NEW YORK – QSR Magazine “poured over 2016 forecasts from more than a dozen restaurant experts and research firms” to come up with trends that could have the greatest impact on the quick-serve and fast-casual industries throughout the coming year.
- Real food, which the news source says is a trend that made its way the most onto forecasts. By way of definition, real food refers to “clean eating, or food made with ingredients that are free of additives, antibiotics and other artificial components.”
- Chef-driven fast casuals that bring well-trained and “often fine-dining chefs” into the world of fast-casual dining, such as Chipotle, whose founder Steve Ellis is a Culinary Institute of America graduate.
- Micro cuisines, with menus featuring more “hyper regional items” beyond chicken and burgers.
- Mindful dining, a “macro trend” that encompasses a variety of trends such as sustainability, reducing food waste and the humane treatment of animals
- Vegetables as the star, a nod toward healthier and cleaner eating, as well as helping “fight off the higher costs of many meats.”
- Nontraditional destinations, such as food halls that “combine counter-service eateries along with retailers that sell fresh produce, meats, kitchen gear and more.”
- Stronger flavor profiles, as the industry follows up on bold flavors that “made their mark in 2015,” such as ghost peppers, Sriracha and Louisiana Hot Sauce.
- Digital advances that “continue to arrive fast and furious” and “consumers, especially the Millennials and their younger brethren, Generation Z.”
- Savory takes over, a transition that’s notably seen with breakfast fare, “where oatmeal can swap out maple syrup and brown sugar for Sriracha and a poached egg, to dessert, with frozen yogurts, ice creams and cakes replacing sweet ingredients with savory ones.”
Read the entire story at QSRMagazine.com.