2015 was a good year for foodies! If you take a quick peek through your favorite foodie Instagram page, you’ll see that burgers, egg yolk, donuts, Uni and lots of carbs took center stage.
2016 is promising to be even better with some not-so-surprising new dining trends that are certain to make the foodie in you jump with joy and will help you be a more knowledgeable consumer.
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Baum & Whiteman, a food & restaurant consulting firm a.k.a the “food experts,” recently published their 2016 “11 Hottest Food & Beverage Dining Trends In Restaurants and Hotels.” As a lover of all things edible, this list excited me! Below are 5 trends that I will be keeping my eye on and I believe you should too.
2016 Dining Trends
- No tipping – With the recent push to raise minimum wage for fast food and restaurant workers, restaurants are looking towards removing their tipping policy, increasing menu prices and bumping up the wage for their workers to at least $15/hour. Danny Meyer, owner of Shake Shack, announced this year that he would be eliminating tipping in all of his restaurants in New York and increasing workers salaries. Joe’s Crab Shack has also followed this example in 2015 and so we are sure to see this trend start to pop up in other establishments nationwide in 2016.
- Jewish Cuisine – Random right? I thought so too. However, according to Baum & Whiteman, chefs are beginning to explore more of their roots and present this in their cooking. “Heritage Cuisine” as it’s called, will be making waves this coming year. So be on the lookout for exquisite bagel and smoked fish spreads like at Sadelles here in NYC, potato latkes all up in your Instagram feeds and hummus making a huge “look at me now” entrance in 2016.
- Technology Boom – 2015 saw the rise of more online and mobile food delivery options. Even UBER came out with a delivery portion of their app that brought hungry souls their favorite lunch time meals straight to their curb. In 2016 we are sure to see even more heavy hitters in the restaurant game joining forces with Seamless, Uber, Grubhub, Postmates etc. to bring you more delicious dining options in the comfort of your home. Will we see the end of dining out? Probably not, but still something to look out for. Also in the technology boom, mobile bill payments. No, I’m not talking about your Coned bill, I’m talking about your dining bill. Get your bill sent to you in an app, and pay it directly from there. Restaurants are now realizing that tables can be turned faster when mobile payment is used and it’s easier and more convenient. Also, environment friendly 🙂
- Fresher Ingredients – GMOs were the devil this year, and consumers have been getting smarter about what they eat. To keep up, be sure to see more restaurants and fast food chains ridding their menus of chemicals and additives once used, moving away from GMO products, and being more open with which ingredients are used to make your meal. We are sure to see even more high-quality ingredients in fast food restaurants, especially since they have been making more aggressive strides towards this trend.
- Spices From Africa, Asia & the Middle East – If you love spices, than this will be your favorite trend. No more boring ketchup and mayo mix. Expect to find chili sauces, smell spicy aromas, taste special curry blends and be transported to the East when dining in 2016. According to Baum & Whiteman, Tumeric is set to be the spice of 2016.
I cannot WAIT to see all that 2016 holds for food and dining trends. For more information and to see the other trends check out Baum & Whiteman’s list HERE.
Do any of these trends surprise you? What are you hoping to see make moves in the foodie world in 2016? Let me know in the comments below.
