How often do you eat out? If you are a restaurant regular, you will easily notice that menus are constantly changing. It might be difficult to have a clear idea of the different trends as you cannot go to every British restaurant. Luckily, Menurama helps us understand what is currently happening in the catering industry.
This survey analysed the menus of 116 branded hotels, pubs and restaurant in the UK.
When it comes to burgers, they are not as popular as they used to be but they are still the British number one main course!
The report informs us that the number of restaurants offering burgers has dropped by 17%. Taking this on board, chefs are adapting to this change: constantly improving and updating their recipes, they are adding original ingredients to make new and attractive burgers.
For instance, our client Byron offers a Miami Slice, a 6oz burger with potatoes, salami, cheese, smoked paprika ketchup in a sourdough bun. Alternatively, if you prefer a more Mediterranean taste, try the ‘Lambshank Redemption burger’ by Patty and Bun!
It becomes clear that American dishes are more popular year after year. This is reflected by a more dominant presence of pork ribs (+15%) on menus, and the number of premises offering hot-dogs (+ 86%) compared to last year.
Having said this, it is not surprising to often see huge queues in front of Five Guys, given that they offer both burgers and hot-dogs. This is a perfect example of a business adapting to the current trend…
And what about other trends?
Indeed, you might not be the biggest fan of burgers, hot-dogs and pork ribs… Rest assured, venues do offer healthier options for those that want to count the calories! You can now easily find sharing dishes (+64% since summer 2013), these are a great way of halving those calories and your bill.
Concerned about food allergies?
Eating out today has become much easier. The term ‘gluten-free’ was found on 8% more menus, and ‘Free-from’ dishes have risen by 9% since summer 2013.
Surely this trend will gather pace as all restaurants will now have to be transparent about the ingredients they use to prepare every meal (especially food allergens)!
You can read more about food allergens here