Revealing the Top 8 Menu Trends of 2024

Diving into the Future of Menus

Today’s chefs are tasked with serving more with less. Diners are increasingly craving memorable dining experiences, complete with savory meals, refreshing beverages, and engaging entertainment. Yet, fulfilling all these desires is made harder by rising ingredient costs, labor shortages, and escalating operational expenses. This necessitates innovative approaches to produce standout dishes. Staying on top of current menu trends is crucial, but also a difficult task in a digital age where social media trends emerge and fade rapidly.

The culinary trends that have been quietly emerging the past few years, from locally sourced ingredients to modernized comfort foods, continue to gain traction and staying power. This year, Unilever Food Solutions (UFS)—a global leader in the professional food service industry—published its second-ever Future Menu Trends report, spotlighting eight of the most significant global culinary trends. These trends were thoroughly researched and confirmed through the insights of over 1,600 chefs across 21 countries.

Those trends are:

1. Flavor Shock

The “no rules” experience. There’s a craving for bold fusion, eclectic cooking styles, and an unrestricted approach to menu offerings. People are eager for chefs to break away from traditional culinary expectations and innovate, like incorporating traditional Mexican sauces like salsa poblana into contemporary dishes, such as burgers. The concept of multiple kushi or skewers also provides a perfect canvas for this trend, according to the report, as it weaves together an array of textures and tastes in a single dish.

2. Plant-Powered Proteins

“Flexitarian” eating is on the rise amid a growing interest in exploring new culinary dishes centered on plant-rich proteins like beans, legumes, and vegetables, all while slowly reducing the amount of animal product going into dishes. The focus is on expanding perspectives to honor the versatility and appeal of plant-based ingredients in captivating ways.

“Operators aim to differentiate their menus with unique flavor combinations and interactive dining experiences. This is especially challenging when creating plant-forward dishes for a market that predominantly prefers meat,” says chef Joanne Limoanco-Gendrano, a Dubai-based executive chef of UFS in the Middle East, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

3. Local Abundance

This is all about celebrating local produce and staying close to nature. Consumers are wanting to see restaurants embracing their communities, both inside the kitchen and outside your four walls. An illuminating figure: Over three quarters (77 percent) of Gen Z diners and 70 percent of Baby Boomers are willing to pay more for dishes with locally sourced ingredients.

“You have to accept that local vegetables will be more expensive, but you need to upsell them to end customers,” advises Patrick Chan, CEO of Kitchen Haus Group.

4. Low-Waste Menus

The rising cost of produce means chefs have to be resourceful about maximizing the potential of ingredients, and creating unique food stories that bring communities together. Research shows profitability is the main reason chefs embrace this trend, while 54 percent do so to be more sustainable. Any ingredients you’re able to cross-utilize across dishes and reduce waste translates to more dollars on the plate, notes Brandon Collins, executive chef for UFS North America.

“Utilising would-be waste provides excitement for customers and also forces us chefs to be more creative and adventurous,” he continues. “One of the very first ways that I got into utilizing waste was thinking about the things that I knew were edible. Cores of cauliflower, broccoli stems, mundane things that we often throw out can be turned into soups. Or perhaps take those stems and slice and pickle them.”

Collins adds, “One of the things that I’ve done with banana peels is dice them really small, mix them with vinegar, sugar, and a little bit of jalapeño, and then use it over oysters. It became a cool mignonette sauce. Super simple, but it brought that beautiful fruitiness of the banana out.”

5. Irresistible Vegetables

Almost half of all chefs see this trend as a way to offer something new and different to diners, plus stand out from competitors. Consumers are looking for meals that provide both nutritional value and visual intrigue, and incorporating vegetables might just be the solution to meeting this demand.

Veggies allow cooking to become an artform, where chefs are able to create vibrant and picturesque plates that excite diners and leave them feeling inspired, the report reveals. It can transform a dish from something lackluster and beige, to bright and brilliant.

6. Modernized Comfort Food

The concept of comfort food is evolving. Traditional views of comfort food as familiar and reassuring are being replaced by innovative recipes that showcase the chef’s background and the local culture of the restaurant. By weaving in rich narratives and the chef’s personal connection to their creations, guests are introduced to unique and fresh dining experiences that are both emotionally resonant and distinctively flavorful. 

Chefs, restaurateurs, and recipe creators around the world are rediscovering local traditions, and reimagining dishes by looking to history for fresh ideas in an industry that increasingly demands authenticity, the report states, presenting recipes for dishes like lamb shank fatteh, fresh vegetable “lumpia” with peanut sauce and pickled radish, torched barbecue pork with mala lotus root slices and preserved plum, and more.

7. Feel-Good Food

This year is centered around the concept of feeling good and holistic wellbeing. The idea of “healthy options” is set for a makeover; lettuce-based salads are old news, and alternative veggie and nutritional grains, lentils, and complete proteins like eggs are in. By stepping out of conventional boundaries, chefs and operators have the opportunity to create extraordinary and surprising meals that are nutrient-dense, visually appealing, and delicious.

A fairly new product for diners is Kefir, a microbe-rich dairy product has been fermented for over 2,000 years, the UFS study reports. These microscopic populations of bacteria are thought to be essential for improving digestion and lowering cholesterol. Exploring the world of nutrient-dense mushrooms is also in vogue, as these fungi can bring unique umami flavors, textures, and diverse profiles into various recipes.

8. The New Sharing

Good food brings people together, and diners are continuing to look for more ways to connect with others post-pandemic. That means presenting unique, playful, and multi-sensory dining experiences, like stunning boards that blend different cuisines. There’s a chance to share meals in a way that sparks natural conversations and fosters a feeling of community.