Bidfood identifies southern US and Turkish cuisine among dining trends

Southern US, Turkish and Greek cuisine are among the upcoming out-of-home dining trends, according to food and beverage wholesaler Bidfood.

The supplier teamed up with CGA by NIQ to question 2,000 adults for its 2025 Food and Drink Trends survey, which revealed that this year’s trends are influenced by consumers’ desires to make healthier and sustainable choices, as well as emotional drivers such as comfort, tradition, reward and sharing.

Six key trends for 2025

Flavours less travelled was a key market driver, with 55% looking to explore these flavours when eating out. Cuisines including the southern US, Turkish, Greek, Argentinian, Portuguese and Swiss have all gained momentum.

Closer to home also found favour, with 43% of consumers interested in trying Scottish, Welsh and Irish cuisine, opting for flavours that are traditional but different to English classics, citing dishes’ comforting nature and their desire to support British suppliers.

Buns and bowls was about on-the-go options. More than 40% of consumers already eat wraps and cakes when out of home, with lesser-eaten options such as poké, Buddha bowls, acai bowls and chia pots increasing in popularity, coupled with a desire for hot and cold premium sandwiches.

Friendly fibre identified healthy eating as a trend, with 38% of consumers believing that high-fibre foods can taste good.

Proactive practices showed that consumers are conscious of environmental impact, where seven in 10 said sustainability was an important factor when deciding which out-of-home venue to visit. Areas that consumers are most interested to see operators engage with are food waste, carbon reduction, seasonality, certifications, regenerative farming and sustainable seafood.

’Chocolicious’ dominated the hot drinks and dessert category, with consumers looking for affordable luxuries when they eat out and more than 80% seeing chocolate as an affordable treat.

Bidfood’s beverage business Unity also reported that while total on-trade alcohol sales were down 2.2% year-on-year, drinks categories seeing growth included draught premium lager, low- and no-alcohol, stout, cream liqueurs and ready-to-drink cocktails.

Catherine Hinchcliff, head of corporate marketing and insight at Bidfood, said: “It’s great to see that this year’s trends are shaped by consumers’ eagerness to experiment and try something new, along with their desire for indulgence, premiumisation and comfort. This will allow chefs to showcase their creative skills, while providing operators the opportunity to increase margin.

“Encouraging sustainable practices remains incredibly important for us as a business, and so it is reassuring to see this reflected within the trends this year. Similarly, gut health is also emerging as a key area of interest to consumers in 2025, something we feel well equipped for with our expert nutrition team on hand to support with implementing this trend.”

The full Food and Drink Trends 2025 guide is available to read here.