FLAVORS to WATCH Stay on Trend with Global Fast Casual Fare Flavors Sweeping Fast Casual Restaurants Global Influences Intrigue Local Customers
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FLAVORS TO WATCH Stay on Trend with Global Fast Casual Fare Flavors Sweeping Fast Casual Restaurants Global influences intrigue local customers. Fueled by younger consumers, on-trend cuisines are increasingly more global.1 For these ethnic cuisines, staying power expands far beyond ethnic Fast Casual restaurants. The opportunity is there for Fast Casual restaurants to innovate with diverse ingredients incorporated into familiar dishes. Spicy, fermented, sweet – the list of flavors customers seek expands daily. Yet Fast Casual operators might be hesitant to incorporate new ingredients because of cost control, food waste, or a number of other menu-shrinking drivers.2 By balancing ingredients customers actively request with ingredients that have a high interest rating but are on less than 10% of restaurant menus, operators can spark interest and convince customers to take a bite. Plus, consumers are looking for new foods and beverages and, most of the time, restaurants are the establishments where diners first encounter new ingredients.3 51% of customers discover on-trend menu items at restaurants and 75% of those customers actually tried the on-trend item. 3 Read on to learn more about how global ingredients and flavors are valuable to Fast Casual operators looking to shake up their menus. Explore global flavors from spices to main dishes to beverages. 1 Datassential, CPP – Generations, 2015 2 Datassential, Pulse – Changing Menu Sizes, December 2016 3 Datassential, CPP – Flavor Dynamics, 2015 NESTLEPROFESSIONAL.COM • 1-800-288-8682 • 2 CHAPTER 1 SPICES, SAUCES & CONDIMENTS CHAPTER 1: SPICES, SAUCES & CONDIMENTS Boost Dishes with a Dash of Spice Spices, sauces, and condiments boost flavor profiles. A simple way to boost flavor, provide texture, or balance color on a given dish is to add spices, sauces, and even condiments to elevate a menu item. Customers consider a Japanese sauce like ponzu to be more unique than marinara or salted caramel. And diners believe truffle oil is more interesting than tzatziki sauce or rosemary. As ingredients move along the Menu Adoption Cycle, perceived star power diminishes.1 THE MENU ADOPTION CYCLE INCEPTION ADOPTION PROLIFERATION UBIQUITY6 On-trend ingredients Lower price points and a Mainstream All sectors use begin at inception better understanding of how appeal the ingredient to use the ingredients Ethnic Independents Fast Casual Restaurants Lodging Convenience Stores Fine Dining Restaurants Gastropubs Casual Chains Corporate Cafeterias Chef Casuals Colleges Family Restaurants Food Trucks Quick Service Restaurants Healthcare Upper Casual Grocery Deli K-12 Schools Casual Independents 1 Datassential, CPP – Flavor Dynamics, 2015 2 Datassential, MAC White Paper, November 2016 NESTLEPROFESSIONAL.COM • 1-800-288-8682 • 4 CHAPTER 1: SPICES, SAUCES & CONDIMENTS FAST CASUAL MENUS WITH MIGHTY FLAVOR Spices, sauces, and condiments can enhance dishes by bringing out different flavor profiles of vegetables, meats, fruits, and other ingredients. FERMENTED WARM SWEET Miso3 Cinnamon2 Ganache4 Fermented soybean paste used in Made from the inner bark of A simple cream and chocolate Asian cuisines. 25% of consumers trees, cinnamon has been used for mixture, ganache is a versatile sauce. have tried miso. thousands of years. It can be found Since chocolate is consumers’ favorite in global spice mixes such as garam flavor for almost all types of desserts, masala, jerk spice, and ganache has the potential to be Chinese five spice. a best seller. SPICY TANGY FATTY Gochujang1 Mignonette5 Coconut Oil5 A Korean condiment that contains A light sauce served with seafood, This oil is used to add a lavish red chili, rice, soybeans, and salt. typically traced back to French component to Asian dishes and Gochujang has grown on menus by cuisine. Although it’s only on 2% of beyond. Fat is now back on trend, over 1,700% in the last 4 years. restaurant menus, 32% of consumers adding richness to foods and even are interested in trying it. beverages. 1 Datassential, MenuTrends Penetration – Gochujang, 2016 2 Datassential, On the Menu, December 2015 3 Datassential, On the Menu, October 2015 4 Datassential, On the Menu, October 2016 5 Datassential, On the Menu, December 2016 NESTLEPROFESSIONAL.COM • 1-800-288-8682 • 5 CHAPTER 1: SPICES, SAUCES & CONDIMENTS Keeping a variety of items and fear of alienating customers by removing their favorites has led about 35% of operators to increase the number of items on their menus.1 When operators add a new dish, they might be afraid that it will fail. Luckily, there are some ingredients that customers are actively seeking out. There are many options for those looking to add on-trend flavors. With spices, sauces, and condiments, Fast Casual operators can refresh their menu items with ease and build profit. Aioli, honey butter, harissa, and gremolata also have become more prevalent on menus