How America Will Eat in 2023

These 10 predictions for restaurants and food this year are out of this world.

January 06, 2023

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—New York Times food culture reporter Kim Severson waded through dozens of interviews and reports to come up with 10 predictions on how America will eat in 2023. Some predictions seem grim, amid a changing economy and challenging socioeconomic times.

“We’re fatigued,” Jennifer Zegler, a director of food and drink for the global market research group Mintel, told the Times. “Simplicity, versatility, escapism and resourcefulness are what our trends boil down to this year.”

However, there is still fun and positivity to be had this year, including high-end Jell-O shots and bright, naturally-colored fare and packaging. Food and drinks that evoke a healthier feeling are on trend as well.

“People want something fun, and they want newness and they want natural,” Claire Lancaster, who forecasts food and drink trends for WGSN, told the Times.

Here are 10 trends to keep an eye on.

Flavor of the year: Brine. Don’t make a face yet. Fresh marine flavors have inspired a craze for coastal cocktails garnished with crab claws and oysters, while sea vegetable and creatures like kelp and uni are on trend. And Severson reports that actor and host of “The Big Brunch” Dan Levy is making Clamato cool.

Word of the year: Regenivore. Because, apparently, calling yourself a climatarian is so 2022. A regenivore goes beyond eating sustainably. Younger generations are seeking out food from companies that are actively healing the planet through carbon-reducing agriculture, more rigorous animal welfare policies and equitable treatment of the people who grow and process food.

This means that packaging will go through big changes to reduce waste, and chefs will be using more “climate hero ingredients” like teff, fava and lupin beans. Also, consumers are going to want food and drinks that improve their health and the planet’s.

Snack of the year: Chicken skins. This food item is riding the wave of a fried chicken craze, including revitalized chicken wars. Plus, chicken prices skyrocketed this year, so cooks are looking for ways to use more of the bird. Look for skins as a base for nachos and sauced and spiced as appetizers. Also, customers love the crunch. Frito-Lay found that more than 70% of consumers want a crunch in their snack.

“People love the crunch,” Denise Lefebvre, senior vice president of R&D for PepsiCo Foods, told the Times. “Anything that amplifies the senses is big now.”

Japan-Adjacency: Japanese cuisine is in right now. “Chefs throughout the world, many of Japanese descent, are fusing Japanese ingredients or culinary techniques with foods they love from their surroundings,” according to AF&Co and Carbonate.

The thrill of thrift: Inflation has caused many consumers to seek out lower-priced foods, whether that’s by trading down from full-serve restaurants to fast-food or choosing private labels at the supermarket. Social media is filled with tips on how to save in the kitchen, as well as restaurant menu hacks to get cheaper items.

“Expect a stronger focus on durability, flexibility and timelessness as consumers seek to buy less and own products that last longer and serve multiple purposes,” Simon Moriarty, director of Mintel Trends, writes in his report on the coming year.

Tuber of the year: Ube. If you’re not aware, a ube is a slightly nutty-tasting, vanilla-scented purple yam from the Philippines, and it’s showing up in food everywhere—pies, waffles, lattes and even ube coladas. The Times reports that this tuber is on trend with a consumer interest in bright, natural colors like dragon fruit, lychee and purple Peruvian corn. Also on trend are floral flavors like vetiver and ylang-ylang, added the Times.

One giant step for brandkind: A renewed interest in space travel will influence how Americans eat and drink this year, according to Severson. There are Moonshot crackers on the market, and Coca-Cola has a limited-release Coke called Starlight, which is “space flavored.” Also, Top Chef contestants cooked for astronauts last year.

“The undiscovered novelty of outer space will have a particularly unsullied charm for Gen Z, who are disillusioned with the world as it is,” Zegler of Mintel told the Times. “But brands should also consider the inspirational role space will have in Gen Alpha’s lives.”

Experiential eating: Experiential retail has already made it’s way into the industry, and it looks like Americans are also expecting an experience when dining out. Look for dining-room trolleys, elaborate ice sculptures, flaming desserts like baked Alaska and cocktails finished tableside with a puff of smoke or a change of color, reports the Times.

“There’s a quest for interaction,” Andrew Freeman, a hospitality public-relations veteran in San Francisco, told the Times. “People are willing to spend, but they are going to be looking for the value proposition of the experience. Engagement is the catchword.”

Deeper into West African cuisine: Nigerian cuisine will be the next hot food culture, as chefs and diners who are unfamiliar with West African cooking start to understand it from a regional perspective, writes Severson, in the way a general interest in Italian cooking eventually led to an appreciation for the cuisine of Tuscany or Sicily.

Vibe of the year: community. Communal eating was no longer preferred during the pandemic, but a change is coming.

“If you look at what our lives were like for a couple of years, we didn’t share because sharing was considered dangerous,” Lefebvre of PepsiCo Foods told the Times. “Now the sense of community has never been stronger.”

Restaurants are starting to share more information about the people behind the food on the menu, which not only includes the story of where the food comes from, but also who made the food, including the staff.

Other trends: In beverages, yaupon tea from the American holly tree is on trend lists for 2023, as well as coffee drinks made with fruit purée and milk or roasted in a style called white coffee. Avocados are appearing in cocktails and desserts and will be the preferred cooking oil. In the alcohol segment, look for a Mexican spirit called sotol and a retro interest in Galliano liqueur.

The Times predicts that casual restaurants will start to experiment with monthly subscriptions, and higher-end restaurants will serve aged fish. Also, fermentation is still on trend, and so are “no ingredient” ingredients, such as no-bee honey and no-cacao chocolate.

NACS Magazine asked c-store foodservice pros to share their predictions about what lies ahead for foodservice operations in 2023 (Think: value, simplicity, local, LTOs, coffee) in the January issue.

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