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National Restaurant Association and CIA Identify Top Culinary Trends for 2018

The National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot 2018 Culinary Forecast features an emphasis on vegetable-forward and authentic cuisines. As part of the annual survey, done in conjunction with the American Culinary Federation, chefs predict food and beverage trends they anticipate seeing at restaurants in the coming year.

Here are the top food trends identified by chefs for 2018:

  • House-made condiments
  • Street food-inspired dishes
  • Ethnic-inspired breakfast items
  • Sustainable seafood

Here are the top concept trends identified by the chefs for 2018:

  • Hyper-local
  • Chef-driven fast casual concepts
  • Natural ingredients/clean menus
  • Food waste reduction
  • Vegetable-forward cuisine 

“Local, vegetable-forward, and ethnic-inspired menu items will reign supreme in 2018. Guests are implementing these trends into their own lifestyles and want to see them reflected on restaurant menus. In response, chefs are creating more items in-house and turning to global flavors,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research at the National Restaurant Association.