What are the latest restaurant trends?
It’s important to monitor the latest restaurant trends but be careful to not jump on the bandwagon. Most trends come and go along with the restaurants that are too quick to embrace them. The best course of action is to evaluate your market, customer demographic, and concept to figure out which trends to adopt to help retain your customer base while broadening your reach. Not every new concept should be included in your menu.
So, what’s new? Here are some of the latest trends based on a recent article by CNBC.
Japanese gastropubs
These Japanese gastropubs offer rice wine and beer along with small plates to nibble on while imbibing. The popularity may be due to the difficulty and expense of trying to obtain a full restaurant liquor license. Japanese izakayas are, essentially, the original gastropubs. Casual eateries that grew out of drinking establishments, the word “izakaya” is actually a portmanteau of the words for “to stay” and “sake.”
Caribbean cuisine
Caribbean is emerging on restaurant menus as a food that appeals to a broad spectrum of tastes and textures. Caribbean cuisine takes in a whole mess of different cultural and ethnic influences, ranging from African and East Indian, all the way through to Asian. Every part of the region has its own signature dishes and flavours, and every town has its own secret blend of hot sauce made with its own very special peppers. Jamaican jerk chicken is probably the most widely-known dish, but salt fish, ackee, okra and sweet potato are all staples from the region.
Smoked cocktails
One of one of the hottest trends in American mixology these days: smoked cocktails. There are two ways to add smoke to cocktails. The first is to use an intrinsically smoky ingredient, like single malt scotch or pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika). The second is to infuse the drink with actual wood smoke.
Kids’ foods for grown-ups
Some restaurants are taking our childhood favorites and “kicking them up a notch” to appeal to our adult tastes. Franktuary, located in Pittsburgh, has redefined the classic hot dog by topping them with sophisticated ingredients such as curried cauliflower, mint raita, and cilantro. Franktuary also offers vegetarian options.
Molecular cocktails
Molecular mixology brings science to the shaker to create new flavors, textures, surprising presentations and enhance the overall drinking experience. Techniques include spheres that explode in the mouth, cocktail caviar, edible cocktails, multi-color layered cocktails, cocktails that resemble lava lamps, cocktails with foams and bubbles.
Filipino cuisine
Dishes range from the very simple, like a meal of fried salted fish and rice, to the elaborate paellas and cocidos created for fiestas, also spaghetti and lasagna of Italian origin. Philippine cuisine which normally comes in a pairing of something sweet with something salty, and results in surprisingly pleasing combinations.
