- 1.20 Trendy Restaurant Menu Items to Add to Your Menu Right Now
- Comfort food
- Meat alternatives
- Herbs
- Seasonal dishes
- Customizable dishes
- Mocktails
- Yuzu desserts
- Anything chicken
- Pastries
- Ice cream
- All-day brunch food
- Fresh fruit
- Fermented drinks
- Plant-based entrees
- Locally sourced food
- Fusion dishes
- Whole-wheat pizza
- Kids menu
- Meal kits
- Bottled or canned cocktails
- 2.How to Easily Create and Update Your Menu in Minutes
The first thing that will distinguish your restaurant from the competition is a creative menu with delicious food made of quality ingredients. Don’t be afraid to play around with trendy restaurant menu items and you might just find your next big hit.
20 Trendy Restaurant Menu Items to Add to Your Menu Right Now
1. Comfort food
Who doesn’t like comfort food? As warm as a hug and reminiscent of childhood, hearty meals will always have a special place in our hearts.
Some classic comfort food ideas are:
- Chicken pot pie
- Fried chicken
- Meatloaf
- Mash potatoes
- Chicken parmesan
- Beef Wellington
- Lasagna
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Classic cheeseburger
- Mac and cheese
2. Meat alternatives
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From already popular restaurant menu items like the Beyond or Impossible burgers to less-known meat alternatives like breakfast sausages or seafood made from plants, menus are moving beyond meat.
And food is not the only item on the menu that comes with plant-based alternatives. Beverages like oat or almond milk have raised in popularity too.
3. Herbs
Some of the most popular restaurant dishes focus on health, which is why anti-inflammatory herbs and spices have captured people’s attention.
Some examples include:
- Cardamom
- Turmeric
- Ginseng
- Burnet
- Lemon balm
4. Seasonal dishes
The many benefits of seasonal menus make them a no-brainer when it comes to trendy restaurant menu items.
Serve your customers fresher food while lowering food costs and building long-term relationships with local suppliers. Seasonal dishes also enable creativity and ensure your customers won’t grow tired of your menu.
5. Customizable dishes
The most popular menu items are those that customers can personalize according to their wants and needs. They’re also extremely easy for you to implement.
All you need is a restaurant menu builder that allows you to add portion sizes, toppings, sides, add-ons, and extras to every menu item.
The video tutorial below shows you how easy it is to customize your menu items using GloriaFood:
6. Mocktails
If you don’t consume or are not in the mood for an alcoholic beverage, that doesn’t mean you should settle for water or a soft drink.
Mocktails are a great alternative to cocktails that more and more people are starting to embrace. They’re tasty, they look great, and they can boost your restaurant’s popularity, especially if you come up with your own unique recipes.
7. Yuzu desserts
Most popular in Korean and Japanese cuisines, this citrus fruit is quickly gaining popularity across the world due to its sour and tart flavor and strong floral fragrance.
Make it a staple of your desserts by serving Yuzu pie bars, Yuzu sorbet, or Yuzu pound cake. And remember, desserts are one of the biggest February food trends, so maybe save them for the colder months.
8. Anything chicken
If you were to think of unique restaurant food ideas, we bet you wouldn’t think of chicken. Despite that, some of the most popular menu items contain chicken.
Chicken dishes don’t have to be boring. Put a spin on classic chicken dishes by adding Latin-American, Italian, Moroccan, or Filipino flavors that will have people drooling even before they visit your restaurant.
9. Pastries
Pastries aren’t just for bakeries anymore. One in four Americans started eating more baked goods during the pandemic, and this is a trend likely to stay.
They are the perfect grab-and-go food for people who are in a hurry or want to savor a little treat with their morning coffee.
10. Ice cream
You can’t think of trendy restaurant menu items without adding ice cream to that list. A staple of the hot season, ice cream will boost your summer sales.
Even if you don’t typically serve it at your restaurant, you can open up a small kiosk or window that sells ice cream to passers-by.
11. All-day brunch food
Everyone loves brunch food, but they might not arrive at your restaurant in time for brunch hour. The solution? An all-day brunch menu.
To offer customers more variety, you can change your brunch menu every day. Here’s how easy it is to create a daily menu with GloriaFood:
12. Fresh fruit
From the countless health benefits of eating fruit to their versatility, it would be a pity not to include them in your restaurant menu.
Here are some unique restaurant menu items that include seasonal fruit:
- Strawberry corn salsa
- Balsamic goat cheese grilled plums
- Pear, apple, and celery salad
- Avocado fruit salad with tangerine vinaigrette
- Chili lime grilled pineapple
13. Fermented drinks
Fermented beverages like kombucha and tepache will allow you to reach a wider market who are all about consuming healthy food and drinks.
The good news about these drinks is they are perfect for delivery too if you’re thinking of expanding your business with a food delivery service.
14. Plant-based entrees
If you’re all about trendy restaurant menu items, you have to try some innovative plant-based entrees that will kick off your guests’ experience at your restaurant.
If you want to appeal to your health-conscious customers even further, add nutritional information to your dishes too.
15. Locally sourced food
If you’re capitalizing on restaurant seasonality, then you’re probably already taking advantage of locally sourced food.
This allows you to reduce food waste, and costs, and show customers you care about supporting local producers and being a part of the community.
16. Fusion dishes
Source: Shutterstock
Allow your chef to explore their creativity by brainstorming unique menu items that embrace elements of different cuisines and cultures.
One of the best ways to make your restaurant stand out is to have signature dishes that customers can’t find anywhere else. They will be clamoring to grab a table at your restaurant.
17. Whole-wheat pizza
Pizza made with whole-wheat flour is healthier than regular pizza due to its intake of fiber and whole grains, which get digested more slowly.
Have the best of both worlds by offering whole-wheat crust alternatives to all the pizzas on your menu. That way, customers can choose what they want to eat.
18. Kids menu
Especially if you own a family-friendly restaurant, but even if you don’t, consider offering some meals that cater specifically to kids.
How? By making them appealing to kids with cute shapes and decorations, but also to their parents by providing quality, nutritious meals.
19. Meal kits
Meal kits, particularly convenient solo meal kits, became quite popular during the pandemic when people were craving restaurant-quality ingredients and recipes, but all restaurants were closed.
However, they soon discovered it’s sometimes fun to put together your own meal, and it can be a bonding experience with friends and family. Delivering meal kits of your most popular restaurant menu items to their door can boost your online sales.
20. Bottled or canned cocktails
Another trendy menu item that is easy to deliver and can help you attract a new audience are to-go cocktails that people can enjoy in the comfort of their own homes.
Increase beverage sales by creating signature cocktails and limited-time drinks that both dine-in and delivery customers can enjoy.
How to Easily Create and Update Your Menu in Minutes
Making any change to your menu can be costly if you have to reprint it every time you add a new item. Let those worries go by creating an online menu that you can use to accept orders online and in-restaurant:
- Sign up for a free account with GloriaFood.
- Fill in basic information in your restaurant dashboard (address, opening hours, etc.)
- Use the simple drag-and-drop menu editor to create your dream menu.
- Publish the menu on your website to start accepting orders online.
- Turn your menu into a QR code to accept orders in-restaurant.
- Download the free order-taking app for iOS or Android to start taking orders today.
- Change up your restaurant menu as often as you want in just a few clicks to keep customers interested. The changes will show up immediately in your online and QR code menu.
Conclusion
Unique menu ideas can turn your restaurant from a run-of-the-mill eatery to the talk of the town. Alternate between the ideas above to keep customers on their toes and don’t forget to promote your trendy restaurant menu items on social media to get people talking.
