Food

Download the National Restaurant Association 2021 restaurant trends

See the top food and menu trends that helped restaurants survive 2020 and which are keepers for 2021. 
Photograph courtesy of National Restaurant Association

Six thousand restaurant operators and 1,000 consumers responded to surveys for the National Restaurant Association’s 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry report. Among the data: the top food and menu trends helping restaurants survive 2020, which are keepers into 2021, and the best-selling menu items today. 

Top trends include:

  • Streamlined menus
  • Overwhelming shift to off-premises dining
  • Blended meals, part homemade, part restaurant-supplied
  • Restaurant-brand meal kits
  • Alcohol to go 
  • And more

Download the trends

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Struggling I Heart Mac and Cheese franchisees push back against their franchisor

Operators say most of them aren't making money and want a break on their royalties. But they also complain about receiving expired cheese from closed stores. "Don't send us moldy product."

Financing

In California, jobs are up, but traffic is down

The Bottom Line: Limited-service restaurants have not cut jobs in California, despite the $20 fast-food wage. But that doesn't mean it hasn't had an impact.

Technology

First-party catering emerges as a new frontier for restaurant tech

Tech Check: As catering booms, more tech companies are offering restaurants the tools to do it themselves.

Trending

More from our partners