WRN WINTER 2015 (WEB)

THE news
Culinary Forecast Predicts Local Sourcing,
Environmental Sustainability, Healthy Kids’ Meals
as Top Menu Trends for 2015
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) each year gets in the kitchen with chefs
to reveal the top menu trends for the coming year. For its annual What’s Hot Culinary
Forecast, the NRA surveyed nearly 1,300 professional chefs — members of the American
Culinary Federation (ACF) — to find which foods, cuisines, beverages and culinary
themes will be hot trends on restaurant menus in 2015.
Top 10 food trends for 2015:
1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
2. Locally grown produce
3. Environmental sustainability
4. Healthful kids’ meals
5. Natural ingredients/minimally processed food
6. New cuts of meat
7. Hyper-local sourcing
8. Sustainable seafood
9. Food waste reduction/management
10. Farm/estate branded items
“As consumers today increasingly incorporate
restaurants into their daily lives, they want to be able
to follow their personal preferences and philosophies
no matter where or how they choose to dine,” said
Hudson Riehle, senior vice-president of research for
the National Restaurant Association. “So, it’s only
natural that culinary themes like local sourcing, sustainability and nutrition top our list
of menu trends for 2015. Those concepts are wider lifestyle choices for many Americans
in other aspects of their lives that also translate into the food space.”
“Chefs are committed to supporting their communities and helping make responsible
food choices,” said Thomas Macrina, CEC, CCA, AAC, national president of the American
Culinary Federation. “I am pleased that members of the American Culinary Federation
continue to support local sourcing and sustainable food practices as an annual trend
and are paving the way for these values to become part of everyday American cooking.”
F O R T H E P R O F E S S I O N A L
Quick Service Restaurants
have Uphill Battle to Drive
Visit Growth over Next
Several Years
The quick service restaurant (QSR)
segment in Canada currently accounts
for 4.3 billion annual consumer visits
and generates $23 billion dollars a year,
and according to a recently released
forecast by The NPD Group, a leading
global information company, the segment
will grow only modestly over the
next seven years. QSR visits, which
increased only one per cent over the
past several years, are forecast to
increase a little less than one per cent
per year from 2013 through 2020, based
on NPD’s 2020 Vision: The Future of
QSR report. The slight traffic growth
expected is driven by population
increases and not actual visits since per
capita visits are forecast to decline.
Total commercial foodservice traffic, of
which QSR represents two-thirds, is also
expected to grow less than one per cent
annually through 2020.
Contributing to the overall QSR traffic
growth over the next several years
are off-premise QSR visits, mainly
carry-out and drive-thru, which are
forecast to grow by 10 per cent. Onpremise
visits, on the flip side, are
expected to increase by one per cent.
The slower growth forecast for onpremise
will be a challenge for QSR
operators since eater checks tend to
be lower for off-premises occasions.
STEP
INSIDE
DESIGN
THE ULTIMATE CONNECTOR TO THE HOSPITALITY DESIGN INDUSTRY
Step inside the doors at HD Expo and discover a world of fascinating
new products for hospitality. With over 260,000 square feet of exhibits,
40+ conference sessions and Clodagh as our keynote speaker, you’ll
find more ideas and inspiration than you can imagine!
MAY 13-15, 2015
MANDALAY BAY LAS VEGAS, NV
Register at hdexpo.com with code WESTERN for your free expo pass.
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