FIVE FOOD TRENDS

Over the past few decades we have seen the evolution of many trends in the national restaurant scene. In the early to mid 1990s the rage in dining was the themed restaurant led by Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood. In these restaurants, the decor primarily consisting of rock & roll and film memorabilia became the attraction and not the food. Soon, it seemed like every celebrity wanted their name associated with the newest “you-name-it-café”. The pinnacle of this culinary bubble was the opening of Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney where sales quickly realized an annual volume of $50,000,000 to become the highest producing restaurant in the world.

However, in recent years the American culinary marketplace experienced a momentous change in the way people eat, cook and dine. As such, five primary factors have changed food and the way we consume and experience it.

First, cooking responsibilities are being shared between husband and wife as equality in the home becomes more balanced. But men brought their own sensibilities into the kitchen and to the backyard grille as well as a right to request, “Let’s eat out tonight”.

Second, the public has become highly educated about food and cooking. Everything from the Food Channel to reality TV shows, and from large cook book sections in the mega bookstores to cheap tickets to international destinations have all contributed to the creation of the informed and experimental home chef.

Consequently, ethnic restaurants and specialty food markets have grown rapidly in order to respond to a consumer base that wants more herbs, more spices, more ethnic foods and more varied produce. A subset to the grocery has been the growth of the green market, farmers markets and artisan food shops as found in San Francisco’s Ferry Terminal and New York’s Chelsea Market.

Likewise the well traveled consumer has sampled regional cooking styles from Nairobi to Miami. As they have dined out around the world they have brought back a fusion of tastes. Consequently, a new generation of themed restaurants, with an emphasis on basic fare, has evolved. Examples include national chains like Margarittaville, Cheesecake Factory, and P.F. Chang’s on the lower end of the spectrum and regional one-off establishments such as Spice Market and Buddha Kahn.

Third, the celebrity chef-restaurateur became in vogue. Names like Alice Waters, Alain Ducasse, Daniel Bouland, Thomas Keller and Joel Rubuchon became media celebrities and household names. These operator/chefs were quick to capitalize on their notoriety and opened new outposts in Las Vegas, New York, Paris, Los Angeles and London.

Fourth, a supermarket revolution has taken place over the past decade, with Whole Foods and Wegman’s leading the way. In response, traditional grocery stores like Publix and Kroger added new departments with fresh flowers, sushi stands, and more exotic produce and citrus offerings. With the availability of good ingredients, the consumer turned into their own version of the world traveled gourmet chef.

Fifth, and finally in the wake of the current recession, consumers have now returned to in-home dining with comfort food and the use of traditional brands. When they do dine out, they are often trading down to fast food over casual sit down restaurants.