Being successful in the restaurant business means keeping up with the latest food trends. It’s just not enough to serve quality food at competitive pricing. Staying relevant requires updating your menu to include ingredients that are trendy and popular with diners. By making this effort, you’ll draw new customers and keep your regulars coming back for more.
Take a look at a few of the predictions being made by industry experts about what food trends will be big in 2019.
Mushrooms
From mushrooms mixed into burger blends to dishes that feature mushrooms as the star of the plate, industry experts expect to see more fungi in 2019. Mushrooms offer a “meaty” bite that millennials are flocking to as they try to reduce their meat consumption to improve their health and be more environmentally conscious. Cremini, Enoki, Oyster, Portobello, Shiitake or White Button—whichever mushroom you choose to add to your menu, it’s sure to be a hit.
Dairy Alternatives
More and more people are avoiding dairy these days and there is an ever-expanding list of alternative products being offered. Oat milk and pea milk are two of the plant-based dairy alternatives that have been trending in online searches. If you run a coffee shop in the Portland area, these are two options you should add to your list for the new year.
Sourdough
You don’t have to bake your own bread in house to hop on this super popular food trend. The culinary world has gone wild about sourdough again. Whether you want to serve it in a bread basket or make some killer sandwiches, place an order for some sourdough loaves from your local broadline foodservice distributor and try out your options.
Oxtail
Oxtail used to be thought of as scrap meat or a butcher’s cut, but that’s not the case anymore. Searches on Pinterest for “oxtail recipes” have increase over 200% year over year. Serve it up in a Jamaican stew or in an Italian ragu, either way your customers will be excited to see this trendy protein on your menu.
Celtuce
You may not have heard of celtuce before now, but trust us, it’s about to be huge. The vegetable is a lettuce variety originally from China that features bitter, leafy greens at the top and a stalky base that’s kind of a cross between celery and asparagus. It’s wonderful raw in a salad or cooked as a vegetable.
Want wholesale pricing on any of the ingredients we mentioned? Or need help with planning your menu around these food trends? Contact McDonald Wholesale, your local restaurant supplier in Portland.