What we will eat at the restaurant in the next few months
? TheFork, the world's leading online restaurant search and booking app, has analyzed the trends emerging globally on its platform and more generally on the web, making use of the skills of trend hunters atNelly Rhodes, a consultancy company specializing in trend forecasting and innovation.
1 Soul Food
At home or in a restaurant, eating no longer just means satisfying the palate. Consumers are looking for real "soul food", dishes capable of satisfying the body, soul and mind by combining the benefits of functional ingredients with moments of pleasure and relaxation. Restaurants will increasingly take human moods into consideration in their recipes so as to be able to offer dishes suited to the mood of their diners. This means that we will go far beyond detox food, smart food and comfort food. The new frontiers could also lead to experiments like that ofSerotonin Eatery restaurant in Australia, whose menu contains only serotonin-based dishes or the American chainDr Smood, whose claim “food is the new healthcare” speaks for itself. There are also many examples in Italy such as this particular oneCannabistro in Naples, firstBistro & Cocktail Barin EuropeHemp Based. Its menu is in line with the concept of a modern tavern: few but concise dishes, clean and without waste, where hemp is always present in a different way.
2 Wow Effect
We've known for years that restaurant customers aren't just looking for good food, they want an experience. Based on an analysis conducted withBaba by TheForkon their current and potential community, those who go to the restaurant do so either with an intention of discovery or with a social objective. It is clear that to satisfy these needs, the quality of the food is not enough, but service and atmosphere are also essential. And it is precisely on these levels that the challenge of "involving" all the senses of the diners is played out. Some recently opened examples are significant.Omakase in Shanghai, has an offer aimed at discovering new and surprising ingredients combined as desired by the chef, while the environment reproduces colors and emotions inspired by cherry blossoms. In Italy, an example isFloor 35 in Turin, the highest restaurant in Italy surrounded by a biodynamic greenhouse, inside the Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper. In the kitchen, Marco Sacco transports you to a unique culinary experience.
3 Ristoceuticals
Therenutraceuticalsit becomes an integral part of nutrition and therefore of catering. To bring to the table dishes capable of making the body and mind feel good, ingredients with positive effects on health, the prevention and treatment of diseases are increasingly finding their place in catering. From the "cannabidiol craze” already exploded a few years ago overseas due to the emergence of new ingredients with which perhaps we will become more and more familiar like themushroomsReishi, lotus seeds, carambola, thekombucha, The jackfruit. There are many examples in Italy too, one of the most particular isEtto in Napleswhich has an innovative formula in which you pay by weight with proposals suitable for all diets (raw food, greedy, tasty, protein, health-conscious and vegan).
4 The three Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle)
The fight against waste and more generally a greater commitment to environmental sustainability, transparency and trancheability are nothing new in the world of catering. They will also continue in 2020 to respond to an increasingly aware consumer, impacting the choice of raw materials, their preparation, but also on the restaurant spaces. Let's think about the edible packaging of some fast food restaurants or even experiments likeZero Waste Bistro, a pop-up restaurant built for the fairWantedDesignManhattan a NYCxDesign Festival, made from recycled beverage cardboard panels and recycled and recyclable plastic surface material. A very particular example in Italy consists ofUnforgettable, a social table with only ten seats. The chefChristian Manduraproposes a tasting itinerary of around ten dishes which places "vegetables at the centre", respecting criteria of food balance and sustainability. The restaurantNature in Adro– instead – it bases its philosophy on sustainability, use of local raw materials and memories, with dishes inspired by the flavors of memory.
5 Food cross-over
Food becomes much more than just a creative excuse for fashion or beauty brands, placing itself at the center of disruptive offerings. We are seeing a growing mix of offers in restaurants and large-scale retail trade to engage consumers, especially with the beauty sector. On the one hand, research and development laboratories dedicated to beauty create food-like textures for their cosmetics, such as granitas and fruit compotes.fruit, emphasizing the use of “super” ingredients (pomegranate, matcha, honeyand coconut). On the other hand, products that we are used to associating with face creams, such ascollagen, arrive on restaurant tables. Hybridization also reaches spaces. So for example the cosmetic brandBenefitlaunched theBenefit Cosmetics Roller Liner Diner pop-up, A Classic American Dinerwhere to delight your palate and buy exclusive beauty products. And in Italy? TheFloret's restaurantFlorence, housed inside the storeLuisa Via Roma, is a real oasis of taste in which to regenerate from the frenzy of the city. A place that is a restaurant, acoffee, a juice and cocktail bar, but also a co-working space. The cuisine is designed to regenerate the body: organic and seasonal ingredients composed with a detox perspective. There is no shortage of beauty preparations such asCollagen Inner Beauty Boost Shot, rich in probiotics, improves hair and nail growth, replaces beneficial flora and nourishes the skin.
