024 was KPOT, an interactive hot pot and Korean barbecue concept where customers cook their dinner as they socialize around a large table with built-in grills and induction burners, choosing from a vast array of proteins, vegetables, sauces, banchan (pickled condiments) and other ingredients. The chain has grown to 80 units through franchising, and sales increased more than 250% year over year.
The changing face of restaurant visits
In their year-end wrap-ups, both reservation site OpenTable and POS provider Toast reported that restaurant visits are up on weekdays and diners are opting for earlier dinners. Reservations on the Toast platform increased 11% on Mondays and Tuesdays and dipped 1% on Saturdays compared to last year. That said, Friday and Saturday evenings are still restaurants’ busiest times, but guests are booking more reservations for early bird dinners and fewer reservations after 7 p.m.
Mid-week dining emerged as a new trend in OpenTable’s data, with Wednesdays seeing an 11% increase in dining out year-over year—the largest increase of any other day. Looking ahead, mid-week dining remains in demand; 43% of Americans in OpenTable’s survey plan to dine out on Wednesdays if they choose to dine out during the week. The main reason is to break up the week, say 41% of respondents.
Sweet heat (a.k.a. “swicy”)
It was all about hot honey in 2024, as menus embraced the trendy and easy way to add sweet heat to pizzas, sandwiches, cheese boards, cocktails, desserts and more. And Grubhub’s 2024 Delivered Report noted that grocery store orders of hot honey spiked by 30%.
According to Ignite menu data from Restaurant Business sister company Technomic, the “swicy trend” is not going away any time soon; hot honey is predicted to hit 55% of menus by 2026. And it’s not the only condiment that’s infusing food and drinks with sweet heat. Sweet-and-spicy barbecue sauce is predicted to show up on 20% of menus, and honey sriracha on 18%.
We also heard whispers that “swavory” (a blend of sweet and savory) and “swalty” (a combo of sweet and salty) may be next. Rubix Foods’ proprietary research found that while swicy took the front seat this year, 5% more Gen Z respondents reported having frequent sweet and salty cravings over sweet and spicy.
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