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Biography

Nancy Kruse

Nancy Kruse is a menu maven and president of The Kruse Company. She is a well known and highly regarded expert on menu trends. Her monthly State of the Plate column provides insight into the trends influencing menu innovation.

Articles by
Nancy Kruse

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Food

After a slow burn, churros become a hot restaurant menu item

State of the Plate: Nancy Kruse dishes on the centuries-old item now being used in a variety of items, from hot dogs to beverages.

Operations

Remembering the days when restaurants provided service

Sweet & Sour: Is the pursuit of frictionless interaction just a ruse for getting guests to do more of the work themselves?

Food

Restaurants find that protein packs a healthy punch

State of the Plate: Restaurant menu trends expert Nancy Kruse dishes on "dude food," as consumers' view of healthy shifts toward the meatier side of things.

Food

What even the robots might have missed at this year’s National Restaurant Association Show

Sweet & Sour: From android armies to a different sort of pot pie, here are the surprises we long time show-goers discovered at the industry’s first annual convention in three years.

Food

Breakfast is making a comeback with innovative new options

State of the Plate: The daypart went dark during the pandemic, but customers are returning and chefs are inspired, with everything from Elote Mexican Street Corn Hash at First Watch to Chengdu Chicken and Waffles at Nue.

Food

Texture takes center stage on restaurant menus

State of the Plate: Chefs at all levels are adding more crunch to items to give them contrasting textures, using everything from chia seeds to crispy chicken skin.

Marketing

It's black and white, QR doubters: The codes are here to stay

Sweet & Sour: The tags deliver benefits that will keep them in use long after the pandemic fades.

Marketing

Virtual concepts are undeniably a boom. Some might say a bubble.

Sweet & Sour: Brick-and-mortarless delivery concepts are growing at a head-turning clip. But that sort of expansion usually brings challenges, too.

Food

Butter makes a culinary comeback

State of the Plate: Nancy Kruse talks about one of the biggest culinary comebacks of the last decade, and how chefs are finding more uses for it than ever.

Food

Chains find success with celebrity partnerships

State of the Plate: Restaurants are working with celebrities of all kinds, from Rick Bayless to Eminem. And more are on their way.

Marketing

Is it time to give starred restaurant reviews a thumbs-down?

Sweet & Sour: Some consumer media are dropping the shorthand method of assessing a dining-out experience. But these two longtime industry observers have reservations about the trend.

Food

Cabbage is getting its day in the sun

State of the Plate: The humble vegetable has become an unlikely star of dishes. And chefs are also finding new ways to spotlight squash.

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