Leading hospitality consulting firms af&co. and Carbonate have debuted their 14th annual hospitality trends report, which explores the influences in food, beverage, hotels, and more that will shape the year to come. The theme of this year’s report, 'Through the Looking Glass: Finding Your Way in a New Era of Hospitality,' reflects the topsy-turvy nature of the last two years, with the ground constantly shifting beneath our feet, and the need to chart a novel path forward in this strange new world. Take a look at some of their favorite trends from this year’s report below.
Hottest Dish of the Year: Laksa
One of Singapore’s most well-known signature dishes, Laksa combines the best of the Far and South East in a noodle soup filled with an amalgam of fragrant, funky, spicy flavors.
Photo courtesy of Dabao Singapore
The popular Dabao Singapore pop-up has a bi-weekly changing menu, but the laksa is the signature dish upon which they built their reputation (and never leaves the menu).
Dessert of the Year: Shaved Ice
Shaved Ice desserts are popular across many cultures, in numerous variations, and known by myriad names—from Halo Halo in the Philippines, to Kakigori in Japan, Bingsu in Korea, shave ice in Hawaii, and more. Traditionally finished with toppings such as chopped fruit and condensed milk, some chefs are introducing new ingredients and flavors from salted caramel, to espresso syrup, and more.
Cuisine of the Year: Caribbean
“Caribbean” is a catch-all term for the islands of the West Indies and the Caribbean Sea. Caribbean cuisine is taking the stage as chefs explore the diverse range of flavors, ingredients, and culinary influences of this vibrant region.
Pork Tenderloin Pernil Style | Photo: Dana Plucinski
Sobre Mesa (Oakland, CA) features Afro-Latino cooking influenced by the chef’s Dominican roots, Cuba, Puerto Rico and other Caribbean countries.
Cuisine on the Rise: Indian
Whether spotlighting the culinary nuances of India’s many diverse regions, putting a modern spin on time-honored dishes, or showcasing traditional recipes and cooking techniques, Indian cuisine is rising in prominence across the country. Chefs are delving deeply into its rich and vibrant foodways , boldly championing lesser-known dishes or ingredients that push the boundaries of what many in the States have tasted.
Would you Like A Side of History With That?
Questions about where our food comes from have gotten much more complex as chefs and artisan food producers of color have started to dig deep into very specific regional culinary traditions to bring back ingredients and techniques that have been misappropriated or all-but disappeared.
Photo: Owamni
Owamni by The Sioux Chef (Minneapolis, MN) serves modern indigenous cuisine “without colonial ingredients such as wheat flour, cane sugar and dairy” to present a “decolonized” dining experience.
Empanadas: The New Hot Pockets
From Argentina, with its flaky pastry wrapping, to Colombia with its cornmeal masa coating fried to a golden crisp, empanadas have taken hold, grabbing the 8th top spot in GrubHub’s “State of the Plate” report on the most popular foods during the first half of 2021.
This Bubble Won’t Burst
Already a cultural phenomenon across Asia, Bubble Tea has taken hold in the US—especially amongst Gen Z. This has led to the rapid expansion of brands in the category, and the cross-over addition of flavor-filled bubbles to other sweet drinks at major chains such as Dunkin and Sonic.
The Smoothie in the Cuzzi
After years of hazy IPAs, some beer makers are looking for something a little smoother with “smoothie” or “slushy” style beers that have a thicker texture. These sweet sounding brews are actually based on sours and packed with fruit puree after the first fermentation, creating a thick smoothie or slushy-like consistency with a lot of fruit flavor.
Photo: 450 North
450 North Brewing Company (Columbus, Indiana) offers 10 slushy style beers including their PB&J Slushy, a smoothie style sour ale with blackberry, banana, grape, peanut butter & marshmallow.
Global Gins, Local Flavors
It might not carry the cache of whiskey with its barrel aging, but Gin is gaining steam and distillers around the world are producing unique gins based on their own local flavor profiles.
Retro Motels For The Modern Age
With the increased popularity of road trips in lieu of flying, and no crowded lobbies, corridors, or elevators in which to congregate, motels have suddenly become the perfect pandemic-era lodging. Both individual operators and major hotel brands have taken to restoring mid-century motor-lodges, and building new ones decked out in retro decor, to tap into the nostalgia of “the great American road trips” of the 1950s, 60s & 70s.
Photo: Calistoga Motor Lodge
Calistoga Motor Lodge (Calistoga, CA) debuted several new rooms in their elevated retro motor lodge aesthetic.
Room Service, Outsourced & Delivered
Many hotels are turning to third-party providers to take over foodservice operations, and run virtual brands from their underutilized kitchen space. These concepts service hotel guests for in-room dining, and are often available for delivery to the surrounding community via platforms such as Grubhub and UberEats.
A House Divided Cannot Stand
Restaurants are adopting more flexible service models, even eschewing the traditional division between front and back of house in some cases and cross-training staff to take on multiple roles. The new service model helps encourage equality in compensation, eliminates hierarchy, and helps protect against being short staffed (especially during a labor shortage).
Loyalty Programs, Old & New
Restaurants are turning to platforms that can seamlessly facilitate digital loyalty programs—such as new versions of a classic “house account” through inKind or apps that allow users to earn rewards.
Photo: Snackpass
Popular amongst Gen Z, Snackpass is a social ordering platform for restaurants that has a built-in loyalty program where users can collect points, gift them to friends, and redeem them for free food/drink.
Employer Branding Becomes Essential
In order to attract and retain top talent, operators must both create competitive compensation packages, and foster a positive company culture rooted in empathy and opportunity.
Hungry for more intel? Tune in live as company founders Andrew Freeman and Candace MacDonald present a dynamic look at this year’s full report: Thursday, November 18, 11am PT / 2pm ET. RSVP here.
Finally, this year, af&co. and Carbonate will use the release of the trends report to raise funds for two charitable organizations that support women in the hospitality industry: The LEE Initiative’s Women Culinary and Spirits Program and the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. af&co. and Carbonate have committed to matching up to $5,000 in donations per charity, which means a possible $10,000 donation to each organization. Donations can be made directly to either organization through custom links here.