over the last few years.6 The following ingredients grew 100% or more on menus over the past 4 years. HIGH PROFITABILITY POTENTIAL 105%5 3 SEA SALT 515% SRIRACHA 117%2 AGAVE 143%4 SOFRITO 1 Datassential, Pulse – Changing Menu Sizes, December 2016 2 Datassential, MenuTrends Penetration – Agave, 2016 3 Datassential, MenuTrends Penetration – Sriracha, 2016 4 Datassential, MenuTrends Penetration – Sofrito, 2016 5 Datassential, MenuTrends Penetration – Sea Salt, 2016 6 Datassential, Modern American Food Trends, December 2015 NESTLEPROFESSIONAL.COM • 1-800-288-8682 • 6 CHAPTER 2 MAIN INGREDIENTS CHAPTER 2: MAIN INGREDIENTS Menu Additions with New Flavors Create bold dishes customers can’t wait to try. After establishing which new spice combinations to use, which sauces to pour, and what condiments to offer, it’s time to invent menu items or enliven existing ones. One way to capture customers’ attention is to be bold by using innovative ingredients. There are plenty of ingredients that people think they would enjoy but are on less than 10% of restaurant menus. When Fast Casual restaurants add out-of-the-box ingredients to the menu, the restaurants have a better chance of standing out. Operators can explore menu items that customers say they have been waiting to try. One of the many drivers for diners who frequent Fast Casual restaurants is ethnic food – 13% of consumers planned their last Fast Casual trip because they wanted ethnic food. Expanding to a more globally-driven menu or tweaking entrée and dessert choices appeals deeply to diners. In fact, 83% find the idea of authentic ethnic cuisine appealing.5 Global inspiration is not just for main dishes, global flavors span dayparts and meal parts. 1 Datassential, On the Menu, October 2016 2 Datassential, On the Menu, December 2016 3 Datassential, On the Menu, May 2016 4 Datassential, On the Menu, January 2017 5 Datassential, CPP, 2015 NESTLEPROFESSIONAL.COM • 1-800-288-8682 • 8 CHAPTER 2: MAIN INGREDIENTS TRAILBLAZER MENU ITEMS CHALLAH2 TONKATSU1 HOUSE-MADE CEREAL3 FALAFEL4 WANT TO TRY IT ORIGIN WANT TO TRY IT ORIGIN WANT TO TRY IT ORIGIN U.S.A. WANT TO TRY IT ORIGIN ISRAEL JAPAN THE MIDDLE 34% 36% 42% 43% EAST MENU IDEAS MENU IDEAS MENU IDEAS MENU IDEAS Challah is a thick, doughy Think of tonkatsu as a close A better-for-you breakfast Falafel can be used as an bread that can stand up to relative of pork schnitzel. It’s option, house-made cereal appetizer, side dish, or main long cooking times and lots approachable enough for oftentimes uses less sugar and dish and can be infused with of toppings. A great go-to consumers to want to try it more natural flavors. Serve all different spices including bread for French toast or even with rice or alongside wasabi with milk or possibly offer it as za’atar and harissa. a viable option for croutons, mashed potatoes an ice cream topping. Challah can add more intrigue to Fast Casual menus. KHACHAPURI4 WANT TO TRY IT ORIGIN REPUBLIC OF 45% GEORGIA MENU IDEAS Think of khachapuri as a cousin to pizza. This cheesy, crusty bread is suitable for all dayparts and topping it with an egg makes it an out-of-the-box breakfast offering 1 Datassential, On the Menu, February 2017 2 Datassential, On the Menu, July 2016 3 Datassential, On the Menu, November 2016 4 Datassential, On the Menu, October 2016 5 Datassential, On the Menu, January 2017 NESTLEPROFESSIONAL.COM • 1-800-288-8682 • 9 CHAPTER 2: MAIN INGREDIENTS TRAILBLAZER MENU ITEMS SMOOTHIE BOWLS5 ALTERNATIVE FRIES4 WANT TO TRY IT ORIGIN U.S.A. WANT TO TRY IT ORIGIN U.S.A. 45% 46% MENU IDEAS MENU IDEAS Fast Casual operators that Alternative fries are a quick- already offer smoothies are at to-add option to Fast Casual an advantage for offering menus. Many alternative fry smoothie bowls. Since they options involve vegetables like are easily customizable, zucchini or asparagus, which restaurants can offer build- are coated in batter and fried or your-own smoothie bars. baked for customers to enjoy. BANOFFEE PIE2 HUEVOS RANCHEROS1 CREPES3 WANT TO TRY IT ORIGIN WANT TO TRY IT ORIGIN WANT TO TRY IT ORIGIN ENGLAND MEXICO 47% 50% 59% FRANCE MENU IDEAS MENU IDEAS MENU IDEAS Banoffee pie is made with Huevos rancheros takes Crepes have a light flavor bananas, cream, and toffee, sunny-side up eggs and puts that can be filled with typically with a biscuit crust them over salsa and refried almost any sweet or savory base. These flavors can be beans, all served on a tortilla. ingredient from chocolate to incorporated into ice cream Offer huevos rancheros strawberries to cheese. sundaes, crepes, or sorbets. as a breakfast item or use the same ingredients for innovative burgers or pizzas 1 Datassential, On the Menu, February 2017 2 Datassential, On the Menu, July 2016 3 Datassential, On the Menu, November 2016 4 Datassential, On the Menu, October 2016 5 Datassential, On the Menu, January 2017 NESTLEPROFESSIONAL.COM • 1-800-288-8682 • 10 CHAPTER 3 BEVERAGES CHAPTER 3: BEVERAGES MANY DINERS PLAN BEVERAGE-ONLY OCCASIONS Global Inspiration in a Glass DURING THE DAY.1 Emphasize ethnic flavors on beverage menus.