Foodservice Menu Trends with Fanny Slater, Spring 2023

Interested in increasing your menu profitability? The Food Connector has the answers for additional bottom line profits with insights from Fanny Slater, noted Food Network host and previous winner of Rachael Ray’s Great American Cookbook Competition.

Restaurant operators can take advantage by introducing LTOs and new menu specials, priced at a premium, that showcase the hottest consumer food trends. Here is Fanny’s take on three trends expected to take foodservice menus by storm this spring:

Trend #1: A new wave of plant-based pasta

Dried alternative pastas have been on the market for a while and the spiralizing craze (zoodles: noodles made from zucchini and other types of squash) is also still among us. Manufacturers like Banza who make chickpea pastas and other products, have become one of the fastest growing pasta brands in the U.S. 

Experts are predicting that even more alternatives—such as noodles made from produce and fruit like spaghetti squash, kelp, hearts of palm, and green bananas will hit the shelves soon. Restaurants looking to jump on this trend can create their own fresh (as opposed to dried and boxed) vegetable and even fruit-based pastas that can be made with or without flour and served vegan, vegetarian (incorporating even more produce), or with meat. The vegetables themselves can be shaved or spiralized or a fresh pasta could be made in-house using seasonal produce and either wheat or an alternative gluten-free option like chickpea flour. 

Examples of recipe applications for small Italian restaurant operators or white tablecloth restaurants who specialize in local farm-to-table: 

• Flour-based pasta using fruit or vegetable juice that could be paired with meaty sauces like Bolognese: https://www.gardenbetty.com/fresh-homemade-pasta-using-what-you-already-have-in-the-kitchen/ 
• Vegan zucchini alfredo: https://foodal.com/recipes/veggies/zucchini-ribbons-in-vegan-pesto-alfredo-sauce/
• Simple spring asparagus noodles with pesto: https://www.liveeatlearn.com/asparagus-noodles-with-pesto/

Trend #2: Veganizing familiar favorites in the seafood category

Since 2018, plant-based food sales have significantly outperformed other food categories proving that consuming more plant-based food that looks like meat (and less animal protein) is a macro trend that’s here to stay. It also coincides with an overall interest in living a more environmentally sustainable life. 

One of the major predictions for 2023 in the meat alternative industry is a rise in vegan seafood like plant-based shrimp products that replicate the taste, texture, and look of conventional shrimp. 

Recipe applications for restaurants looking to expand their vegan options, particularly seafood-based eateries in coastal locations: Shrimp, fish, tuna, lobster, and crab made from algae (like seaweed) mushrooms, celeriac root, artichoke hearts and hearts of palm. 

Artichoke-based fish and chips (could work for pub-style restaurants): https://www.elephantasticvegan.com/artichoke-fish-vegan/ 

Artichokes are a spring vegetable and their flaky texture is a fantastic substitute for fish. Looking forward into summer, watermelon has become a popular vegan spin on ahi tuna poke.

Trend #3: Dates as the number one natural sweetener 

Consumers are continuing to avoid highly processed foods and choose real over artificial products, especially in the sweetener category. Date syrup, granulated date sugar, date paste, and dehydrated dates are all high ranking ingredients in low-and-no-calorie sweeteners. 

The fruit will be used to sweeten everything from ketchup to salad dressings to beverages and cereals. Operators who specialize in desserts, pastries, and high-end coffee service but are looking for healthier sugar alternatives and interested in using non-traditional sweeteners are a great fit for hopping on this trend. 

Recipe applications for using dates as a natural sweetener that also align with the spring season: 

Salad with citrus-date vinaigrette (subbing in local spring veggies like strawberries, rhubarb, fava beans, etc.): https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/yellow-salad-with-citrus-date-vinaigrette 

Date sweetened carrot cake: https://sepcooks.com/date-sweetened-carrot-cake/