WASHINGTON D.C. (December 1, 2010)—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. In addition, the chefs said that mobile food trucks and pop-up restaurants will be the top operational trend in restaurants next year.
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.
“Our annual ‘What’s Hot’ chef survey is one of the industry’s most
anticipated and quoted culinary forecasts, largely due to the
credibility of its respondents – professional chefs that work in some of
the nation’s finest dining establishments and educate the next
generation of chefs in culinary institutions,” said Hudson Riehle,
senior vice president of Research and Knowledge Group for the National
Restaurant Association. “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.”
“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. “Nutrition will
continue to play a key role in 2011. With the results from this survey
of American Culinary Federation chefs, restaurants across America will
be able to tailor their menus and better serve their guests.”
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 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.
In tune with increased consumer awareness and interest in food
sourcing and farm-to-fork practices, the leading culinary theme revealed
by the survey is sustainability, which occupies four of the top five
trends. The top two items – both with 86 percent of chefs identifying
them as a hot trend – are locally sourced meats and seafood and locally
grown produce. Ranked as the third hottest trend is sustainability as a
culinary theme. Hyper-local ingredients (e.g. restaurants with their own
produce gardens, and chefs managing the raising and butchering of their
own meat) lands at number five, with nearly eight in 10 chefs calling
it a hot trend.
Nutrition – children’s nutrition in particular – is another umbrella
trend identified by the survey. Nutritionally balanced children’s
dishes is ranked the fourth hottest trend on menus next year, while
kid’s nutrition as a culinary theme comes in at number six. Gluten-free
and food allergy-conscious items are number eight in the trends survey,
with nearly eight in 10 chefs agreeing it’s a hot trend. Nutrition and
health as a general culinary theme is number 15.
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.
Also included in the survey were questions about recession
strategies, operational trends, promoting nutrition and using social
media. The chefs said that offering value specials, simplifying menus to
save on prep labor and ingredients, and increased marketing efforts
were the most successful strategies for building business during the
period of economic weakness.
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.
The chefs were also asked how chefs and restaurateurs can best
promote health and nutrition. Twenty-one percent said create
diet-conscious menu selections (including lower-sodium, -calorie and
-fat items); 19 percent said increase fresh produce options on menus;
and 17 percent said get involved in school nutrition/children’s
education efforts.
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. For more information, visit www.restaurant.org/show.
For complete “What’s Hot in 2011” survey results and a video, visit www.restaurant.org/foodtrends.
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