Restaurant Food Trends

Food service research and consulting firm,Technomic, has released a report identifying restaurant food trends for 2014 based on visiting restaurants in cities across the nation, backing it up using data from its extensive MenuMonitor database. What is the number one emerging food trend surfacing in restaurants across the U.S.? They say it’s that consumers want to know that what they are eating is real. We want the details - what are the ingredients, where did the food come from, and how was it prepared. Technomic also says that carbs are coming back in the forms of flatbreads, artisan breads, rice bowls, and pastas made with unusual ingredients. It comes as no surprise that chicken will again be high on the list for 2014, due largely in part to the rising commodity costs for beef, but pork seems to be quickly creeping into the number one spot for protein as a penchant for ethnic fare and barbecue has become more prevalent. And don’t forget the beverages, which Technomic says are becoming more revolutionized by the minute - with barrel-stored cold-brewed coffee sent through repurposed beer taps, keg-wine bar concepts, and RFID-card-controlled self-serve beer-tap walls at high-tech pubs.