Dietary concerns have certainly affected the restaurant trends in the last few years. Last year we saw a general battle targeting gluten, sugar and dairy. As this remains ongoing, what will 2019 bring in store?
Toufic Aki, partner at Hodema Consulting Services, has shared his view on what we can expect from restaurant trends in 2019.
According to Toufic, the trends from 2018 will remain ongoing, supported by two new concepts that will strengthen in 2019: clean eating and environmentally sustainable.
The first, will undoubtedly set its spot in the restaurant trends for the year. The concept of clean eating has been highly anticipated as world renowned chefs have been championing it. That is to say, they’ll both respect the combination of criteria involved, and create concept dishes at their restaurants. It goes without saying, that fried and processed ingredients are off the table.
‘Free From’
Looking back at 2018, the gluten free mania has certainly opened the door for a free from trend in 2019. All points the fact that the tendency will continue to grow, based on increasing concerns about allergies and intolerances, as well as fitness and general well-being. But the willingness to reduce gluten intake – not eliminate it! – actually creates an opportunity for restaurants. More and more, we’ll see increasing sales of foods like slow dough bread thanks to its longer fermentation process.
Dairy has also been under scrutiny, with a growing number of experts advocating the benefits of a dairy free diet. Hence, dietary limitations will for sure continue to be present in restaurant trends for 2019.
Organic
While being around for a while now, organic ingredients were almost a luxury between the common due to its high prices. Fortunately, we’re gradually saying goodbye to the fertilizers, pesticides and growth hormones. A global booming market is finally turning production more affordable. Surely, all restaurants will keep up with the pace and adopting the trend.
Bowls
Another trend that is definitely catching up in 2019 are food bowls. Starting with asian restaurants, the concept has been picked up by other cuisines. We wonder how much innovation will come into this category.
