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Food Management
Top 10 menu trend stories of 2020
Tara Fitzpatrick Nov 19, 2020

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Grab and go

These three words defined the year in foodservice more than anything else. Instead of an option, grab-and-go menu items that travel well became a necessity as dine-in rules were tightened up in different states at different times. That means bowls—as healthy as grilled veggie and as indulgent as shrimp and grits—are indispensable now, along with barbecue boxes, pizza and more.

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Chefs connect virtually

Over the summer, when Minneapolis Public Schools students were receiving meal boxes, school chef and trainer Rebecca Polson, C.C., SNS, jumped on the YouTube “unboxing” trend and made videos to help families use the items in the boxes, which included things like tamales, personal pizzas, ramen and more.

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Chicken Parm and other classic comforts

Dishes like chicken Parmesan in all its cheesy glory have been helping chefs nourish customers this year. And it’s not just chicken Parm…we are seeing comfort foods from around the world this year.

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Meal kits think outside the box

Boxes and bags loaded up with good nutrition, convenient heat-and-eat items, fresh produce, treats and more: meal kits are a great way to serve your customers in these crazy times.

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Time for chefs to develop, test menus

While downtime obviously isn’t good for business, when you’re in silver-lining mode, it can be a time for chefs to stop and contemplate new menu directions. That was the case over the summer at Elon University, where the Harvest Table Culinary Group created new bowls, biscuits, Chicago beef sandwiches, bao buns and a Low Country boil. 

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Sandwiches are the best

Civilization’s greatest portable food invention, sandwiches have had quite a few moments in 2020, from the amazing selections of FM’s Best Sandwiches contest to a K-12 chef developing global handheld menu to keep school lunch adventurous. We also saw the extension of a trend that began last year: crispy chicken sandwiches.

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Composed salads, grain bowls get it together, to go

As we look for silver linings, the return of composed salads like the Caesar, niçoise and Waldorf has been a bright spot. And in terms of wellness, the “power bowl” trend with grains, greens and lean proteins has only gotten stronger this year.

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How to help your customers with wellness

Chefs and dietitians agree—what you eat affects your overall wellness. While we all want comfort during this tumultuous year, now’s the time to take another look at healthy menu items, a true key to your customers’ wellness.

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Food truck cuisine returns, joined by electric carts, robots

Food truck cuisine (fun, funky, gourmet, global, regional and portable) first caught on about a decade ago, and then like anything, the novelty wore off a bit. The pandemic has brought a resurgence, plus the use of new tech like we’ve never seen before, such as the robots on campus at Bowling Green State University and projects like Sodexo’s The Stache electric cart at New Mexico State University. The Stache pops up on campus to give students socially distanced ways to get breakfast burritos (with the famous Hatch chiles, naturally!), salads, hummus plates, sandwiches and agua fresca.

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Back to basics with burgers

Streamlining, not downsizing. That’s how we’ve viewed pared down menus that save time and labor. Narrowing down a menu to top favorites allows you and your crew to execute those items better. And a perfectly done cheeseburger (animal- or plant-based) is always in fashion. A pop-up cookout by senior dining chef Eileen Goos, CDM, CFPP, director of dining at Presbyterian Communities. Through the in-house TV channel, residents followed the chef then got the burgers safely delivered.

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