At the Menu Trends & Directions Conference held last week in Dallas, menu expert Nancy Kruse discussed innovation and three related items steering the contemporary restaurant business: food trucks, authenticity, and comfort.
Kruse explained that innovation can be broken into three camps: creative comfort that feeds slower evolutionary menu innovation, food trucks that fuel disruptive innovation, and the consumers’ need for authenticity. Some creative comfort items mentioned by Kruse included chicken, waffles, and pretzels. Her focus seemed to be on soul food.
When discussing authenticity, Kruse stated that how an item is marketed is extremely important. For an example, Kruse used new Red Lobster commercials currently airing on television. In the commercials, “authentic,” rugged fishermen talk to the camera about pulling their epic nets out of the angry sea, harvesting delicious resources. Farmers and dairies are being put more in the spotlight as well. The words used in menus and advertising are also important. More and more you can see eateries touting words like grilling, frying, toasting, smoking, aging, and pickling.
Kruse detailed the influence that food trucks are having on the food service industry. She explained that while food trucks still make up a very small segment of the industry, they’re still having a heavy influence on customers’ expectations. Food trucks offer a more communal, direct experience when it comes to the diverse food offered, communication between server and customer, and delivery of food.
Personally, I’m still sold on diversity more than anything. I like seeing a variety of items and options on the menu more than the face of the farmer who grew it. Is that mean? Oh well. I would eat the crap out of anything from Chairman Bao’s Bun Truck though.
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