Technomic’s take: what’s ahead in 2013?

Nov. 20, 2012, Chicago – Technomic's team of consultants and editors have looked ahead
to food trends that may significantly impact the restaurant industry in
2013.

Nov. 20, 2012, Chicago – Technomic's team of consultants and editors have looked ahead
to food trends that may significantly impact the restaurant industry in
2013.

1. Vegetables take their star turn. As more diners
   discover the joys of occasional meatless meals, the flirtation with
   vegetarian fare evolves into flexitarian fascination with actual
   vegetables. That means not only innovative salads, but also creative
   presentations of roasted or steamed veggies, even the assertive ones
   like carrots, kale or brussels sprouts. Vegetables at the center of the
   plate are welcomed by diners – who continue to seek fresh, local,
   healthful fare – as well as operators squeezed by rising costs for
   proteins.

2. Great grains. Recognized as nutrition
   powerhouses – packed with protein as well as texture and full, rich
   taste – grains are also playing star roles on trendy menus. Dishes like
   polenta, couscous or bulgur are central to some of today’s hottest
   ethnic cuisines. And a number of grains – quinoa, amaranth, millet, wild
   rice, corn, oats and buckwheat do not contain gluten, so they’re being
   nudged to the fore as part of the movement to gluten-free eating.
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3. Chicken surprise. Yes, chicken is ubiquitous thanks
   to its always-reasonable price and remarkable versatility, but now it’s
   actually trendy as well. New quick-service and fast-casual
   fried-chicken concepts are popping up, offering Southern or spicy takes
   on a classic. And now that Latin-accented marinated chicken has
   established a niche, African peri-peri chicken may be next.

4. Snacking nation. Habits of around-the-clock eating,
   the street-food/food-truck craze, consumers’ demand for flexible
   portions and prices, and operators’ need to move beyond price-cutting on
   core menu items all combine to make snack fare a key trend. Tapas,
   mezze and upscale bar bites in full-service restaurants are matched by
   flavorful novelties in limited-service restaurants, from spicy chicken
   McBites at McDonald’s and chicken littles at KFC to mini corn dogs at
   Jack in the Box and cheesecake bites at Sonic.

5. More is more. On the other hand, there’s an
   opposite value-as-volume movement. Look for more deals like Pizza Hut’s
   Big Dinner Box (two pizzas with multiple sides) or Olive Garden’s Dinner
   Today & Dinner Tomorrow (a dine-in meal plus a to-go meal), as well
   as multi-course feasts for two, four or more – even whole-hog pig roasts.
6. Retro rising: diner and deli fare. Concepts of many
   types are looking to the menus of traditional and contemporary diners
   and delis for inspiration. We’ll see a proliferation of premium diner-
   and deli-inspired meaty sandwiches, full-flavored soups, even
   pickles – from traditional dill cukes to pickled red onion.

7. Noodle-shop noodles. Ramen done right is a long way
   from dorm fare; it’s nutritious, subtle, satisfying and redolent of
   exotic Far East street markets. Look for ramen, udon, soba, cellophane
   and rice noodles to show up in hearty layered bowls, fragrant soups and
   even mixed-texture salads, not only in a burgeoning number of big-city
   noodle shops but in seafood and varied-menu restaurants as well.

8. South America – the next frontier. Just as diners who
   love Asian fare have explored beyond Chinese to develop a taste for
   Thai and Vietnamese, those who favor Mexican are now looking south—all
   the way to Brazil, Argentina and Peru. We’ll see mainstreaming of South
   American-style grilled meats, chimichurri sauce, ceviche, South
   American-Asian fusion seafood dishes and iconic drinks, from Brazil’s
   caipirinha to Peru’s pisco sour.

9. Fast casual goes globe-trotting. Success in the
   exploding fast-casual sector is no longer limited to bakery cafés and
   Mexican concepts. Build-your-own-better-burger chains and gourmet
   brick-oven pizza restaurants have been on the rise for some time, but
   now we’re also seeing more ethnic foods and flavors – from American
   barbecue to Southeast Asian soups and sandwiches to Mediterranean and
   Middle Eastern fare.

10. Restaurants thirsty for differentiation turn to beverages.
    Trends include fresh fruit (especially tropical fruit) beverages;
    natural energy drinks; housemade sodas; cocktails made with candy-like
    flavored vodkas; micro-distillery liquors that promote drinking locally;
    regional craft brews starring in beer-and-food pairings; and the rise of
    hard ciders.

These expert insights are based on site visits evaluating the
restaurant scene in cities across the country, as well as interviews and
surveys of operators, chefs and consumers, backed up by qualitative data
from its extensive digital resource library and quantitative data from its vast MenuMonitor
database. Some of these developments are mainstream trends among major
players, others are edgy urban movements that may or may not spread to
the wider American public, and some are in the process of evolving from
leading-edge to mainstream.