Hot Restaurant Menu Trends for 2022

In 2022, restaurant menus will place a larger focus on healthy living, based on the National Restaurant Association's annual What’s Hot Culinary Forecast. The survey examines top restaurant industry trends across categories including menu offerings, beverages, flavors, global inspirations, packaging/off-premises trends and industry macro-trends.

This season’s survey findings signal an elevated concentrate on sustainability, better-for-you menu options and a larger demand for plant-based meals in 2022, as consumers place a newfound focus on their health post-pandemic.

Key findings from the survey likewise incorporate:

• Immunity-boosting foods and plant-based sandwiches constitute three of the very best 10 Trends for 2022, as consumers balance the comfort food types they demanded through the pandemic to refocus on better-for-you options.
• Off-premises traffic will stay high in the year ahead, with operators try new options to supply the very best off-premises experience because of their customers, and offer it sustainably.
• CBD-infused snacks, beverages and desserts are continuing to cultivate in popularity.

After demand for comfort food surged through the height of the pandemic, individuals are refocusing on better-for-you options, with foods which are thought to have immunity-boosting qualities and plant-based sandwiches creating three of the very best 10 Trends for 2022. Plant-based proteins are growing ever more popular on menus and less costly cuts of protein, such as for example thighs rather than wings, will have a larger presence in the entire year ahead.

Sustainability will continue steadily to influence menus and how restaurants make decisions over the board. From reusable and recyclable packaging to zero-waste options, restaurants are continuing to prioritize sustainable initiatives. As consumers continue steadily to utilize off-premises options in every dayparts, restaurants want to translate their dine-in experience beyond your four walls of the restaurant with thoughtful packaging that maintains food quality, retains temperature, and is tamper-proof.

“And a go back to health-focused menu offerings and much more eco-friendly, improved off-premises packaging, which rated high in the very best trends, we’re expecting operators to check across their menus for transformative opportunities,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of Research for the Association. “Search for trends that fuse the original meal daypart items with other dayparts and a growing popularity of snacking and its own allied items. Also, with the popularity of cocktails-to-go through the pandemic, restaurants can look to expand both alcoholic and non-alcoholic craft beverage options.”

Menus can be more refined and streamlined entering the entire year ahead, while chefs anticipate alcohol-infused desserts, globally inspired items, and also upscale potato chips to get spots on the menu.

The What’s Hot survey was conducted in October 2021. A lot more than 350 professional chefs of the American Culinary Federation rated 109 foods and culinary concepts published by Association experts and Technomic’s Menu Research & Insights Division. To download the entire report, just click here.