Last month The National Restaurant Association (NRA) released their annual Chef Survey: What’s Hot In 2010 where more than 1,800 professional chefs ranked food and beverages, prep methods, and culinary themes.

According to the NRA release, the top 5 trends are:

• locally grown produce,
• locally sourced meats and seafood,
• sustainability as a culinary theme,
• mini-desserts, and
• locally produced wine and beer.

In addition to the top 20 trends (pictured below), the hottest restaurant concept trends for 2010?

• Restaurants with gardens (e.g. rooftop, back-yard, communal)
• Cooking classes/demonstrations
• Street food and mobile food trucks/carts
• Restaurants on farms
• Gastropubs

Importance of Information

The restauranteur wanting to stay on-trend will eat up this information.

However, there are implications for those who work with an around restaurants… For local vendors, suppliers, marketers…

If restaurant gardens are going to be important, this is important information for the owner of the local garden shop… Perhaps put a ready-to-go kit together as a package for restaurants.

If you’re a vineyard or a brewhouse you should be working on how to make your wine or beer restaurant friendly. Too, perhaps work with local chef(s) to create a perfect-pairing menu.

We are in a time when being small and local is highly relevant.

Download the PDF: Chef Survey: What’s Hot In 2010.

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