By Cathy Nash Holley
January 14, 2022

Menu-trend research comes from a manner of sources, but this year’s collection of Top 10 Trends signals a shift, whereby younger consumers are indeed in the driver’s seat when it comes to food and beverage trend inspirations.

It takes a village to deliver our annual Top 10 Trends issue. A special thank you to all the contributors who have lent their time and expertise here. And extra thanks goes to the mayor of our Flavor Village, Managing Editor Katie Ayoub, who can seemingly operate without sleep yet remain cheerful and passionate about all aspects of this industry. Her knowledge and dedication radiate through these stories. It’s no surprise that the past two years have expedited a greater reliance on technology, from both the front- and back-of-house operations, but also from the consumer-experience perspective. No matter how reluctant certain demographics may be to wade deeper into the digital world, as consumers, our relationship with restaurants has become inextricably linked to a digital experience. From mobile ordering to QR codes to digital menus to a cursory online check into hours and seating availability, technology will continue to assert big influence here.

While technology has become a salient solution for both operators and consumers, it’s now becoming more of a viable source for menu inspirations and innovations. As menu developers know, trends typically trickle in from cutting-edge independents or food-hall stalls, but the pandemic clearly altered this course.

Our research for this issue has proven that social media has advanced to a point that restaurant trends are becoming inspired by consumer behavior. This is the reverse of just a couple years ago, when users allied with restaurants for their personal brand-building efforts. Now, TikTok and Instagram are indeed driving trends. Several of the trends covered in this issue trace back to social media users’ clever skills and outsized influences.

Looking back to 2007, one of the outcomes of the economic downturn was a newfound “democratization of flavor,” a time in which chefs offered more accessible and affordable menus for a much broader base of consumers. In comparison, we might say that these past two years have yielded a “democratization of innovation,” whereby social media formats have enabled younger, savvy consumers to showcase, and get credit for, their keen awareness of and passion for food and beverage trends.

Other key takeaways thread through this year’s trends, informed by the constraints and complexities of today’s environment. For one, subtle flavor shifts are becoming a driver of menu innovation today, and a logical one at that, given the instability of the supply chain and labor resources. Here is where both humble and high-impact ingredients can shape-shift into menu workhorses with culinary skill and nuance. In hand with this comes an overall simplicity of menu concepts and accessibility of ingredients, with trend-forward menu items conveying a refined straightforwardness with readily available products, anchored in familiarity but furthered along by culinary ingenuity.

We hope that these trends and the insights gleaned from them will help chart a clear course for a successful year ahead.