I enjoyed eating so much yesterday that I thought I’d do it again
today. Regardless of the economy, people need to eat. The past few years have
been good for food entrepreneurs, as more people look to refocus on the smaller
luxuries in life like food. In fact, the past few years have been a renaissance
for food entrepreneurship with many hot trends growing. Get a leg up on the
competition by looking at ten hot food trends for 2013.
The Food Truck: For the past few years now, the food truck has been the hot trend
in the food industry. What was once considered the sketchiest location to get
food has turned into a full-blown phenomenon. Everything from vegan food to cupcakes
and Belgian waffles is now sold from trendy food trucks. The food truck trend
is going to continue in 2013 and it’s going to spread. What was once limited to
major cities, will truly be everywhere.
“Artisanal”… Everything: Another trend that isn’t new but is still growing is artisanal
food of all kinds. Bonus points for artisanal food trucks! The trend has truly
reached the mainstream when you have fast food restaurants touting their
artisanal bona fides with places like Jack in the Box advertising their
“artisanal” bread. What once referred to handcrafted with high quality
ingredients is now a catch-all term for “not our usual stuff.”
Ice Cream: Continuing with our one degree of separation theme – artisanal ice
cream anyone? – we’ve got the world’s favorite dessert. With something as
popular as ice cream, it is understandable to wonder how it ends up on a hot
trends list. The ice cream everything trend is in full swing with ice cream
flavors ranging from bacon to bee pollen. Expect to see more outrageous
flavors, more strange uses of ice cream, and more crazy concoctions!
Health Conscious Dining: You are what you eat and people have decided they don’t want to be
high fructose corn syrup with partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Five years
ago, you probably did not even know what gluten free meant, but today people
want healthy choices. These days, diners are looking for healthy options and
restaurants are catering to people looking for gluten free, nut free, whole
grain, vegan, raw, tofu, whatever. Expect this to continue. You could even see
vegan, raw ice cream, which happens to be delicious!
There’s an App(etizer) for That: The hits keep coming! Small portions for sharing are all the rage
these days whether they’re called tapas, appetizers, small plates, snack size,
or whatever other trendy name is being used. Small plate popularity will
continue to grow thanks to cost-conscious diners wanting to enjoy dining out
but avoid spending a fortune and health-conscious diners who want portion
control. Last but not least, you have the artisanal, family-style dining where
everyone can enjoy a little bit of everything. Chefs also love this trend
because it allows them to flex their culinary muscle and experiment without
committing to a full-plate meal.
Breakfast before Bed: All day breakfast isn’t just something you’re going to get at IHOP
anymore. Consumers demand choices, and one choice that they are demanding in
ever higher quantities is breakfast when they want it. The customer is always
right, and restaurants are more than happy to offer breakfast all day,
especially since breakfast food ingredients are generally cheaper than lunch
and dinner ingredients. Let there be bacon and eggs… all day!
A Potato Famine It Is Not: The government may be driving the potato off school lunch menus
everywhere but that doesn’t mean that the potato is going to take it lying down
on the couch! The peasant staple of yore has fired its PR firm, hopped the organic band wagon, and reclaimed the title of world’s favorite “vegetable.” Yes,
the potato is back in vogue, and it’s dressing itself up. Watch out for
heirloom potatoes, princely preparations, and new takes on old favorites.
French fries aren’t just fries anymore. Now you can choose your potato, cut,
crispiness, dusting, and dipping sauce for a made-to-measure side all your own.
If you consider plain potatoes positively pedestrian, then maybe sweet potatoes
are more your speed with sweet potato fries and potato transplant dishes
gaining popularity.
Juice; It’s Not Just for Kids: Juice bars, artisanal juices, health juices, juice seems to be the
next big thing in beverages. Years ago, you could only find brands like Odwalla
in California or New York, but the juice market has been booming. Juice bars
are popping up faster than coffee shops, and for Starbucks founder Howard
Schultz, Jamba Juice isn’t enough. He recently bought the company Evolution
Fresh which is a high-end juice maker, with plans to open ultra-premium juice
bars around the country. If there’s room for more juice in Schultz’s mind, you
can bet that juice isn’t facing the squeeze just yet.
Mediterranean Meditation: We’re this for down the list, so I’m running out of wit. You know
that a food has hit the big time when you see it at a Super Bowl party, and
hummus has made an appearance! The Mediterranean is shifting East, and diners
are becoming more adventurous with Greek, Spanish, Lebanese, and Middle Eastern
gaining popularity. The increasing popularity of healthy foods and ethnic foods
has made main-stream interest in Mediterranean a growing trend and one that
will continue in 2012.
Old Favorites… with a Twist: And… the tank is empty! While diners are getting more adventurous
with what they’re eating, the attraction to the familiar favorites is sure to
grow. With all the turmoil in the world, people will return to the old
favorites. New tastes are good, but old familiar flavors are better. See more
combinations of the two whether it is mac and cheese with gouda, crazy pizza
toppings, or new twists on burgers among others.
Strong Demand for Restaurant Jobs: with food media reaching new highs more and more chefs are rising to star status and a wave of hot new restaurants is upon us. This rapid growth has sparked a demand for restaurant jobs, culinary jobs and food industry jobs not only in the United States but world-wide.
