Birria, even more chicken wings and other restaurant trends for 2024
Del Taco was ahead of the curve when it introduced birria ramen last month.
The combination of beef stew and Japanese noodles is in line with predictions by the National Restaurant Association in its “What’s Hot 2024 Culinary Forecast.”
Soups and stews “indicate our need for comfort and for healthful, economical foods that show up in a bowl,” according to Helen Jane Hearn, senior director of enterprise programs for the trade group.
The report is devided into several sections, but in a phone interview Hearn said several themes run through them.
Among them are the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and supply shortages that forced people to make due with ingredients they could get, changing people’s tastes. She also sees a desire for healthier ingredients and sweets with less sugar.
And popular foods reflect the impact of TikTok, which Hearn said works two ways.
“I think what’s also interesting is how much TikTok has come to influence restaurant menus, both that they’re sharing their menus and that restaurants are being inspired by TikTok.”
The forecast is based on a survey taken in October of more than 1,500 culinary professionals. They were asked to weigh in on a list of 120 food items and macro trends compiled by the association.
Hearn said most of this year’s participants were chefs employed by large chains.
Southern California is home to a lot of restaurant chains as well as a diverse population with wide tastes. Some items on the list, such as birria, are already familiar here or are already enjoying long term success.
“We’re talking about trends that are hitting the mainstream or already in the mainstream,” said Hearn.
Here are some of the key topics in the report.
Top dishes
“World stage soups and stews” topped this year’s trends list with such items chicken tom kha, a Thai coconut soup, the southeast Asian soup laksa, the Andalusian soup salmorejo and upscale ramen.
First among them was birria, meat stew originated in Jalisco, according to Jeremias Aguayo, senior director for Culinary Research & Development at Del Taco. Birria emerged from taco shops and trucks three or four years ago, he said, and its popularity was spread by social media such as TikTok.
Del Taco laid claim to being the first quick service chain to serve ramen, but it wasn’t the first chain out of the gate with birria. Taco Bell introduced a taco with birria-inspired dipping sauce for a limited time, and El Pollo Loco debuted its take on birria in 2022.
Restaurants are using birria to elevate tacos, nachos, poutine and pasta, according to the report. Hearn says it could become a big thing, like Nashville Hot Chicken.
“Birria is right behind Nashville hot. I kind of think of it as Tex Mex in the ’80s. That was a regional flavor that went national, and that’s where we are with Nashville hot.”
Chicken wings have been a go-to snack for as long as anyone can remember, but experts still see room for growth. Popeyes added them to its menu in November, and the Bay Area chain Starbird Chicken has expanded into Southern California with such flavors as Sweet Thai wings topped with shallots and “Korean Chicken Parm.” Its chicken is twice-cooked, the Korean way.
Chicken wings were devoured during supply shortages during the pandemic, according to Hearn, and now restaurants are looking for ways to keep them interesting.
“There’s been an evolution in the flavors of chicken wings over the last year or two years, because they were available when other cuts of chicken weren’t,” she said.
Cooked and grilled cheeses made the list as sharable comfort foods. They include queso fundido, which is featured at Dinsey California Adventure’s Festival of Holidays food fest this year; provoleta, a grilled variation on provolone from Argentina; and raclette from Switzerland.
The report also expects stuffed vegetables such as cabbage rolls and chiles en nogada to be popular.
Top flavors
Nashville Hot, although by now embedded in culture, topped the list. It is followed by Everything Bagel Seasoning, a mxture of things that are used to top bagels, such as like poppy seeds, sesame seeds and dried onioin and garlic. It can be sprinkled on such things as avocado toast, salmon and deviled eggs.
“With all of the supply chain challenges during the pandemic, Everything Bagel Spice happened as a way to use what you have,” said Hearn.
Chefs also liked agave syrup as an alternative sweeter and hibiscus as a versatile ingredient.
Top beverages
Nitro cold brew is cold-brewed coffee infused with nitrogen gas to give it a bubbly, creamy texture.
“Folks like that it’s naturally sweeter without the addition of a sweetener,” said Hearn. “And it also gives you that extra caffeine punch. It hits where you want to have something a little sweeter without having to take the calories from it.”
Cold brew has been gaining traction, moving beyond Starbucks to chains like Farmer Boys and Wendy’s, which offered a Frosty-flavored cold brew earlier this year.
Cold brews are often accompanied by cold foam, a topping that Hearn called a lighter take on whipped cream. Starbucks offered four holiday flavors to customize its beverages this season: Peppermint Chocolate Cream, Sugar Cookie Cream, Chestnut Praline Cream and Caramel Brulée Cream.
And Taco Bell has been testing frozen coffee and milkshakes topped with cold foam at two locations in Orange County.
As for alcoholic beverages, the association’s experts like hard coffees and botanical cocktails with recognizable natural elements for 2024.