Nominations for the 2010 Spirit of Innovation Awards were all excellent examples of the teamwork crucial to innovation, the very concept the awards were created to reward. This year saw major and minor companies alike align to create innovative new products and push the boundaries of innovation.

American chefs have taken some of the world's signature street foods, such as tapas, and reinvented them for their restaurants. Starters allow chefs to be playful, creative, experimental and whimsical.  Chefs are taking street foods from other parts of the world and putting their own spin on them. 

Restaurateurs need to inform customers of their sustainable restaurant practices both to strengthen menu prices and encourage patronage.

The recent recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) confirmed what Mintel's research and consumers have already been suggesting: restaurants need healthier menus.

With a drive-through seemingly on every corner, you might think the market for burgers long ago reached saturation. However, the fastest-growing restaurant chain in America last year was Five Guys, which specializes in double-pattied behemoths the size of a softball.

Prepared food products manufactured by food processing companies play an important role in many restaurants, where every laborer is not a chef, and meals have to be consistently good and served quickly. Additionally, foods provided in shelf-stable packages offer advantages, including safe handling, compact storage, higher yields, increased efficiency of labor and lower waste disposal costs.