Each year, the National Restaurant Association surveys nearly 1,300 professional chefs—members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF)—to explore predicted restaurant trends for the coming year. The annual “What’s Hot” list gives a peek into which food, beverages and culinary themes everyone will be talking about in the year ahead.
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.
“Menu trends today are beginning to shift from ingredient-based items to concept-based ideas, mirroring how consumers tend to adapt their activities to their overall lifestyle philosophies, such as environmental sustainability and nutrition,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research for the National Restaurant Association. “Also among the top trends for 2017, we’re seeing several examples of house-made food items and various global flavors, indicating that chefs and restaurateurs are further experimenting with from-scratch preparation and a broad base of flavors.”
“Chefs are on an endless quest to redefine how consumers eat,” commented ACF national president Thomas Macrina. “By masterfully transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, culinary professionals are at the forefront of changing the culinary landscape.”
Take a look and tell us what trends you’re looking forward to in 2017:
Top 10 Food Trends
- New cuts of meat (shoulder tender, oyster steak, Vegas strip steak, Merlot cut)
- Street food-inspired dishes (tempura, kabobs, dumplings, pupusas)
- Healthful kids’ meals
- House-made charcuterie
- Sustainable seafood
- Ethnic-inspired breakfast items (chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes)
- House-made condiments
- Authentic ethnic cuisine
- Heirloom fruit and vegetables
- African flavors
Top 10 Concept Trends
- Hyper-local sourcing (restaurant gardens, on-site 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 (premeasured/prepped raw ingredients for home preparation)
- Simplicity/back-to-basics
- Nutrition
Other trends identified by the survey include 7 Kid-Friendly Food Trends and Top Menu Trends to Watch.
For complete survey results, visit the National Restaurant Association online.
- Photos, top to bottom: Kaboompics, Snapwire Snaps, Alexandra Whitney Photography
