Adding Fresh Fruit to Menus

From juices to bowls to smoothies, fresh fruit is appearing on more menus.

June 20, 2018

NEW YORK CITY – With health and wellness still top of mind for most Americans, quick-service restaurants are putting fresh fruit into a variety of menu items, QSR Magazine reports. From juice to smoothies to bowls, fresh fruit has become a star on limited-service menus and restaurants.

Juice concepts such as Jamba Juice and Juice It Up! have been around since the 1990s, but the juice craze really took off a few years ago. Juice brands differentiate themselves with cold-pressing techniques, fresh squeezed beverages and advertising a host of other nutrition-rich additives.

Smoothies too have become their own restaurant concept, with chains such as Smoothie King and Tropical Smoothie Café popping up all over the United States. Tropical Smoothie has more than 20 fresh vegetable and fruits on its menu, with such diverse produce as beets and cactus to supplement the usual strawberries and blueberries.

Fruit bowls are a relatively new concept, with Playa Bowls and other chains offering açai or pitaya bowls, alongside banana, frozen coconut and chia pudding creations. Playa Bowls often marry strawberries and mango with more exotic fruits such as pitaya. “The combination of traditional and nontraditional fruits is a refreshing, healthier alternative to more familiar meal choices,” said Gary Moss, vice president of business development and operations.

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