Restaurant operators, hit hard by the recession, scramble to find offerings that incorporate new ingredients and presentations, an acceptable price point and previously underserved dayparts--all while trying to guess what the next hot trend will be.
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.
Though dining-out frequency in the U.S. restaurant industry is finally showing signs of stabilization, rising food costs, liquidity issues due to recession-ravaged company balance sheets and a level of consumer frugality that still has not abated threaten the industry's fledgling recovery, according to a new study by AlixPartners LLP, the global business-advisory firm.
Leading restaurants have begun celebrating the arrival of spring and warmer weather by adding lighter dishes, seasonings and sauces, according to foodservice consultants Technomic.