QSR March 2023

TRENDING ON THE MENU // Cheese

MENU ADOPTION CYCLE: CHEESE INCEPTION Trends start here. Found in mostly fine dining and ethnic independents, inception-stage trends exemplify originality in flavor, preparation, and presentation. Unreal Reuben: Plant-based Corn’d Beef and Roasted Turkey, sauerkraut, vegan provolone, and yellow mustard. Stateside Deli // OKEMOS, MI VEGAN CHEESE Marked by its exclusion of all animal products, vegan cheese is typically made from vegeta bles, plant-based milks, nutritional yeast, and/or seeds. It can range from soft and fresh to aged and hard. CONSUMERS Know It Have Tried It 48% 17% MENU EXAMPLE:

BURRATA Mozzarella’s creamier cousin, burrata is encased in solid cheese while the insides contain a buf falo milk cheese known as stracciatella. CONSUMERS Know It Have Tried It 28% 15% MENU EXAMPLE: Burrata with Grilled Peaches: Baby lettuce and white balsamic glaze. Cook and the Corkn // CORAL SPRINGS, FL

1. Juustoleipa 2. Délice de Bourgogne

3. Chihuahua 4. Halloumi

ADOPTION Found at fast-casual and casual indepen dents, adoption-stage trends grow their base via lower price points and simpler prep methods. Still differenti ated, these trends often feature premium and/or gen erally authentic ingredients.

1. Cotija 2. Havarti

3. Mascarpone 4. Gruyere

PIMIENTO CHEESE SPREAD

PROLIFERATION Proliferation-stage trends show up at casual and quick-service restaurants. They are adjusted for mainstream appeal. Often combined with popu lar applications (burgers, pastas, etc.), these trends have become familiar to many.

1. Smoked Cheese 2. Pimiento Cheese

3. Fresh Mozzarella 4. Beer Cheese

4. UBIQUITY Ubiquity-stage trends are found every where—these trends have reached maturity and can be found across all sectors of the food industry. Though often diluted by this point, their inception-stage roots are still recognizable.

FRIED HALLOUMI CHEESE

1. Gouda 2. Feta

3. Blue 4. Monterey Jack

ADOBE STOCK (2)

44

INDUSTRY-WIDE ISSUE

MARCH 2023

Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software