Predicting 2016's Menu Trends

Let’s take a look back at 2015, where Birch water was declared the new water water, seaweed became the new kale; Piecakens were the new Cronuts; and cold-pressed juice emerged as the new fresh-squeezed juice. You get the point—staying on trend with the latest and greatest menu fads is nothing short of dizzying.

So as 2015 came and went, so too did its slew of trends. But what’s in store for menus in 2016? The National Restaurant Association (NRA) annually explores the top trends for the coming year. To calculate the upcoming forecast, the NRA surveyed nearly 1,600 professional chefs—all members of the American Culinary Federation—to find out what’s hot. This year, they’re predicting one overarching theme: Put your stretchy pants in storage until next winter—2016’s coolest trends also happen to be among its healthiest.

Here are a few things upcoming menu trends that stood out:

Locally-Sourced Everything

If your local burger joint doesn’t already tout the provenance of their beef, they surely will soon—and expect more restaurants to sprout rooftop or backyard gardens, too: American diners increasingly crave food grown in their own region, rather than delicacies trucked in from far-off locales. Advocates of this trend say food that’s produced closer to home tends to be fresher, healthier, tastier and easier on the environment than the shipped equivalents.

Chains like Saladworks have distinguished themselves from other brands by offering locally-sourced ingredients to their customers as often as possible. From apples, grapes and avocados, to spinach kale and carrots, the nation’s first and largest fresh-tossed salad franchise concept offers nearly 60 fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.

Real Food

Despite Chipotle’s recent E. coli woes, there’s no doubt that the fresh, GMO-free chain set the precedent when it comes to fast food. This year, many restaurants will follow in their non-genetically modified footsteps, and more consumers than ever before will be denouncing artificial ingredients and processed foods. And this clamoring for fresh ingredients means many restaurants will aim to streamline their supply chains and be as transparent as possible about their suppliers and food sources.

Panera Bread has already made the commitment to remove all artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives from its menus by the end of 2016. And chains like Subway, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut have already followed suit. The better breakfast franchise, Famous Toastery, also prides itself on fresh ingredients. This chain makes everything in-house every day, and they go the extra mile to ensure that everything they whip up in the kitchen features wholesome ingredients—no detail is too inconsequential.

“Natural ingredients and minimally processed food is not new, but it’s a trend that we’re now seeing demand for in the breakfast category specifically,” said Famous Toastery CEO Robert Maynard. “If you take a look at most of the breakfast options out there, you’ll see a lot of greasy spoons. But as consumers continue to want cleaner and healthier foods, we want to be able to provide them with confidence in what’s in their food.”

The Return of Bread

Bread’s gotten a bad rap for years, as the no-carb Atkins diet fad gave way to the gluten-free mega-movement. This good old yeasty dietary standby was left in the dust, and many restaurants and brands were suddenly slapping “gluten-free” labels on just about everything.

But this year, bread is about to get a big revival as authentic, ancient grain-containing loaves are suddenly in style again. The gluten-free craze is still standing strong, but as bread is made with healthier, more wholesome ingredients, many will be renewing their allegiance to these flour-based goods. And that’s positive news for brands like MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, which has long taken pride in the fact that all of their buns—whether it’s white or multi-grain—are baked fresh and in-house every day with whole grains.

International Food Re-Imagined

For a long time, quick-service and fast-casual chains focused a lot of their efforts on dishing up just the comfort food standbys, such as burgers, fries and chicken. Now, in 2016, restaurants are heeding the call of our broadening tastes, and they’re livening up their menus with creative spins on classic, ethnic flavors.

Building on diners’ growing taste for foods from around the globe, Buffalo Wings & Rings has been playing with spices, flavors and ingredients from a variety of worldly cuisines for years. In 2015, the brand introduced a first-of-its-kind The Wings of Fury, a limited-time-offer chicken wing tossed in a curry powder dry rub, crisply fried and topped with Sriracha sauce. This year, the chain is venturing to Southeast Asia. Inspired by the flavors of Thailand, their Jack’d Up Wings are smothered in a sweet Thai Chile and sea salt caramel sauce and topped with applewood-smoked bacon crumbles, black sesame seeds and scallions.