By Kacey Bradley
Your hotel or resort recommends local dining, stocks popular snacks and hosts an in-house restaurant. With shifts in how people choose food and prefer to be served, evaluating guests' needs and desires is crucial in the hospitality industry.
Prepare to accommodate guests by brushing up on the latest food trends. From convenient digital ordering to yolk-covered meals, there are plenty of innovative and imaginative switches underway. Here are nine promising food trends you can watch for in 2019.
1. Self-Service Kiosks
As guests opt for fast and effortless meals, hotels and restaurants are offering kiosks to cut down on time-intensive interactions. Without face-to-face service, people receive their food and drinks quickly. Accessibility is also a major advantage for these stations.
2. Beef Jerky
Meat snacks have been revamped in recent years, adding more products than traditional sticks and bite-sized pieces. Now, more brands, flavors and options are flooding the food industry. Beef jerky is a hot commodity because it's easy to eat on-the-go and offers plenty of protein.
Satisfying whole-muscle jerky is another nutritional option for retailers to provide their customers with. From spicy options to sweet ones, people can pick their preference for an easily filling snack.
3. Gourmet Doughnuts
The doughnut fad isn't surprising, as plenty of pastry shops have been stepping up their game with rare flavors and toppings. However, the current culinary move is to use them as substitutes to create unique foods.
Whether as sandwiches or nachos, gourmet doughnuts have taken a dramatic turn. Some bakeries and restaurants started catering to adventurous crowds with savory fillings and salty toppings, and the trend continues to appeal to customers.
4. Egg-Topped Dishes
Breaking an egg yolk over a meal is enjoyable for patrons, but the kinds of food that are featuring an egg on top has spread beyond the typical. From pizza and salad to oatmeal and rice bowls, customers are eating eggs on new dishes.
5. Sour Cuisine
Leading with the kombucha craze, you can see sour flavors overtaking menus in 2019. As a gut-regulating beverage, kombucha was just the beginning of the desire for tart foods and drinks.
Korean cuisine is inspiring unique flavors in popular dining, and kimchi is one-way consumers are adopting sour dishes. Fermented foods are a widespread form of the sour trend, but other bold vinegar-based items are catching on, too.
6. Flower Garnishes
While plant-based diets are popular, a specific decorative trend is circulating in restaurants. Chefs are placing edible blooms on salads, artisan toast and desserts. Zucchini blossoms and violets can dress up meals and act as a novelty for foodies. Cocktails are also involved in this trend, as pretty garnishes are going botanical.
7. Mobile Payments
Digital and mobile payment options are eliminating cash transactions in dining and hospitality venues. Counting out change and keeping track of bills adds to delays and causes lines to grow. As cash becomes outdated, businesses are prioritizing speedy payment technology.
Mobile prepay allows customers to bypass lines and expedite the process, which promotes efficiency for an establishment. Smartphone apps unique to restaurants and hotels give customers an incentive to switch to mobile payments if they aren't already on board.
8. Reduced Waste
Hotels and resorts are taking pains to limit their food and water waste, and consumers are positively responding to these eco-friendly efforts.
Disposing of extra food is common in the hotel industry due to buffets or overproduction, but many establishments are finding ways to donate or repurpose excess items. This approach saves money and attracts environmentally conscious guests.
9. Hummus
Taking center stage, unusual varieties of hummus are making it more than an appetizer. Some cooks are using garbanzo bean-based mixtures in surprising ways. Recently introduced to the dining scene, hummus milkshakes are enticing customers. Dessert hummus is also sweeping through restaurants in flavors like snickerdoodle, brownie batter, red velvet and chocolate chip cookie dough.
Stay up to Date on Food and Beverage Trends As people place greater emphasis on food during their travels, offering the right options to your hotel or resort's clientele is vital. Provide delicious snacks and enjoyable dining experiences for your guests to keep up with the trends. Propel your hotel forward with relevant and appealing foods this year.
