Spring 2019’s Biggest Brunch Trends

Spring is a terrific time for the restaurant industry as the warmer days inspire lighter, brighter recipes. The season’s Easter and Mother’s Day menus provide perfect vehicles to try out new ideas in front of what is certain to be captive audiences.

This year, we checked in with the leading voices in gourmet food and foodservice to showcase 2019’s biggest brunch trends and the opportunities to turn this season’s ordinary into the extraordinary.

Trend 1:
HEALTH & WELLNESS

According to FoodserviceDirector.com, Plant-based options are the #1 brunch trend, with 27% of consumers saying they eat
vegetarian protein options or substitutes occasional (from Technomic’s recent Center of Plate Vegetarian Report). 

Lorena Garcia, Chef/Restaurateur of Chica Las Vegas, states, “It’s not a matter of substituting a meat product for a plant-based option. It’s about using fresh plant-based ingredients to create delicious meals that aren’t just alternatives to meat, but complete dishes on their own.”

Trend watchers are seeing Ancient Grain, Protein, and Superfood Bowls with immunity-boosting qualities built off a foundation of quinoa, farro, and brown rice, and sprinkles of sunflower, flax and chia seeds. 

Beyond vegetarian, nutritional coding and clean-label foods such as all-natural, no added sugar/sweeteners, colors and flavors, heart-healthy, diabetic friendly, and gluten-free, are now de rigeur on menus across America. Beyond goals of nutrition, sustainability and animal welfare, allowing diners to meet their individual dietary needs isn’t just good for our environment, it’s good business.

Trend 2:
GO GLOBAL!

The “trendologists” at San Francisco-based hospitality consultancy af&co. released their 2019 food predictions, a broad list of the hottest hotel and restaurant trends. Globally-influenced breakfast items were at the top of their list. (Their report also states that Georgian cuisine will be 2019’s Cuisine of the Year).

Morning menus are being inspired by global cuisines. Their team has spotted Israeli and Palestinian breakfasts in San Francisco, (eggs any style, Israeli salad, fresh goat cheese, olives, roasted peppers, tahini, matbucha, and assorted fresh breads), Japanese morning grub served at Cassava in San Francisco (Koshihikari rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, wakame with mushroom, roasted miso marinated Chinook salmon, onsen tamago (soft shell poached egg in dashi). The NYTimes has recently showcased the Australian breakfast’s organic porridge with  free-range poached eggs with local bacon and roasted broccoli, and all manner of avocado toast, garnished with everything from pickled onions and hoja santa to sesame seeds and shiso leaves.

Let your global inspiration go wild! Think Georgian Khapchapuri (the cheese-filled bread boat with a runny egg), regionally inspired spins on the traditional Benedicts, French Quiches, Souffles and Tartines, Italian Frittatas, celebrate tastes of the Mediterranean with Greek Feta, Turkish Garlic Yogurt and smoky butter, head east for an Asian spicy shrimp omelette, and a vegan Indian Kheer grai pudding with cardamom.

Trend 3:
THE INDULGENT

TOP IT OFF! Avocado Toast’s 150% rise in popularity (according to emenumonitor.com) inspires a creative canvas for new ways to heap on the indulgent toppings on everything from toast, omelettes, protein bowls to savory pancakes and crepes. Key toppings provide simple and delicious ways to up your bottom line. Think thick smoked bacon, local goats cheese and over roasted beets or Fresh Ricotta with fresh Dill and Smoked Salmon.

Add rich jams, thick nut butters, and rare honey accompaniments for your assorted bread bowls, candied orange peel, plump nuts, dark chocolate chips, fresh nut spreads for your oatmeal and granola bowls, sriracha ketchup and black roasted garlic aioli to your home fries, and rich farm-raised caviar to your blini.