Curiosity Shapes Foodservice Trends
Today’s consumers are curious and crave community and comfort, which present unique opportunities for specialty food and beverage makers to succeed in foodservice and beyond, according to Nancy Kruse, founder of The Kruse Company.
She presented the session “State of the Plate 2024: Outlook and Opportunity for Specialty Foods,” and shared examples of trending foods, flavors, and products that facilitate engagement with today’s diners at the Summer Fancy Food Show, Sunday.
Kruse highlighted a dramatic shift in what diners value when dining out. In 2020, pre-pandemic diners looked for the following, according to research from the National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot Survey:
- Eco-friendly packaging
- Plant-based proteins
- Delivery friendly items
- Healthy bowls
- Scratch-made items
The same survey, taken in 2024, found the list had changed.
- World soups, stews
- Global chicken wings
- International BBQ
- Incorporating social media trends
- Grilled/cooked cheese
Consumers are shifting towards contemporary comfort as evidenced by the soups and cheese, the desire to make food experiences analog, tactile, and sharable, and the desire for consumers to feed their curiosity and experience the global kitchen.
“Restaurants are the key points of entry for global flavors for the mass market. We’re typically introduced to them away from home, not in our mom and dad’s kitchen,” said Kruse. Menu insights firm Technomic backed up this desire for worldly flavors, finding that, in a survey of 1,350 consumers, 41 percent said they were looking for something different and 37 percent agreed that they desire new flavor discovery when they dine out.
When it comes to community, Kruse noted that consumers crave food experiences that allow people to unplug. In particular, younger demographics are looking for a physical connection.
“The golden age of board games might be here to stay,” said Kruse, emphasizing that activities and experiences devoid of technology provide opportunities for specialty food businesses to offer products that bring people together.
“There is something primal about the notion of breaking break together,” she said. Additionally, Kruse noted that the pickleball phenomenon of 2023 showed how well food can complement sports and other community activities. She emphasized instances where pickleball courts would offer unique food and drink experiences that can be easily shared, and which celebrate special moments with others, like pickleball operator Smash Park’s sharable Moscow mules, Sheet Ton of Nachos, and sharable Tacos Al Pastor.
Additionally, consumers seek out food experiences that allow them to treat themselves, offering small escapes from daily life, said Kruse. Specialty food brands, many of which offer a premium experience, can complement foodservice menus with their specialty product, following in the footsteps of truffle hot sauce brand Truff or Mike’s Hot Honey.
This trend is the reason why Technomic found that, compared to 2022, menu mentions of caviar increased by 56 percent, white truffles jumped 44 percent, and wagyu beef rose 19 percent in 2023.
For specialty makers, there are plenty of opportunities to address consumers’ fear of missing out and you only live once mentalities, with premium finishes, said Kruse.