Technomic: 2017 Canadian foodservice trends

Chicago – Foodservice industry market research firm Technomic has revealed its top five 2017 food and restaurant trends for Canada.

“Eating establishments face some very intense competition today, which makes menu innovation critical,” said Erik Thoresen, principal at Technomic in a company release. “Canadian consumers want creative, innovative menu items and we see both restaurant and noncommercial foodservice operators stepping up to the challenge.”

Here are three of Technomic’s top 2017 Canadian trends:

Ethnic sparks menu creativity – Mainstream cuisines such as Chinese and Mexican are making way for specialties like Filipino pancit (noodles) and sinigang (soup), Pakistani roadside bun kebabs and Iranian gheimeh (stew).

Creative caffeinating – While premium coffee continues to get pushed to extremes, here are some new directions on the horizon: lemon coffees, coffee jelly, Indonesian avocado espressos, coffee plus butter or salt (or both), and customizable latte foam art.

Engaging with Gen Z – This cohort of ethnically diverse digital natives are on the hunt for for more ethnic mashup foods, desserts and drinks worthy of Instagram along with a greater emphasis on corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship. Delivery, mobile payment and kiosk ordering will continue to stabilize.