Future menu trends identified as mixing tradition with innovation

Upcoming menus will reflect trends comprising borderless cuisine, street food couture, dine and design and modernised comfort food, according to the latest research by Unilever Food Solutions.

The supplier’s third annual Future Menus report highlighted those four themes as appealing to Gen Z diners, which could help operators to keep their businesses relevant, drive footfall and unlock spend.

The research combined insight from Unilever Food Solution’s 250+ internal chefs, with information from more than 300 million internet searches and interviews with 1,600 culinary professionals. With results tailored specifically to the UK hospitality market, Gen Z was identified as craving exciting dining experiences that are personalised, globally inspired and shareable.

During a presentation on the report at this week’s HRC trade show in London’s Excel, Paul Foster, chef owner at Michelin-starred Salt Restaurant in Stratford-upon-Avon, analysed the study and was on hand to offer practical advice to other operators looking to incorporate these trends into their dishes.

The first theme, borderless cuisine, noted that globalisation and migration are blending diverse food traditions as chefs honour their multicultural origins. Foster said: “It’s not just a mashup of flavours, it’s integrating techniques, spice profiles, flavour profiles and presentation.”

He gave examples of adding miso into ice-cream for extra layers of flavour, putting gochujang into a classic stew or fermenting citruses. “It’s not about re-engineering the menu, this trend could be brought to life in mainstream menus in really subtle ways,” he said. “You can use fermentation methods from around the world, traditional ageing techniques that we wouldn’t usually use in our country, curing different citruses like yuzu or calamansi limes, or little enhancements like basic salads with kimchi.”

The street food couture trend is about elevating street food offerings to gourmet standards. Foster believes this can be put into practice by reimagining street food classics using premium ingredients, suggesting adding smoky flavours, creating a gourmet mac and cheese or transforming a taco into a canapé by using alternative flours. “Elevating that street food experience doesn’t have to be challenging, just exciting,” he said. “We can innovate without overcomplicating the service, so we can keep high standards.”

The third theme, diner designed, identified the growing demand for personalised and immersive dining experiences. Foster summarised: “It’s about transforming dining from a passive act into something that’s more engaging and multi-sensory. People want to be co-creators of their meal, so you could utilise a ‘build your own’ station but prep everything in advance to maintain standards with that customisation.” He further suggested allowing diners to plate their own meals or moving guests around the dining room to serve them different courses.

The final trend, modernised comfort food, covers everything from nostalgic dishes that feel safe, to recipes familiar to chef heritage and regional classics. Foster said that at Salt, this is demonstrated in his reworking of a traditional spaghetti bolognaise, swapping mince for slow cooked, diced pork skin. “It’s a great way of utilising our waste but it gives this comforting, very gelatinous texture, which means everyone can associate with it, but it’s elevated.

“Modernised comfort food offers operators a strategic advantage by appealing to a wide audience, people who know and can associate with that food, but with a fresh spin. For me, it’s about striking that perfect balance between creativity and practicality, whilst maintaining consistency and efficiency during service.”

To further assist operators, Unilever Food Solutions is developing an AI tool which can analyse a menu and allocate it a Gen Z acceptance score. The technology encompasses data from 30,000 strong recipe database, developed by the firm’s chefs, and the Future Menus insight.

Stuart Jeffrey, the company’s UKI/ANZ marketing director, said: “The acceptance score tells you how ready you are to win with this really key high spend demographic, and the tool gives you suggestions on how to improve your menu.

“The recipes you get out of this model have all been seen by a chef, and then the AI is able to give you some extensions to that or adaptations to that.”

The tool is scheduled to be available in the next few months.