FSR December 2022

2023 PREDIC T IONS

❷ A SHIFT TO WHOLE INGREDIENTS Brands like Beyond Meat and Impossi ble Foods may have taken the U.S. by storm, but Maeve Webster, president of foodservice consultancy MenuMatters, says there’s growing concern around the processingmethods and ingredients that go into these products. She expects con sumer demand to veer toward more wholesome, recognizeable ingredients. “Consumers want transparency and authenticity, by which I mean truthful ness. ose products have been highly forthright about what their products do for the environment and food systembut have been opaque about their process and ingredients,” Webster says. Although a number of full-service res taurants already make their own veggie burgers, she expects it to increase. “ ey can create something unique and differ entiate themselves,” she adds. ❸ CHAOS COOKING e ’90s gave us fusion cuisine, and 2023 could give us “chaos cooking,” asWebster puts it. is mashup of foods gives free Zero-proof beverages are especially popu lar among younger generations. Restaurants can differentiate themselves with fun alcohol free options, and these items have a high profit margin, says SeanWillard, a San Diego–based consultant and founder of Menu Engineers. Restaurants have the option to craft their own cocktails or purchase bottled beverages that look like booze. For example, Black Ginger fromniche CPG brand Tenneyson offers a high end, zero-proof drink made with botanicals. Seattle-based Rock Grace boasts a line of three products that mimic champagne and wine. “Restaurants want nondrinkers to feel com fortable among a group of people drinking alco hol,” Willard says. “It’s giving people permis sion to order them,” he says. “It’s also about putting the nonalcoholic offerings for guests to easily find and the price point will often be more profitable.” ❺ NONALCOHOLIC ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE In 2021, sales of nonalcoholic beverages rose 33.2 percent, with nonalcoholic spirits explod ing 113.4 percent, per NielsenIQ.

❹ VIDEO-FRIENDLY FOOD Social media photos are no longer enough for effective digital engagement. Now, videos, especially on the platform TikTok, are driving traction online. “[Consumers] don’t just want that static shot of a dish against a nice back ground; they want there to be some action,” says Mike Kostyo, associate director and trendologist at Datassential. “Cheese pulls, sauce drips, drink pours, tableside preparations, etc. are all key. If you notice a table taking videos of their food, lean into that. Even something as simple as a final dusting of cheese or a seasoning can go a long way towardmak ing that video look great.” Operators can also virtually invite guests into the back of house by film ing chefs preparing a dish. “We’re also starting to see more brands linking to videos of a dish being prepared through QR codes on menus, showcasing dishes on TikTok them selves, and even including more vid eos on menuboards and online menus,” Kostyo adds.

rein to chefs who want to illustrate their life experience, their culture, and their background via the dishes they create. Per Webster, chaos cooking “ is embracing the fact that we all have dif ferent [backgrounds], and it’s very rele vant to tap into that to create something difficult to categorize. It’s a backlash against that authentic experience and not allowing people to be themselves and to experiment.” For example, at Chauhan Ale & Masala in Nashville, Tennessee, owner Maneet Chauhan serves tandoor i chicken poutine and lamb keema papadi nachos. In New York, forthcoming con cept Sohogozo will reflect the roots of co owners AlexWatanabe andMarcelo Baez, withMexican-Japanese dishes like al pas tor sushi rolls and shrimp teriyaki tacos. In short, chaos cooking embraces the unexpected and uncharted. “Res taurants need to think about how to competitively differentiate themselves, [and this] allows them to offer really unique food based on the experience of the chefs,” Webster says.

TENNEYSON

44

FSRMAGAZINE .COM

DECEMBER 2022