It’s been about a decade since avocado toast first ascended to near celebrity status as both an easy meal at home, as well as an intriguing offering at restaurants. No longer a novelty, avocado toast has become a common menu item at concepts ranging from breakfast/brunch spots and diners to delis and cafés. But as with most astronomical rises, an eventual downfall is all but guaranteed. Although still beloved by many, avocado toast has taken a few hits, with some consumers pegging it as overhyped, overpriced or just plain underwhelming. It all begs the question: Has avocado toast run its culinary course?

Brianna Keefe, founder and CEO of D.C.-based Toastique, doesn’t believe avocado toast has fallen into obsolescence; in fact,  she views it as the tip of the toast iceberg. “​​In the U.S., the toast you typically think about is just a small side of toast with maybe a little slab of peanut butter or avocado or something very simple,” she says. “Maybe the word ‘toast’ is trending now, but open-faced sandwiches and tartines have been around forever, especially overseas. So I think it’s more of a lifestyle, not just a trendy thing.”

Brianna Keefe

The Avocado Smash Toast was the first menu item Keefe created when conceptualizing the brand. Anything but basic, the build is a visual stunner and flavorful medley of ingredients served atop multigrain bread. “We’ve gotten feedback so many times that it’s the best avocado toast customers have had,” she says. “We marinate tomatoes—which are my personal favorite item on the whole menu—and we use watermelon radishes instead of regular radishes. We make our own chile oil. It’s not like any other avocado smash.”

The permanent menu of eight gourmet toasts includes other foundational classics. “We wanted to hit the ones we knew would be popular, like smoked salmon and tomato burrata. And I love peanut butter, so we needed peanut butter toast,” she says. The PB Crunch, which Keefe describes as a “glorified peanut butter and jelly” features housemade components, including peanut butter, berry jam and granola, as well as fresh strawberries, blueberries and banana plus a little mint leaf for a color pop and added freshness.

From a visual standpoint, toast has a leg-up on competitor categories. “With sandwiches, you cover everything up; with wraps, you wrap everything up,” she says. “I think an opportunity with open-faced sandwiches and toast is that you can make it so beautiful. Customers can really see the colors and the ingredients that they’re about to eat.” Indeed, a spectrum of reds and pinks, yellows and oranges, greens and blues signal freshness even before the first bite. For the first two years, Keefe managed the brand’s Instagram, which she says was relatively easy because so many guests posted beautiful photos that she could later repost/share.

Photo Credit: Toastique

Toastique guests gravitate toward lean proteins that are satiating but not heavy, as evidenced by the success of the Chili Shrimp Toast, a limited-time offer featuring chili shrimp salad, ricotta, burrata and arugula.

Keefe says the pandemic played a role in nudging consumers toward healthier options as offered by brands like Toastique. But its appeal has outlasted any COVID-era eating habits; last month, Toastique opened its 30th location, a mere six years after the brand debuted. While a number of factors play into this success (a franchise program, for one), its menu development strategy is a clear differentiator. Toastique seeks to move toast from its sidekick status to the center of the plate through heartier builds featuring lean proteins and healthy sources of fat, like prosciutto, lump crab, burrata and, yes, avocado.

“One request we get a lot is to have more protein,” Keefe says. It’s easier said than done since cooking equipment isn’t part of Toastique’s back of house. “So we need to get creative with it.” And get creative, they do. In July, the brand offered a special Summer BBQ Pork Toast, which it cooked sous vide. This menu innovation demonstrated the opportunity to apply alternative cooking methods, while also revealing new flavor layers to customers. “It was delicious, but surprisingly, it wasn’t as popular. And I think that’s because it was a little richer. Our clientele tends to prefer menu items on the lighter side, like lean proteins,” Keefe says, citing the popularity of ingredients like shrimp and turkey. To wit, another limited-time offer, the Chili Shrimp Toast (chili shrimp salad, ricotta, burrata and arugula, served on toasted rustico and topped with Calabrian pepper vinaigrette and microgreens) was a huge hit when it graced Toastique menus in May.

Photo Credit: Toastique

This month’s special, Sweet Potato Hash Toast, leans into autumnal flavors and ingredients, with the hash featuring sweet potatoes, sweet onion, bell peppers, garlic and onion. Guests can add lump crab meat for a protein boost.

These specials are part of the Toast of the Month series, which bolsters the brand’s core eight toast offerings. The LTOs serve the dual purpose of keeping customers engaged through fresh items and honing Toastique’s broader menu development. As Keefe explains, the Summer BBQ Pork Toast and the Chili Shrimp Toast both offered valuable insights into guests’ protein preferences. As a result, future items will steer clear of heavier meats like barbecue while exploring more seafood options.

Seasonality often comes into play with the rotating specials. In April, the Cherry Blossom Toast (turkey, Brie cheese, Bibb lettuce, bing cherry compote and cherry blossom aïoli) was a nice nod to the brand’s D.C. homebase, which celebrates its annual Cherry Blossom Festival. In October, Toastique taps into autumn vibes in its Sweet Potato Hash Toast: avocado smash and sweet potato hash made with sweet onion, red and green bell peppers, tomato and garlic, with a generous drizzle of cilantro-lime cream and the option to add lump crab for a more filling dish.

The November toast will feature turkey and take its inspiration from Thanksgiving before closing the year with a slight twist. “In December, we always make a sweet toast—all the other months are savory. Last year, we did a Cinnamon Toast Krunch, which was one of our more popular ones. It was perfect for Christmastime, when people typically indulge a little bit more,” Keefe says. While indulgent, the special still kept fresh ingredients front and center, with almond butter, housemade Krispy Cinnamon Krunch cereal, mixed berries, a dollop of coconut whip and fresh mint.

Photo Credit: Toastique

In December, Toastique breaks from its savory Toast of the Month streak to showcase a sweet special, such as last year’s Cinnamon Toast Krunch Toast, featuring crunchy, housemade cereal, almond butter, berries and coconut whip.

Because the menu is made fresh to order, guests can customize their meal, although it’s not positioned as a build-your-own operation. Rather, dishes can be tweaked to add or remove ingredients or even swap the base—Toastique offers gluten-free bread and even a bed of lettuce for those avoiding grains altogether. Whether customers are making changes due to dietary restrictions or flavor preferences, staff are trained to guide them through the process with recommendations.

Avocado toast may have opened the door to greater menu innovation with toast as a carrier, but it is hardly the end all be all. Even at Toastique, where the Avocado Smash remains the top seller, it is the only permanent toast menu item to feature avocado. In this way, the brand serves as a microcosm for the larger trend and the potential of toast as a viable category for continued flavor mining.

“I think avocado toast started the craze and really sparked everyone’s interest in toast. It’s been around for a while, but it’s definitely blown up in recent years as people realize you can create really beautiful and filling meals on toast—it’s not just avocado toast,” Keefe says. The Toast of the Month series further drives this point home, with the brand demonstrating the seemingly infinite menu possibilities. “We like to keep it exciting and keep people guessing what’s next.”