Foodservice operators have a lot on their plates. Concerns about prices, traffic, and retention were often their main courses in 2024, but restaurants must still make room for menu innovation.
No matter the economic pressures, consumers want one simple thing from restaurants: something delicious. In 2025, “something delicious” will have a wide range of meanings depending on the consumer—from experimental flavors to indulgent comfort. Look ahead to next year to make sure your menu innovation is keeping up with consumer cravings.
Global Takeovers
There’s no better way to kick off our lookahead to 2025 than with global dishes and flavors. After all, when people open up their palates to new cuisines, they also develop a taste for new flavors, textures, and trends. In fact, all the 2025 trends we’re covering can be credited, at least in part, to the growth of these cuisines.
Eastern Eats: U.S. consumers are exploring more of the culinary delights East Asia has to offer. A richer array of Chinese ingredients are hitting menus, such as chili crisp. The ingredient's four-year menu growth is a whopping 1,533% according to Datassential. More dishes from South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam are also making waves.
Regional Mexican: Consumers are expanding their understanding of Mexican cuisine from burritos and fajitas to a variety of regional fare, like Tijuana-style birria, Oaxacan mole, and Veracruz-style fish.
Beyond-Basic Beverages: The beverage menu leads in innovation, taking inspiration from around the world. It’s hard to escape boba, but that’s not the only way to add a pop of flavor to drinks. Mango lassi and mangonada are growing sources of refreshment, growing 13% and 328% respectively on U.S. menus the past four years, according to Datassential.
We’ll dig deeper into 2025’s global culinary trends in another article coming soon.
Mmm… Umami
U.S. consumers are turning from sweet to savory. As diners discover the delights of umami across Asian cuisine, they’re seeking out more savoriness and depth of flavor. This will result in international ingredients like garum, bonito flakes, and miso appearing in more dishes.
Mushrooms are an umami powerhouse. Mushroom sales have increased 20% and are showing up in surprising places, like mushroom coffee, meat substitutes, and sushi. With so many different varieties and a large range of health benefits, mushrooms deliver on versatility and functionality.
Umami is also expanding to different parts of the menu. Desserts are becoming more complex and surprising with the addition of savory ingredients like matcha, tomatoes, and even meat.
Comfort Meets Chaos
If you thought tomatoes in desserts sounded strange, that’s nothing. Chaos cooking, popularized on TikTok, is pushing all the boundaries. Amateur foodies throw together whatever they find in their pantries and fridges to create both masterpieces and disasters.
Even if this is little more than TikTok noise, restaurants can’t ignore social media’s impact on how consumers eat. Chaos cooking and other fads are part of a larger trend—exploring new and exciting flavor combinations online.
Bringing together familiar comforts with surprising flavors is a recipe for indulgence and escapism. Why not make a cookie with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos? Or gochujang pasta? Or cereal-crusted chicken? Or a pickle milkshake? When comfort meets chaos, weird becomes wonderful.
Your Sourcing Solution
New but also familiar, exciting but also comforting, trendy but also nostalgic—restaurants must strike the right balance when menu planning. Dot offers resources to discover products, order samples, plan LTOs, and more for culinary success. Visit our website to learn more about trending products to update your menu.
What’s on your menu for 2025? Discover trending products for the new year.