Walking through the many busy hospitality precincts around Australia – you can see that everyone's eyes and ears are keen to find out what’s on the agenda in terms of food trends for 2016. This year has seen a true dichotomy of trends from the extreme food coma types like burgers and donuts/doughnuts compared to the other end of the spectrum being clean eating, cold pressed juices and raw products all for the health conscious folk.
We have scoured the inter-webs and word on the streets to bring you a compiled list of food trends which will be coming up time and time again next year.
MSG – Multi-Sensory Gastronomy - How all our senses cumulatively react to food and everything around food: watch how businesses and brands can profitably manipulate these senses to enhance change or challenge. Think Dinner by Heston style where the food component is just the tip of the iceberg dining experience.
Educating the consumer - Providing tasting notes with your meal item that gives you an educational take away and true appreciation for the food you have just eaten.
DIY - Make your own cheese or charcuterie in house – knowing the source of the ingredients in your dish is taking gigantic leap in the right direction for ensuring you serve your customers the freshest available produce.
Eating out, but staying in – Restaurant home delivery services providing restaurant take away and meal kits for easy same day home delivery and cooking. The number of delivery app and driver options available are just exploding. Trend to watch and jump onboard if you haven’t already.
Big & Little Brother – more big named chefs opening little brother places - more casual or fast food outlets.
Everyone is a restaurateur - food retailers moving into food service, clothing retailers opening cafes like TopShop and Donut Time and places to eat in shops, airport and other hub dining food service is the next sector to keep an eye on.
Condiments galore – more on table accessories to customise your meal just as you like with sauces, dips, seasonings, dressings, purees. A final drizzle tableside makes all the difference.
Closer to the action – ‘we only have a seat at the bar’ becomes the best seat in the house as barriers between the diner and the cook become narrower and the diner gets closer to the action as the kitchen and dining space becomes one. Open kitchens were all the rage back in 2012 but now seating along the kitchen is the best way to enjoy your meal and ensure it is really freshly made.
Dietary requirements - Forget paleo, gluten free and sugar free, next to look out for Banting and Low FODMAP menu requests.
References: Daily Telegraph, The Food People
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