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Trend research 2-14

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Gluten-free tops Canada’s hottest food trends for 2014.

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Top Food Trends for 2014. I’ve been checking out the 2014 national food trends that have been coming out, and there’s some great ideas on these lists.

Top Food Trends for 2014

I’ve thought about how these ideas could work for our customers in the Midwest, and I’ve also used my experience in the foodservice industry and traveling around to Martin Bros. customers to figure out what other ideas are shaping up to be successful trends in the Midwest. So...here it is! My exclusive list of 14 trends for a prosperous 2014! 1. Capitalizing on Holidays & Special Events Holidays are historically big days and weeks for restaurants. 2. Independent operators can take the center stage with great center of the plate options. 3. Breakfast is profitable, quick and easy to execute for cooks and servers.

According to Technomic’s “10 Trends for 2014,” more restaurants are introducing innovative breakfast items – often available all day. 4. From big cities to small town Main Street, you’ll find Mexican restaurants and Chinese food all along the way. Canadian Menu Trends: Shared and Small Plates at Restaurants. Back in December, Technomic identified shared/small plates and snack-size portions as one of the top Canadian restaurant trends for 2013.

Canadian Menu Trends: Shared and Small Plates at Restaurants

Reflecting two parallel consumer trends—a greater interest in exploring new tastes and a desire for a customized dining experience—the move toward “mini” items and shareable portions gives guests the chance to sample a wider variety of flavours in one dining occasion and have greater control over portion sizes. In addition, because shared plates lend themselves to social occasions, they can help operators position themselves as an ideal option for fun group outings after work or on the weekend. The demand for shareable options is there: 81 percent of consumers who at least occasionally visit restaurants for a shared meal or snack said they would order these items more often if such options were offered, according to Technomic’s 2012 Canadian Menu Positioning & Occasion Driver Consumer Trend Report. Christine LaFave Grace More Posts. Top 5 Food Trends that will continue all the way into 2015 - part 2. Think of your soy decaf caramel skinny latte.

Top 5 Food Trends that will continue all the way into 2015 - part 2

It just says you. It’s customized and, in a way, it’s a comforting (like comfort food) too. Cupcakes. It’s not like a cake to be shared, you can actually choose the one that has your favorite color frosting, in your favorite flavor combination. Cupcakes go along with the comfort food trend too, and they appeal to our sense of nostalgia for what we think of as simpler times. Think miniature versions of classically casual foods? Mini tacos are elevated with shredded duck meat and mole poblano sauce.

This trend can also be seen in packaged foods, in bite-sized snacks like muffins and in candies. More and more restaurants are featuring small plates on their menus. Heirloom tomato salad with labne, sumac, pepperberry + pomegranate molasses by He Needs Food Bacon infused in liquor- such as a whiskey/bacon/maple cocktail, bacon and coarse sea salt in gourmet chocolate bars. That’s right, more vegetarian and vegan items on the menu. 2014 food trends: Keep an Eye on Enlightened Millennials. January 14, 2014 at 3:30 PM As innovators connecting consumer insight to food design, we are constantly talking to folks about food - what they eat, how they cook, where they dine - their hopes, fears and desires.

2014 food trends: Keep an Eye on Enlightened Millennials

This year we saw food purchasing and dining driven by a group we call the "Newly Enlightened" - those making conscious decisions to eat less processed, whole foods and products while still trying to survive in a time-pressed, schedule-crunched world. Fueled by the social media-dominating Millennials, this group is having a strong voice in innovation: to them, transparency, choice and customization are king, as they demand to know what goes into and onto their food and want ultimate control over their consumables. So where is food heading in 2014? Here are Hyde Park Group's predictions: Midwest Chic. Lucky us, to be in the heart of Restaurant Row in Chicago's West Loop. Enter the Culinary Meal Kit. One is the New Family Size. Low Commitment Dining.