From seaworthy cocktails to ube in everything, here’s what’s hot for 2023
By Christy Simo
There may not be another year in recent history where the restaurant industry is looking ahead as eagerly as we are to 2023. While supply chain and inflation challenges linger and staffing issues continue, we all want to move forward and leave the past few years behind us.
But we can’t ignore what we’ve lived through. After all, trends don’t exist in a vacuum; they’re influenced by the larger world around us. Like the tech-heavy trends of 2020 such as online ordering, some of this year’s trends have evolved from pandemic-era conversations about how to move the industry forward and pushing to redefine what it means to work and dine in a restaurant.
Other trends reflect a growing openness by guests to try something that may be new to them, whether that’s a different cuisine than they’re used to or a new way of dining out. At the same time, a sense of nostalgia permeates the list, from cocktails based on childhood treats to the return of baked Alaska.
2023 Restaurant Trends
While many predictions are tied to the challenges we continue to face, some are just plain fun. Take a look at what many experts are thinking will be big this year, and see if you can incorporate some into your menu and business plans ahead.
Baked Alaska
Whether it’s people leaning into nostalgia or the rise of experiential dining, setting a dessert on fire is just plain fun to witness – and to eat. The layers of cake, ice cream and meringue that typically make up the theatrical dish are getting modern updates such as bigger portions to share, deconstructed versions, or new ingredients and flavors.
Oceanic Cocktails
People used to like their cocktails sweet, then bitter. Now briny is in style. Think salted tomato water, olive brine and garnishes like shrimp and oysters.
Maitake Mushrooms
Mushrooms continue to be popular as more people choose to go meatless, even if not 100% of the time. Lately, maitake mushrooms – also known as hen-of-the-woods – have replaced the long-favored portobello, either roasted or fried, such as in a chicken fried mushroom sandwich.
Whole Kitchen Recognition
After several chefs got called out for taking ownership of dishes they didn’t create and claiming credit for the work of others in the kitchen, many restaurants are trying to right these wrongs to upend decades of tradition. Now, entire teams are given the chance to be introduced and talk about the dishes they prepare, whole staffs are being recognized on restaurant websites, and you’ll start to increasingly see menus naming other cooks in the kitchen who came up with a dish.
Fermentation
Fermented flavors continue to find their way onto menus, especially koji. Traditionally made from fermenting rice, barley or soybeans, this Japanese product is best known as a starter for miso, but you’ll start seeing it in new ways – whether it’s as a dip, sauce or in a cocktail.
Nigerian Food
West African foods are gaining more awareness, especially Nigerian cuisine, which features rice and legumes, soups and stews, skewered meat and lots of aromatic spices and chiles. Jollof rice, which can be prepared in hundreds of ways – there’s a whole festival dedicated to it this April in Atlanta – is probably the most widely known dish, with egusi and suya also delicious ways to delve into the cuisine.
Avocado Drinks
It’s not just for toast anymore. Now, you can drink your avocado, too. While long popular in Southeast Asia as a smoothie ingredient, its high fat and creamy mouthfeel can also add body to cocktails while cutting some of the alcohol’s bite.
Highball Machines
To reduce labor costs, some are turning to machines to make consistent drinks that usually require a person to make by hand. It puts whiskey highballs on draft for your guests, while controlling pour cost behind the bar.
Filipino Cuisine
Steadily growing in visibility over the past few years, Filipino chefs and restaurants are continuing to garner national acclaim and are becoming dining destinations. Here in Georgia, restaurants like Kamayan ATL and Estrellita have gained a following for their bold flavors and taste of home.
TikTok Famous
In 2023, TikTok’s influence on where people eat will continue to grow. According to a recent marketing survey, 53% of millennials – and 38% of all age groups – on TikTok in the U.S. have visited or ordered food from a restaurant after seeing it on the app, and 28% say they spent more money than they usually would on dining out after seeing a video about a restaurant.
Two-digit Tasting Menus
Another creative answer to the inflation and supply chain dilemma, lower-cost tasting menus that stay under the $100 mark give chefs a way to express their creativity while also controlling costs for both food and labor.
Kuih Desserts
Also sometimes spelled kue or kueh depending on the country of origin, these Southeast Asian desserts are made from rice flour or glutinous rice. They can be multilayered and brightly colored and often have a soft, springy texture.
Partnering Outside the Industry
In an effort to extend marketing power, increase loyalty and attract potential new guests, restaurants will be seeking more partnerships with companies not involved in the restaurant industry. Those who partner with businesses that have values and attributes that align closely with their own, and who keep in mind the effects of brand association and brand loyalty, will find the most success.
Kiddie Cocktails
No, you’e not serving underage drinkers. The nostalgia trend has found a home in fun drinks that reinterpret the food of your childhood. Think cocktails based on breakfast cereals and ice cream floats, pop rock rims and popsicle garnishes, and even the reinvention of the jello shot.
Global Street Food
Most common in the Middle East, Asia, and Central and South America, these filling dishes can be skewers, hand-held wraps and sandwiches. Especially popular is a flatbread known as man’oushe (or manoush, manakeesh or manaeesh depending on the region). Its flaky, leavened dough is cooked on a griddle then topped with za’atar seasoning and olive oil.
Packaging Your Brand
Restaurants found a new profit avenue during the pandemic that’s only set to grow – providing high-quality packaged foods and market-ready items inspired by their menus. Look for more stand-alone coolers and adjacent markets – like Fishmonger in Atlanta – where restaurants can leverage their brand and provide a unique culinary experience beyond in-person dining. You’ll see more elevated packaging, too, which affects a guest’s satisfaction and return rate.
Going with the Grain
Because of its adaptability, comfort-food vibe and high profit margin, look for more grains on the menu, both in entrees and in desserts, drinks and breakfast, too. You’ll see more global options like Jamaican coco bread, Filipino suman rice cakes, Sardinian pane carasau and South Indian appam pancakes. Millet and teff will become more common gluten-free alternatives, and freekeh and emmer will find their way into the ever-popular bowls.
Must-do Sustainability
From reducing food waste and implementing compostable packaging to sustainable sourcing and what goes on the menu, all segments in the industry will use 2023 to take a hard look at how their company is impacting the planet and try to do better.
Ube
The bright purple root vegetable popular in Filipino desserts is getting its spotlight. The sweet flavor and cheerful hue lend itself to all kinds of dishes, from churros and pancakes to ice cream and cream puffs. And don’t forget cocktails! It goes great with coconut milk and rum.
Self-guided Exploration Tours
Food and experiential tourism continues to rise, and now there are hyper-specific food, drink and special interest tours marketed to niche groups of engaged enthusiasts. Similar to farm trails and wine tours but centered around a type of cuisine or food trend, the tours often feature a mobile passport that includes deals and discounts at participating restaurants and can help build a fan base for the places they feature.
What’s Not Hot Right Now
- Free content
- Accepting bad behavior in the service industry
- Sweet rosé
- Mixologists and the 15-minute cocktail
- “Mocktails” (Don’t call them cocktails, as there’s nothing funny about not drinking.)
- Dry, flavorless veggie burgers
- “Natural” or “clean” wine
- Stacked vertical food
- Molecular gastronomy
- Artificial ingredients, colorings or preservatives
Source: Carbonate Group and AF & Co.
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