Hand Held Fine Dinning Hit’s its Stride

Americans love affair with the hamburger has changed the entire food landscape.  It does not matter if you go to a fast food outlet or a fine dining restaurant hamburgers, sandwiches, and hand held food are the comfort food of today according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™. 

In a new report from Packaged Facts; Sandwiches: Culinary Trend Tracking Series, the research team at Packaged facts found:

1. 74 percent of quick-service restaurants now feature sandwiches on their menus, 
2. 62 percent of fine dining restaurant feature sandwiches,

This new Packaged Facts report highlights eight sandwich types that are gaining in importance on restaurant menus and in prepared foods/deli retailing. They include:

• Garden Tartines: From a French word that means “slice of bread,” the tartine can be made with all manner of ingredients (from a rich topping of foie gras or smoked salmon to a few slices of ham with butter).
• Tortas and Cemitas: Mexico’s beloved tortas and cemitas are trending, thanks to interest in international sandwiches and street foods and to the development of the quality and experience-oriented fast casual restaurant segment.
• Croque Monsieur and Madame: With an interest in culturally authentic international cuisine revolutionizing diners’ choices, the croque monsieur or madame provide a fresh take on familiar ingredients — and there is no shortage of options for variations.
• Brisket Sandwich: Brisket is trending, as comfort food continues its culinary ascent. Brisket both on and off of sandwiches is one of the hottest regional American trends, even in NYC and on non-BBQ menus.
• Cuban Sandwich: The Cuban Sandwich, or Cubano, layers ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles (and sometimes salami, Tampa style) on lard-based Cuban bread, and then is pressed like a panini into gooey, crusty goodness. The Cuban is enjoying a renaissance across the U.S., as chefs explore a variety of ingredient combinations, or simply upgrade classic recipes.
• Sweet & Savory Sandwiches: The use of jam in hot or cold sandwiches has increased to 11 percent of restaurants serving sandwiches in 2014, with usage in hot sandwiches nearly doubling over that period.
• Protein-based Salad Sandwiches: Like most classic sandwiches, the protein-based salad sandwich has been transformed in recent years by upgrades to fillings, condiments, sauces, breads and accompaniments.
• Breakfast Sandwiches: Terms like natural, local, seasonal and sustainable are increasingly catching consumers’ eyes on menus and packaging, yet are four times more likely to appear on non-breakfast items, leaving plenty of opportunity for catch-up in the breakfast sandwich space.

Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?  Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information