Each year, the National Restaurant Association surveys nearly 1,300 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) – to explore food and beverage trends at restaurants in the coming year. The annual "What's Hot" list gives a peak into which food, beverages and culinary themes will be the new items on restaurant menus that everyone is talking about in 2017.
According to the survey, menu trends that will be heating up in 2017 include poke, house-made charcuterie, street food, food halls and ramen. Trends that are cooling down include quinoa, black rice, and vegetarian and vegan cuisines.
TOP 20 FOOD TRENDS
- New cuts of meat (e.g. shoulder tender, oyster steak, Vegas Strip Steak, Merlot cut)
- Street food-inspired dishes (e.g. tempura, kabobs, dumplings, pupusas)
- Healthful kids' meals
- House-made charcuterie
- Sustainable seafood
- Ethnic-inspired breakfast items (e.g., chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes)
- House-made condiments
- Authentic ethnic cuisine
- Heirloom fruit and vegetables
- African flavors
- Ethnic spices (e.g. harissa, curry, peri peri, ras el hanout, shichimi)
- House-made sausage
- House-made pickles
- Ancient grains (e.g. kamut, spelt, amaranth, lupin)
- House-made/artisan ice cream
- Whole grain items in kids' meals
- Protein-rich grains/seeds (e.g., hemp, chia, quinoa, flax)
- Artisan cheeses
- Savory desserts
- Gourmet items in kids' meals
TOP 10 CONCEPT TRENDS
- Hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens, onsite beer brewing, house-made items)
- Chef-driven fast-casual concepts
- Natural ingredients/clean menus
- Environmental sustainability
- Locally sourced produce
- Locally sourced meat and seafood
- Food waste reduction
- Meal kits (e.g. pre-measured/prepped raw ingredients for home preparation)
- Simplicity/back to basics
- Nutrition
