2017 Food Trends We’re Keeping Our Eyes On
Viral food trends like poké, rainbow-colored bagels, acai bowls, frosé, Thai rolled ice cream, and mega milkshakes dominated 2016. Restaurants around foodie towns such as New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles were some of the first to display what would catch on at stores around the rest of the world.
As a company that owns 7 unique restaurant concepts, it is Ciccio Restaurant Group’s goal to stay on top of these trends and anticipate what will be the “next big thing” in the food and beverage industry. While exploring the web, check out what we found for expected food trends of 2017:
- Meat-free Options
Restaurants all over are finding more ways to create delicious, meatless entrees to feed their guests. Although the concept of serving veggie burgers and vegetable “charcuterie” might have been strange in the past, it is almost expected now. Plant-based creams are also being used to substitute dairy in many menu favorites like mac-n-cheese and milkshakes.
- Fried Chicken
Ciccio Restaurant Group jumped on this trend a little early with their November opening of Better Byrd, a fried chicken and donuts concept. Places all over the U.S. are popping up and putting chicken on a pedestal. The bird is being served with everything from waffles to biscuits.
- Cauliflower
This vitamin-loaded vegetable is taking the place of rice, mashed potatoes, pizza crust, and even steak at many restaurants. Chefs are taking risks with how they prepare cauliflower in order to make it more desirable to foodies. “Cauliflower is moving to the center of the plate,” says Christine Keller, food trend mapper at the CCD Innovation culinary product development agency. Who knows… maybe it will even be the next kale?
- Cutting Back on Waste
Restaurants are starting to find value in their food scraps. According to the United Nations, one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption gets lost or wasted. Many restaurants have adopted the mission to end this issue. Chefs Gordon Ramsey and Dan Barber will be opening “a temporary eatery restaurant that will be converting food waste into small gourmet bites for just $18 a plate,” says Fox News.
Other trends include:
- Fast-casual restaurants
- The rise of butchers
- Middle Eastern cuisine
- Craft beer
What are your predictions for food trends this year? Let us know on social media what you think!
