Featuring Food on Your Menu

HOW TO: FOOD TRENDS HOW TO

Trending and in-demand flavors and food.

What’s on your menu? The selections may look different in the wake of COVID-19, as bars and restaurants work to revamp and simplify menus due to increased food safety protocols and reduced seating capacity. Still, customers want choices that reflect changing trends and sensibilities.

Flavor, Texture, and Color “Bar owners can and should consider food trends when building out their food and drink menus each year,” says Lisa Smith, senior marketing communications manager at Truly Good Foods. “A lot of consumer flavor trends can actually start in beverage before moving on to food.”

As exposure to international foods and exotic fruits increases, customers are excited to explore new tastes. Smith says, “When it comes to current trends, bar owners should think big flavor.

BY EMILY ECKART

Consumers are looking for unique fruit flavors like prickly pear and yuzu and hybrid flavors are an even bigger trend this year. Think calamansi, a hybrid of kumquat and mandarin orange. Consumers are more adventurous than ever and willing to try new flavors.”

Bar owners can explore this trend in both snacks and drinks.

Another trend that can work for both food and beverages, Smith says, is sweet heat. “As sugar continues to be looked upon as a negative, less sweet flavors with some added heat are keeping eaters and drinkers interested,” she says.

People like to try new things, and Smith expects to see more demand for surprising textures in 2020. “70% of consumers said texture gives food a more interesting experience. Although it’s a key element of how we experience food, it doesn’t get as much attention as some of our other senses. Playing up texture can make existing products more exciting and new products can highlight textures for a fun new experience. Bar owners could not only use textures in their food menu, but also for drinks. Consider interesting textures to rim your cocktails or as interesting garnishes to your drinks.”

Engage all of your customers’ senses by paying attention to color as well. Smith says, “For color trends this year, the palette is moving from warm to cool, with blues and greens spotlighted in dishes and packaged snacks. Colorful

Pro Tip

Many consumer flavor trends actually start in beverage before moving on to food. Consider food and drinks together to create a menu that satisfies and delights your customers.

Beer and spirits can add a depth of flavor to dishes.

ingredient options include blue algae, beets, matcha, and butterfly pea flower tea, which changes color from blue to purple when acidity is added.”

Beyond fun food trends, there is also a sobering reality: In light of the COVID19 outbreak, customers will likely be much more concerned about sanitation.

“The food industry’s top priority today and every day is food safety,” says Smith. “Food and beverage companies in the U.S. follow very stringent food safety best practices in their facilities. Although COVID-19 is not a foodborne illness, many food companies are still increasing the levels of sanitation and ordinary food safety testing beyond what is required by law or any regulatory guideline during this pandemic. CDC advice and guidance is prudent and advisable for all people, food company workers, and consumers alike.” say that by 2040, the global conventional meat supply will drop by more than 33%, with new vegan meat alternatives and cultured meat replacing classic meat products,” says Grossman.

Plant-Based Food As a social media analytics tool company, Talkwalker is up on some of the most important food trends, including one that’s already making big waves in 2020: plant-based foods.

“Plant-based meat is a hot topic on social. Over 311.4K mentions and 1.9 million engagements were generated in the last 13 months,” says Todd Grossman, CEO of Talkwalker’s Americas division.

Interest in plant-based products carries beyond social platforms. “Studies says Grossman.

This trend is driven by multiple factors. “Recent findings show that 76% of Americans consider plant-based foods as healthy and that wellness is now a lifestyle, as opposed to a trend,”

For many bargoers, beer and food go hand-in-hand.

Bars may also have to consider short term meat shortages or increased prices as supply chains are disrupted by COVID-19.

At the same time, Grossman says, “51% of Americans believe a meal is not complete without meat. Hence, plantbased meat replacements, which are sold as being less harmful to the environment, seem to have a great future in the United States.”

As plant-based foods become more mainstream, it’s important for bars to consider adding them to the menu to appeal to a wide range of customers.

“The food and beverage industry is intensely following the trend, and articles focusing on plant-based menu options are generating traction,” says Grossman. “Articles such as KFC starting Beyond Meat fried chicken got 34K shares and likes, and plant-based sausages, burgers, and eggs grossed 29.6K shares and likes. Burger King’s new Impossible Burger option generated 19.7K shares and likes.”

This trend is especially important for bars with younger customers. “Given the global trend within the industry in the U.S. and the revenue extrapolation, bars with a young, social media-savvy customer base should think about jumping on the bandwagon by offering a plant-based meat menu option,” says Grossman. “Talkwalker shows that 48.7% of people discussing plant-based meat options online are ages 25-34.”

Cooking With Beer Perhaps the most fitting way to create a bar’s food menu is to find inspiration in beverages themselves. D.G. Yuengling & Son has been around since 1829, but it’s kicking off 2020 with something new: a partnership with Chef and Restaurateur Kelsey Barnard Clark. This marks the brewery’s first collaboration with a chef.

Sheryl Yuengling, a sixth-generation member of the Yuengling family, says, “We understand that for many of our consumers, beer and food go hand-inhand. That’s why we make sure our beers are packed with flavor, but also easy to drink, so they can be enjoyed with a variety of dishes and during special occasions.”

Yuengling and Clark share a passion for the culinary arts. Clark achieved prominence as the winner of Top Chef Season 16. She studied at Culinary Institute of America and currently runs her own eatery, bakery, and catering service called KBC in Dothan, Alabama. Yuengling holds a degree from the Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts.

This year, the duo is celebrating their love of food and Yuengling by creating allnew beer-inspired recipes. Yuengling explains, “We wanted a fun way to help our fans make life’s most special occasions

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D.G. Yuengling & Son’s partnership with Chef and Restaurateur Kelsey Barnard Clark marks the brewery’s first collaboration with a chef.

more delicious by combining our love for beer with our love for cooking. We saw an opportunity to really enhance the drinking experience for our fans.”

Yuengling will feature new beerinfused recipes on its website throughout the year. Showcasing several of Yuengling’s iconic beers, including

Traditional Lager, Golden Pilsner, and Oktoberfest, these recipes create a solid basis for a delicious beer-inspired menu.

Yuengling says, “We’re excited to not only show how Yuengling beer pairs well with food, but also how it is a versatile and quality ingredient that can add a depth of flavor to any dish.”

So far, Clark has released recipes for Golden Pilsner beer cheese sliders, lager-braised chili, and a Golden Pilsner shrimp po boy. Yuengling’s recipe inventions include lager pork tenderloin and lager-marinated shrimp. “By adding one of these beers to each of the recipes, we’ve really kicked up the flavors in all the dishes,” says Yuengling.

Bar owners can make use of these and similar recipes to create food items that perfectly complement drinks on their menu. It’s also a great use for extra inventory that may be on hand from COVID-19 closures.

By considering food and drinks together, you’ll establish a menu that satisfies and delights your customers.