In recent years, the dining experience has become nearly as important as the food, with some consumers even prioritizing it over taste. After all, “experience” can encompass everything from the restaurant space and atmosphere to the novelty of the menu to the interactive nature of the meal itself.

Menu offerings that check multiple boxes are especially attractive to modern guests, as evidenced by the growing popularity of items like hot pot and Korean barbecue. These hearty entrées are staples in their countries of origins but are just now beginning to inch onto the U.S. dining scene. Other global concepts, such as paella, shawarma and churrasco, aren’t newcomers per se, but their potential as an experiential offering has yet to be fully explored.

The flavor profiles and presentations may vary, but these dishes share a meat-centric core, an interactive/novel dining element and a communal format. Each comes with both a rich history and an opportunity for menu developers to dig deeper.

About the Author

Nicole Duncan is the digital managing editor of Flavor & the Menu. She's reported on the restaurant industry for a decade, most recently as the editor of FSR magazine. In 2021, she won a Folio award for her feature on restaurant tycoon Tilman Ferttita. The following year, FSR was awarded Best Overall Issue for its May 2022 issue featuring Andrew Zimmern. She has profiled well-known chefs including Paola Velez, Fabio Viviani and Daniel Boulud, but also relishes the opportunity to spotlight under-the-radar trends and innovators.