6 Food delirium
Visual, aesthetic, creative, sensorial object: food becomes a playground in which codes are overturned. The aesthetic and chromatic components of the dishes become areas of artistic experimentation. Over the years we have seen various proposals aimed at surprising, especially through social media: glittery food, the unicorn effect, freakshakes, thematchamania, theavocadoeverywhere… lately the fashion forBaby Yoda Cake. It's difficult to predict what the next few months will hold for us. It would seem that dishes such as fluffy pancakes and "nostalgic" foods such as the classic cake are becoming popularapplesgrandmother's, ube ice cream, the many varieties of hummus also as dessert and much more. Only time will tell which of these trends are destined to surpass passing fads. In the meantime, however, some restaurants are successfully inspired by new things, for exampleHumus aRomewhich offers varied and colorful hummus from that ofpumpkinand chestnuts up to the chocolate one.
7 Smart Consumption
Technology is increasingly becoming an ally in the production, preparation and consumption of food and the gastronomic experience away from home. So apps help simplify parts of the restaurant experience –TheForkincluded naturally – or technological development becomes a lever for the creation of new ingredients. In 2020 we will see more and more veg alternatives to meat for example. TOMilanit is already possible to try "The Miracle Burger“, the firstBurgerball made with Beyond Meat, the 100% vegetable meat fromThe Meatball Family. Another now widespread trend is that of robot waiters. For example, the Japanese restaurant has introduced them some time agoSushi Sun Magliana in Rome, but alsoEtto Sushi in Florenceor even theFujiyama restaurant in Turin. The dishes are brought to the table by some robots that deliver the dishes via trays to the customers, who then "free" them by pressing a button and allowing them to return to the kitchen.
8 (Re)mix Food
As for the types of cuisine we'll see explode in 2020, Asian culinary hotspots likeHong Kong, Shanghai and Taiwanthey are leading the way in their ability to hybridize various types of Asian cuisines. Even in the rest of the world there will be this (re)mix trend. An exemplary case in Italy is represented byBunker Kitchen Club in Rome, which presents itself as a space for cultural, social and gastronomic sharing and aims to pursue the path of taste at any cost, without setting limits or prejudices. Heading towards the Middle East, the Israeli culinary scene is grabbing all the attention and reaping successes, epitomized by a generation of globetrotting Israeli chefs spreading their spicy flavors far and wide. In Rome, kosher specialties, Roman cuisine delicacies and Middle Eastern dishes are served in the three different locations ofBaghetto: inVia del Portico d'Ottaviaand one inVia Livorno, to which modern has recently been addedGravy, a young place with a contemporary dairy-free kosher twist. Finally, speaking of refined cuisine, theMartiniquehe got his first recognition withMarcel Ravin. Another trend in terms of type of cuisine will be theseacuterie, which includes specialties ofcharcuterie, but based onfish. This is the case ofSalumare – Fish delicatessen in CivitanovaBrands.
9 Ristofamily
According to the study conducted byBaba to TheFork, current and especially potential customers of the platform often go out to eat with their family. In fact, even on a global level, multiple reports confirm that consumers are looking for a restaurant offer that can respond to family needs. We will therefore see a growth in specialized proposals. An example?Pizza and Tata in Rome, where you can taste the best pizza combined with traditional Roman dishes. In the restaurant there is a space dedicated to children aged 3 to 12 with a baby sitting service, our Nanny!
10 Foodastrology
Choosing dinner based on your zodiac sign? The idea may seem crazy, yet some brands – likeFluffe– they begin to launch lines of food products with different flavors depending on the zodiac signs.
