Emerging Restaurant Food Trends for 2018
2017 was quite a year for food. UberEats and other delivery services have taken the restaurant world by storm. If a dish could be served in a bowl, it was done. Pork belly and mocktails took over menus. But the year is coming to an end and it’s time to look ahead. What can the American palette look forward to in 2018?
Let’s take a look at emerging trends for 2018.
Colors
Having the most Instagrammable dish as possible is just as important as flavor in this day and age. If your dish is totally brown, it’s not going to do as well. People want to show off what they’re eating. They want their followers to slobber. Having bright and vibrant colors in your recipe is a sure-fire way to having that gorgeous dish, both aesthetically and flavor palettes.
Vegetables
A great way to add color is a hearty portion of veggies. Vegetables covers three rising trends: color, texture, and health. Adding crunch into a softer dish or a snap into a salad gives guests both visual and tactile experiences with food. The added benefit is veggies are good for you, and the US is nothing but obsessed with health lately.
Healing foods and allergy awareness
To augment the obsession with health comes a massive interest in healing foods such as turmeric, ginger, and flaxseed (to name a few). Filling up guests with not only delicious food but food that will help with their digestive track is a big trend. Probiotics, anti-inflammatories, and antioxidants are showing up on more menus across the country. This trend is showing a greater concern for what happens after the initial joy of eating the dish.
Locally sourced ingredients and bowls
These trends are continuing to gain traction from 2017. Though we talked about the importance of locally sourced ingredients and the love of bowls in our 2017 trends article, we’re adding them to the list again because their popularity hasn’t waned.
Fancy oatmeal
Coming from the trend of all things bowl inspired rose fancy oatmeal. Oatmeal has some really stellar health benefits, but by itself it’s a pretty bland breakfast. Adding nuts, coconut, chocolate, and fruits really packs a great punch to a standard breakfast food.
Delivery
Food delivery has definitely gone beyond the pizza. Lunch orders for people too busy to leave the office, or not wanting to head out at night for a bite to eat has lead to the explosion of services like UberEats. If a restaurant doesn’t already partner with a delivery service or have one in house, you can bet they’ll be finding one in 2018.
Nostalgia and comfort food
With all the focus on health, people want a comforting option as well. Nostalgia and comfort food is all about emotions, and after eating a raw kale and vegetable salad a guest might want to go for a good old fashioned brownie for dessert. Classic dishes like pot roast and deviled eggs are sneaking their way back into menus.
Overall, the trend for 2018 is highly health focused, with a ‘cheat’ day worked in there with some scrumptious comfort foods. Grab a bowl, sprinkle on some flavor, and enjoy your meal.