MenuMine Trend

A year ago at this time, concern about obesity erupted, and foodservice was immediately targeted as a culprit. The foodservice industry is responding in a variety of ways.  McDonald’s has done away with super sizing… a clear effort to control portion sizes.  Chains, generally, have added even more salads and more chicken items.  And, just about everyone is giving patrons more low carb options.

The ultimate On-The-Go Food is an apple or a banana.  For these fruits packaging is superior, taste holds up well and there is no mess.  In practice, as we all know, the most prefer On-The-Go Foods are soda, potato chips, candy bars, coffee, ice cream and donuts.  On-The-Go Foods are defined as easily available, ready to eat, easy to eat (no utensils) and portable, to say nothing of good tasting.

Aboutfour of every ten meals eaten in restaurants are entrees, either Centerof the Plate or Prepared Entrees.  The distinguishing feature ofPrepared Entrees is the integration of all primary ingredients(protein, carbo and veggie) into a single entrée rather than an entréewith three components.  Another characteristic that identifiesPrepared Entrees is suitability to advance preparation or purchasing ina fully prepared state. 

If you’re like most in the foodservice business, you are already very familiar with Mexican cuisine.  Eleven percent (10.7%) of all items on chain menus are Mexican cuisine and this is up from 8.9% in 1997.  What about the rest of Latin America?   What about Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and others in the Caribbean?  What about Central and South America including Brazil, Argentina, Peru and others?  And yes, what about Spain and Portugal in another hemisphere?  Cuisine from these countries may all be classified as Latino cuisine.   

Asian cuisine presents boundless opportunities for bold and exotic menu development.  Asian cuisine includes Chinese and Japanese and increasingly Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and Malaysian.  Based on MenuMine research of over 500 chain and independent menus, Asian cuisine presents unique opportunities. 

Foodservice operators are concerned about meeting the increasing consumer demand for healthy and nutritious food.  Some chains are responding by adding high protein/ low carb profile items, some are reducing high carb/high fat items, others are finding success with salads.  Before stampeding in one direction or another it may be wise for operators and chains to examine whats already on their menus, it may be best to reformulate or re-position or rename some current items and forego the expense and time of development.

Italian cuisine is perhaps America’s oldest ethnic cuisine.  It is certainly the most entrenched and easily understood.  No other ethnic cuisine, including Mexican, has the spectrum of sauces, seasonings and flavor systems as has Italian. 

Appetizers---Mini Menu Test Market:  The appetizer part of the menu can be a low risk way to experiment for both Operators and Patrons.  As a “Test Kitchen”, so to speak, the appetizer menu part allows for experimentation with new cuisines and presentations.  Appetizers also present a venue to try out healthy options or sample a new deep fried creation.  They are perfect for sharing with the table and are often the first step for diners too timid to experiment on their own.  Operators can use appetizers to test interest in proteins, cuisines, cooking methods...virtually every component of a menu item.

More chains are now serving barbecue than ever before.  In 2003, over half (53%) of all chains served barbecue items, up from 46% in 1997.  And among those chains serving, a greater number of barbecue items are menued. Currently, there are 3.8 BBQ items on the menu of the average chain versus 3.1 items six years ago, for a gain of 23%.  Casual chains have an average of 4.7 BBQ items on the menu, up 34% versus six years ago.

 

Caribbean is emerging on restaurant menus as a food that appeals to a broad spectrum of tastes and textures.  As an ethnic crossroads, island cuisine was built on the foods of indigenous Carib and Arawak peoples.  And then it was influenced by slaves from Africa and the East Indies and by colonizers from France, Spain, the British Isles, Denmark and the Netherlands.  Each wave bought with them their own foods including the palm coconut, varieties of pepper, rice, curry, mangos, pineapple, peanuts, limes, even yogurt.