Autumn dining trends revealed

The seasons have changed and the weather is getting colder but this doesn’t mean your customers want to consume soup all the way until next summer. Stay ahead of the competition this Autumn by keeping up to date with the latest restaurant trends and keep soup off the menu until winter arrives!

Fantasy foods
The latest food trend for 2016 is multi-coloured food inspired by the rainbow. There has been rainbow sushi, pasta, bagels and even burgers, with one restaurant in Australia creating a rainbow burger bun to honour Gene Wilder. However, the concerns over artificial food colouring suggests this craze won’t be around for too long.

Snacking on the rise
The nature of dining out is forever changing and is currently more flexible than ever. More and more people are dining out in groups and want an alternative to the traditional three course meal. In response to the changing trend, restaurants are offering a wider selection of snack dishes with the number of snack dishes on offer increasing by 60% in the past year.

Say no to avocado
The global appetite for all things avocado has diminished in recent weeks following news that the demand for the green superfood is indirectly fuelling illegal deforestation and environmental degradation in Mexico. Over the past year avocado inspired meals, such as the avocado burger bun, have grown in popularity due to the numerous health benefits of the fruit. However, since the news broke people are being urged to cut down on their intake of avocado and to be wary of where they are grown. 

Eye-catching creations
It’s no longer acceptable to create food which simply tastes good, when a meal is presented to a customer it also needs to look incredible. The popularity of image focused social media platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat, is only only fuelling the need for creative and striking food presentation.

Understandable menu items
When creating a menu its important to adapt items for people who haven’t been to culinary school. Diners want to be able to pronounce the name of the dish they are ordering and they also want to be able to identify the foods in that dish. Getting the balance between an easy to understand menu without making the diner feel dim is crucial. 

Tableware IS important
Restaurant operators are being forced to put as much thought into their choice of tableware as they do their food offering. Tableware has become a fashion statement and now plays and important role in the atmosphere of a restaurant. Current tableware trends include shrinking the objects used to cook the food, like pots and pans, and using them to display the food. Alternate tableware style includes the use of alternate materials such as metal, wood and slate.