For a lot of chefs and national account operators, innovation means marrying premier products with cutting-edge trends to create flavor combinations that make diners swoon. This marriage was at full display at this year’s Innovations, Dot Foods’ annual trade show.
One area where hot trends were at full force was our food truck lunch. There, some of our suppliers showed off their products through a wide range of dishes and treats. Let’s see what these tasty food truck menus revealed about current trends.
Going Global
According to Technomic’s Industry Insights Report for the week of January 18, 2021, over 50 percent of consumers are trying more international foods and beverages now than two years ago. At Innovations, we saw food trucks combining multiple regions and multiple trends into the same menu or even the same menu item.
Latin Twists: Two suppliers offered different takes on Latin favorites.
GLK Foods filled their street tacos with pulled pork and Cotija, a crumbly Mexican cheese that has seen impressive growth on U.S. menus. They also included pickled red onions. Pickled vegetables and fruits have surged in popularity as consumers become more invested in their gut health.
Kikkoman brought together Japanese and Mexican cultures with their unique spin on esquites, or street corn. The roasted corn was served with both Cotija cheese and togarashi, a Japanese spice blend. The corn also came with sweet soy miso butter, capitalizing on the growing popularity of miso and the flavored butter trend.
Mediterranean Classics: New interpretations are great, but there’s nothing wrong with sticking to tradition. Kronos gave us Levantine chicken shawarma and Greek lamb and beef gyros with tzatziki sauce. The classic fare was served on fluffy pita bread.
Remixed Comforts
From huge pizza sales to the chicken sandwich wars, comfort food has been a strong force in the foodservice industry the past year. But consumers are venturing out of their comfort zone—just a little bit. As our Innovations food trucks showed, a fresh take on familiar favorites drives traffic.
Chicken Katsu Drumsticks: Chicken wings and drumsticks have been a go-to for consumers, but Kikkoman gave them a Japanese spin with tempura, katsu sauce, green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
Pizza and Roast Beef Flatbreads: Bel Brands showed us how to elevate pizza and roast beef sandwiches by transforming them into flatbreads.
Cookies N’ Crème Whoopie Pies: Brill served up whoopie pies with a rich filling of cookies and cream icing. These treats are sure to be a hit for family restaurants, K-12 students, and concession stands.
Vegan Comforts: Our suppliers showed us that vegan food can be for everyone, even less adventurous eaters. Violife offered vegan pepperoni and cheese pizzas and vanilla ice cream, while Kellogg’s presented vegan chicken tenders.
SKU Crossovers
Managing costs is always a priority for operators and chefs, but keeping costs low should never mean compromising menu innovation. Using the same SKU for multiple menu items and LTOs reduces costs while still giving restaurants room for creativity and trend-forward flavors.
Dole’s Chef-Ready Mango Puree is fit for main dishes and beverages, appearing in both their tlayuda and mocktail.
Similarly, Kikkoman offered lime ponzu and kotteri mirin in their esquites as well as their lemon limeade.
Bel Brands used the same Boursin IQF cheese for both their flatbreads.
Your Sourcing Solution
Delicious trends are always on full display at Innovations. This year’s show was no different. Suppliers at our food truck lunch and throughout our event demonstrated versatile, on-trend menu items.
One of the best things about Innovations is that everything on the show floor is available at Dot. Innovations attendees can enjoy several products from our exhibitors at an exclusive price. To learn more about our show specials, get in touch with your Dot customer service representative. Visit our website to shop all Dot products.
Discover items inspired by what we saw at Innovations—explore products today.