What’s Hot?

The National Restaurant Association surveyed over 1,800 professional chefs to uncover hot food trends for 2013. By a long shot, locally sourced/grown foods top the charts with healthful kids’ meals not far behind. Other hot trends include new cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork flat iron, teres major), ethnic breakfast items (e.g. Asian-flavored syrups, chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes) and food trucks (which continue to pop up and thrive in all corners of the nation).

Here Are The Top 20 Food Trends For 2013:

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
2. Locally grown produce
3. Healthful kids’ meals
4. Environmental sustainability
5. Children’s nutrition
6. New cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork flat iron, teres major)
7. Hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens)
8. Gluten-free cuisine
9. Sustainable seafood
10. Whole grain items in kids’ meals
11. Farm/estate branded items
12. Non-wheat noodles/pasta (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat)
13. Non-traditional fish (e.g. branzino, Arctic char, barramundi)
14. Ethnic-inspired breakfast items (e.g. Asian-flavored syrups, chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes)
15. Fruit/vegetable children’s side items
16. Health/nutrition
17. Half-portions/smaller portions for a smaller price
18. House-made/artisan ice cream
19. Black/forbidden rice
20. Food trucks

Hot Trends by Category

The top 20 give you a great, broad overview of the New Year’s trends, but there are also top trends by categories that represent sections of a traditional restaurant menu.

Appetizers

1. House-cured meats/charcuterie
2. Vegetarian appetizers
3. Ethnic/street food inspired appetizers (tempura, taquitos, kabobs, hummus)
4. Amuse-bouche/bite-size hors d’oeuvre
5. Flatbread appetizers

Sides/Starches

1. Non-wheat noodles/pasta (quinoa, rice, buckwheat)
2. Black/forbidden rice
3. Quinoa
4. Red rice
5. Pickled vegetables

Main Dishes

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
2. New cuts of meat (Denver steak, pork flat iron, teres major)
3. Sustainable seafood
4. Non-traditional fish (branzino, Arctic char, barramundi)
5. Half-portions/smaller portions for a smaller price

Desserts

1. House-made/artisan ice cream
2. Bite-size/mini desserts
3. Savory desserts
4. Deconstructed classic desserts
5. Dessert flights/combos

Breakfast/Brunch

1. Ethnic inspired breakfast items (Asian-flavored syrups, Chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes)
2. Traditional ethnic breakfast items (huevos rancheros, shakshuka, ashta, Japanese)
3. Fresh fruit breakfast
4. Prix fixe breakfast
5. Chicken and waffles

Kid’s Meals

1. Healthful kids’ meals
2. Whole grain items in kid’s meals
3. Fruit/vegetable children’s’ side items
4. Oven-bakes items in kids’ meals (baked chicken fingers, oven baked fries)
5. Children’s portions of adult menu items

Produce

1. Locally grown produce
2. Organic produce
3. Superfruit (acai, goji berry, mangosteen)
4. Heirloom apples
5. Exotic fruits (rambutan, dragon fruit, paw paw, guava)

Ethnic Cuisines

1. Peruvian cuisine
2. Regional ethnic cuisine
3. Ethnic fusion cuisine
4. Korean cuisine
5. Southeast Asian cuisine (e.g. Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian)

Ingredients/Other food Items

1. Farm/estate branded items
2. Artisan cheeses
3. Ethnic cheeses (e.g. queso fresco, paneer, lebneh, halloumi)
4. Non-wheat flour (e.g. peanut, millet, barley, rice)
5. Ancient grains (e.g. kamut, spelt, amaranth)

Preparation Methods

1. Fermenting
2. Pickeling
3. Sous Vide
4. Liquid nitrogen
5. Smoking

Culinary themes

1. Environmental sustainability
2. Children’s nutrition
3. Hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens)
4. Gluten-free cuisine
5. Health/nutrition

Beverages

1.  House-made soft drinks/soda/pop
2.  Gourmet lemonade (e.g. house-made, freshly muddled)
3. Organic coffee
4. Specialty iced tea (e.g. Thai-style, southern/sweet, flavored)
5. Coconut water

Additional Trends

1. Technology touches almost every aspect of our lives, which is increasingly true even in the food service industry. Between the arrival of mobile devices at the table, online reservations, social media and mobile payment methods, technology has infiltrated the food and restaurant industry like never before. That’s why NRA asked “What is the hottest technology trend in restaurants for 2013?

[unordered_list style=”green-dot”]

• 27% said tablet computers (e.g. iPad) for menus and wine lists
• 25% said smartphone apps for consumers (e.g. ordering, menus)
• 19% said mobile/wireless/at-the-table payment options
• 13% said social media for marketing/loyalty programs
• 11% said smartphone apps for chefs/restaurateurs (e.g. recipes, measurement converters)
• 4% said QR codes on menus, marketing, etc
• 1% said other

[/unordered_list]

2. Scorching heat and drought in the US, Russia and Europe constricted agricultural production and pushed up prices of key ingredients including corn and soybeans to record highs. The survey asked chefs “How do you best handle the challenge of elevated food costs?”

[unordered_list style=”green-dot”]

• 32% said they would change and update the menu to include different dishes
• 25% said adjusting plate composition (e.g. increasing amounts of lower priced items while reducing amounts of higher priced items)
• 24% said they would explore new sourcing options and suppliers
• 11% said managing food costs in other operational areas
• 4% said they would raise menu prices
• 4% said other

[/unordered_list]

3. Healthy eating has been a hot topic for a few years now, and chefs continue to find new ways to integrate healthier ingredients into their dishes. So when the survey asked “Are you making efforts to adjust dishes/recipes to be more healthful, for example, by using more fruit and vegetables or reduced sodium?” the results were not a surprise.

[unordered_list style=”green-dot”]

• 55%, said yes, always
• 37% said they try but not all recipes are easily adjusted
• 7% said no and
• 2% said they don’t know

[/unordered_list]

4. It was also interesting to see where chefs see the dining public trending in the year to come.

[unordered_list style=”green-dot”]

• 46% said consumers will be more adventurous, dining out to seek new tastes and foods they can’t make at home
• 44% said consumers will generally order their favorite food when dining out, but sometimes try trendy menu items
• 7% said consumers will be more traditional when dining out, only ordering food that they know
• 4% didn’t know

[/unordered_list]

What’s Not Hot

Of the 198 food items ranked by chefs, these received the highest scores for waning trends (and I must add that I agree with all of these).

1. Froth/foam/air
2. Ramen
3. Gazpacho
4. Fun-shaped children’s food
5. Mini-burgers/sliders
6. Flavored/enhanced water
7. Bacon-flavored chocolate
8. Flavored popcorn
9. Fish collars
10. Desserts with bacon

What’s Hot in 2013 Video

For more information from NRA on hot food trends for 2013, check out this video!