Menu Matters

When I travel, I often travel alone so finding restaurants and bars that will feel comfortable for a solo diner is always a key objective. This past Friday, I had breakfast at . After I ordered my food, the waiter informed me that every solo diner is welcome to a complimentary glass of champagne. What a simple but lovely way to make a solo diner feel that it's more of an event to be celebrated rather than an unfortunate situation (which is often the case). It's not necessary for other bars and restaurants to do the same thing but as solo dining grows it's important to find ways to make these diners feel welcome, valued and taken care of. The team.of Balthazar did just that.

A few more finds from the Summer Fancy Food Show included plenty of beverage innovation (Indian-inspired flavors, rethinking what water can be by including rice, milder kombucha), coffee (4-ingredient pecan milk, saffron creamer, coffee chews, coffee lemonade), America-themed products, products calling out chefs or being chef crafted, and a number of trends (Dubai chocolate everywhere, hot creamed honey, charred corn ribs). More on our LinkedIn.

Some of our Fancy Food Show finds part one, featuring unique ingredients (noni berry, cascara, sacha inchi, golden berries, pitahaya, osmanthus, chrysanthemum, longan, soursop, baobab, mastic), a sense of place (Appalachia, a rocking chair, mountains and sea, the Atlantic Ocean, Peru, sun baking earthen pots in India, meadows, the West Indies, the Scottish highlands, Asheville), and function (low GI, calming, donations, removing the crust, less mess). Stay tuned for part two.

Spending some quality time in New Orleans with my brother ahead of . And, as always, have enjoyed some great food and drinks. We started at with their Loaded Korean Hot Fries and Chikee-Parn Fries. Thursday morning, I barely made it to before the sky opened up. Thankfully, I warmed up with a delicious scone and some coffee. After holding up in my oh so comfy room at while it rained buckets for hours, I took a walk and ended up at where the food was fantastic, the beverages absolutely too notch but the service was really the star!

Our 2025 Consumer Need States are here! This is your chance to think about the big picture. What do consumers need right now? How can we create concepts, menu items, and products that speak to their core desires? How do we create ideas that resonate and matter?

Discover our 2025 Consumer Need State of the Year, find five ways to solve for that key consumer demand, and dive into the flavors and ingredients that can inspire your innovation efforts in the year ahead and beyond.

Check out menumatters2025trends.com or visit the link in the bio.