It’s a new year and with it come new ideas, new trends and new possibilities! Conagra Foodservice is here to share the top trends that you’ll see making an impact across all types of menus throughout this coming year.
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Caramel Apple Moscow Mule
Easy, delicious and the perfect way to dip your toes into the popularity of nonalcoholic beverages. Start with a familiar favorite, apple cider, and accent it with J. Hungerford Smith® Caramel Fudge Topping and cinnamon, and pour it into a Moscow mule mug filled with ice. Top it off with ginger beer and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks.
With a growing segment of consumers limiting their alcohol consumption, foodservice industry operators are expanding their nonalcoholic drink menus to keep up. In fact, in segments like online grocery purchasing, nonalcoholic beverage sales surged in the 12-month period between April 2021 and 2022.1 Considering these drinks can be priced at a premium versus more standard options, this is a great opportunity to boost your bottom line while driving business with more alcohol-free signature drinks.
Upstairs NYC (New York, NY)
Snooze Button: Cold brewed coffee accented with salted Thai young coconut mixed with sweetened cream
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Spicy Italian Sausage Mac and Cheese
For a spicy twist on a comforting classic, sauté Italian sausage, pepper flakes and garlic in a pot sprayed with PAM® Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cooking Spray, then add in pasta, Angela Mia® Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, oregano, water and butter. Finish by stirring in the cream and cheeses and your customers will definitely have a new favorite on your menu.
Nostalgia has, oddly enough, always been “in”. But as we move into a post-pandemic world, the foodservice industry has become more creative with what form that nostalgia can take. Gone are the days of classic flavors by themselves. Today’s operators are looking to fuse what was popular before with what is exciting now. That means we’ll continue seeing innovative recipes like noodle tacos and pizza burgers (and even new takes on those!) for quite some time.
Panera Bread (National)
Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese: A mashup of two classic dishes, featuring shell pasta in a blend of creamy cheese sauce and tangy white cheddar, simmered with seasoned broccoli and carrots.
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Crabless Po’ Boy
Crab-less and flavor-full, this irresistible dish combines Gardein® Plant-Based Cr’b Cakes with vegan mayonnaise and spiced up with Cajun seasoning and hot sauce all placed on a perfectly toasted hoagie bun topped with sliced tomato and freshly shredded lettuce.
As our industry continues to face issues like changing tastes and protein supply issues, we are constantly looking for new ways to not only meet that demand but improve the way we do things. That’s where plant-based proteins come in! The ways to utilize these alternative proteins are only getting better and more delicious as we innovate around them—especially when it comes to sandwiches. And that only makes demand for the incredible flavors grow as the years go on.
Native Foods (National)
BBQ Brisket Burger: Plant-based sliced brisket, signature burger patty, fried onion rings, plant-based provolone, Southern slaw, pickle chips, BBQ sauce, toasted pretzel bun.
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Spicy Singapore Noodle Bowl
Savory sirloin steak cooked up with ginger, garlic and La Choy® Stir-Fry Vegetables all coated with an amazing sauce created with cumin, hot chili sauce, La Choy® Soy Sauce and red pepper flakes for a delicious kick. Serve it with your customers’ favorite La Choy® Rice Noodles and you’ve got an irresistible dish everyone will absolutely love!
Flavors and fare from across the world have routinely had their time in the sun and now it’s Southeast Asia’s turn! We will, of course, be seeing the staples from this region like noodles and rice, but keep your eyes peeled for inventive uses of popular ingredients as well as lesser-known options like nuoc cham and satay.
MOPHO (New Orleans, LA)
MOPHO Queso To Go: Lemongrass sausage with American and mozzarella cheeses. Served with roti bread, shrimp chips, and cracklings.