What’s Cooking in 2016?

Feb 27th 2023

Each year the desires of culinary creators and the demands of diners change along with politics, the economy, and personal values. While the movement toward healthy, local, and sustainable foods is here to stay, there are a few new trends creeping up the charts in 2016.

In their annual survey of over 1500 chefs, The National Restaurant Association gives us the chef’s take on what’s trending each year. A few Top 20 highlights include:

Hyper Local Sourcing: As if getting fresh produce from local farms wasn’t good enough, chefs and restaurants are taking it one step further by growing their own produce.
Locally Sourced Meat & Seafood: People want all ingredients from the meal to come from within a short drive of their plate.
Healthful Kids Meals: Chefs are embracing the concept that they can help control what kids eat by only offering healthy options on the kids menu. Parents are seeking out such restaurants to avoid the hassle of haggling with their children over dinner.
New Cuts of Meat: In the name of waste-based cooking, chefs are looking to incorporate unused or traditional undesirable cuts of meat into amazing dishes.
Ethnic Condiments/Spices: African flavors are up 20% with Middle Eastern flavors not far behind. The masses may not be ready to dive into unknown ethnic dishes, but they are certainly anxious to slowly step into the flavors.
House-Made Everything: From sausage to pickles and bread to ice cream, unique foods made in house are all the rage this year.

While these trendy treats may be all you can handle, there are also a few foods to be looking out for in 2016. According to Global Food Forums, guests can expect to see Poke, algae, and savory yogurt flavors popping up everywhere.

What does all this mean for your restaurant? It means you may want to think about a few changes if your concept doesn’t fit the direction young diners are looking for. While it is not wise to change your entire menu and concept based on annual trends, you can use these as a guide. Look for one or two ways you can appeal to the trending crowd as a means to bring in more business. If you can’t expand your business and create a loyal customer base, you might as well throw in the apron.