Understand the latest trends and how to capture them
Appetizers aren't just first courses anymore. They are small plates – from bar food beyond roasted peanuts to tapas with a Mediterranean sensibility and hand-held dishes inspired by street food from around the world. Appetizers speak to familial dining, bringing folks together through shared culinary experience. Today's diners look to the appetizer menu for either fun, shareable dishes that offer that connection through family-style participation or small bites that give them just a taste of something, allowing them to experiment without too much commitment.
Whatever their form, appetizers are one of the most profitable categories on your menu. They can boost average-check size and help you capitalize on the latest trends – without reinventing your whole menu.
Spice up your appetizer/small-bites offerings with these easy recipes
What's Hot: The Top 5 |
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Research by Mintel Menu Insights shows that these are today's five most common appetizers: |
Casual-Dining Segment: |
Family-Midscale Segment: |
Appetizer samplers Buffalo wings Nachos Fried calamari Mozzarella sticks |
Buffalo wings Appetizer samplers Mozzarella sticks Chicken fingers Bread sticks |
These appetizers are considered mainstays, but menu distinction and desirability comes from turning them into signature items by pulling from the trends we outline above. So, buffalo wings? Everyone's got 'em, but Thai barbecue wings? Now you've captured a hot trend while staying in the comfort zone of the familiar and popular. For those mozzarella sticks? Try bite-size morsels instead of sticks. Serve them in a cone with an array of dipping sauces – from traditional marinara to cilantro-spiked Ranch.
Professional chefs weigh in
According to the National Restaurant Association's "What's Hot for 2009", which surveys member chefs from the American Culinary Federation, these are the top 5 appetizers:
Mini burgers
Amuse bouche
Edamame
Appetizer combos
Appetizer salads
What's hot next: The Top 4 |
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To help give you a head start on the next wave of appetizer favorites, we've pinpointed these four emerging trends that we see appearing in mainstream dining: |
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Mini crab cakesLook beyond Old Bay seasoning, by adding ingredients to the crab-cake filling that transport them to Asia or the Mediterranean, or make the crab cakes a part of your seasonal menu with ingredients that showcase fresh, local produce.
Mini Crab Cakes on Vegetable Slaw with Apple-Pecan Dressing |
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Ethnic dumplings and rollsWon ton wrappers and rice paper filled with Asian ingredients are hot, but fusing Asian with decidedly American flavors is heating up, too.
Spring Rolls with BBQ-Hoisin Dipping Sauce |
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Small Bites in all segments.Downsizing isn't always a bad thing. We're seeing minis across all dining segments – not just fine dining or eclectic dining anymore. So delight your customers with small-bite dishes, which can showcase the playful side of your kitchen while perhaps helping out with cross-utilization.
Smoked Trout Spread on Crispy Won Ton Triangles |
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Urban barbecueDown-home barbecue flavors are being applied to more upscale dishes.
BBQ Pork Polenta "Sopes" with Chipotle Salsa |