Source: Dani Friedland, MEATINGPLACE, 12/6/13


Next year, restaurants will be all about local sourcing, environmental sustainability, and nutrition, according to predictions released by the National Restaurant Association.

The number one trend predicted in the survey is locally sourced meat and seafood, while environmental sustainability came in third, children's nutrition came in in seventh place, and farm/estate-branded items barely made it into the top ten.

Environmental sustainability was also the most popular choice for the hottest menu trend 10 years from now, followed by local sourcing, health and nutrition, children's nutrition, and gluten-free cuisine.

When it comes to the perception of trendiness, nose-to-tail and root-to-stalk cooking was a popular choice, along with pickling, ramen, dark greens and Southeast Asian fare. Meanwhile, grass-fed beef, new cuts of meat, Greek yogurt, sweet potato fries and organic coffee saw the five largest drops in their relative trendiness ratings; of that list, new cuts placed third and grass-fed beef placed fourth.

The chefs surveyed said they expect the perennial trends of fried chicken, Italian food, frying, barbecue and eggs Benedict to be big next year, while foam/froth/air, bacon-flavored chocolate, fish offal, gazpacho and children's items in fun shapes are evidently waning in popularity.

The group surveys nearly 1,300 professional chefs who are members of the American Culinary Federation to derive its annual trend forecast. Click here to find out more about their forecast for next year.

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