ARTICLES

The plant-based-food movement is gaining momentum as more and more people are choosing meatless and dairy-free options both at home and when dining in restaurants. In fact, results from the National Restaurant Association’s 2022 What’s Hot Chef ’s Survey in Culinary Trends indicated that plant-based foods are one of the top five restaurant food trends for the year.

Stock is defined as a cooking liquid that is flavored by simmering animal bones and/or meat, fish, in water or wine with vegetables typically comprised of onion, celery, and carrots (also known as mirepoix) and sometimes other vegetables (or vegetables alone) until a desired flavor is achieved. The classic stock flavorings are beef, chicken, fish, and vegetable/mushroom/miso, and each type finds itself at various stages of use on today’s menus.

Plant-based is here to stay. In fact, it likely will be even more of a wave in the future, due to the growing desire among consumers to cut down on, or completely eliminate meat consumption for health and/or out of concern for the environment.

With so much happening in the hospitality/food industry many restaurants of all sizes are shuttering their doors and hoping to weather this storm. From a financial perspective this makes sense but what might be the bigger opportunity is to convert your store into offering a walkup window, curbside pick up or a online ordering system. All of these ways can convert more transactions for the immediate and long term of your business.

Every time I go on a food trend tour I want to make sure that we capture not just images and video but also the 5 most important considerations so that when we present the final draft there is no doubt the goal has been met. I realize that the 5 W’s are not a mystery and you certainly have heard of them before, but when you are doing a food trend tour they take on a different meaning as it pertains to the goals of your tour.

Tracking the trends is a smart way of entering the market and influencing the nuances of a product, especially with food. When considering how to create something special with your innovation process it is incredibly important to understand both the Macro-trends and the trends in general.

Food trend tours have become popular as a the sole intent of vacationing…surprisingly 13% of people have claimed they would get on a plane or plan a vacation around a “must try” dish. According to eInsights.com food trend tours saw a 57% increase on their global bookings.

For some, your job is a chore although you may be very good at it. However, for me, I have tried to quit culinary and couldn’t. Culinary is my Prozac, without this creative outlet I get down. It’s not because I am the best chef to walk the earth or that I know it all when it comes to creating innovative new food ideas. It’s because I have this passion thing that can’t be explained so easily.

All too often we walk out of an introduction meeting with a potential new customer and find it amazing that this company has been creating quality food products for nearly a century, yet they have no clue as to what makes them special or how to share this.

Free Advertising: This all depends on how tech-savvy you are but with all the advancements with apps for your phone or drop & drag platforms you can create ads that go viral right on your phone. As of now, all social media platforms are free. There is no charge to open an account on Instagram or Facebook. All you have to do is post the picture, plus let your guests help you out and they pay you to do it.