Whether it is neatly written on an A board outside, playfully printed on a placemat or uploaded as an interactive version online, menus are a pivotal part of the eating out experience. From sourcing ingredients to calculating costs and optimising supply chain, much time and resources goes into curating the perfect menu: consumers want to know what to expect, and what to look forward to, when they decide to eat out. In this blog we take a look at how menus inform and inspire customers, and how Menu Tracker can be used to identify opportunities in the market.
Seasonal changes: a chance to elevate familiar classics
When the sun starts to shine, thoughts turn to iced drinks, picnics in the park and al fresco dining with friends. As consumers become more curious and knowledgeable about global cuisine and ‘flavour tourism’ grows, operators need to think beyond the traditional British Pimms and strawberries and cream to remain competitive in their offerings.
Who could forget one of the most memorable launches of summer 2024: Zia Lucia’s limited edition Aperol infused dough. An industry first, fusing the classic Italian aperitivo cocktail with their traditional slow fermented dough, the operator captured a classic summer moment, creating buzz for their brand in the competitive pizza landscape.
Top tip: Why not add in the ‘Season’ dimension layered with ‘Month’ to find out what interesting additions operators are launching as the sun starts to shine?
New items drive curiosity and excitement as well as spend
The menu can communicate many details to the customer, but one feature that is especially effective and engaging is tagging an item as ‘NEW’. Our consumer Eating and Drinking Out Panel data shows that 80% of consumers like trying out new things, showing that operators can appeal to adventurous consumers by clearly demonstrating creativity and innovation.
Menu Tracker data from Spring/Summer 2024 shows that in restaurants and pubs & bars, new dishes were priced higher than same-line dishes across all courses. By tapping into perceptions of quality and value, operators offer consumers a more premium and exclusive experience, which also drives average spend.
Top tip: Did you know that you can add in ‘New Item’ across multiple dimensions such as course type and operator brand?
Main courses highlight protein and veg choices
In restaurant mains, protein share has remained relatively consistent, although chicken continues to lead. In pubs & bars, one in three main dishes includes chicken, which has grown share in this same channel and course across the past two Spring/Summer menu cycles.
While we have seen more consumers switch to ‘some not none’ in terms of meat consumption, operators have responded with a variety of offerings.
Vegetarian and vegan dishes are putting a stronger focus on vegetables as the centrepiece of the dish. For example, in Spring 2024, Brewdog collaborated with Strong Roots to create their ‘Return of the Veg’ burger which featured a quinoa crusted pumpkin and spinach patty.
Top tip: For quick analysis of proteins in main dishes, Lumina recommends that you use the Category and SubCategory level of ‘Item Components’ with the ‘Course’ dimension.
Key adjectives bring flavours to life
When describing the dish, menus need to have simple but snappy words to help the customer imagine: what will this look, smell, and taste like, and is it what I fancy eating?
In Spring/Summer 2024, the top five growing adjectives used across menus (by share growth) were: crispy (10.8%), crunchy (2.7%) , hot (4.9%), favourite (5.6%) and spicy (1.7%). Crispy and crunchy are classic features of burger descriptions, while hot and spicy hint at growing food trends inspired by global cuisine and more adventurous flavours.
From viral videos of snapping open and eating the pistachio and kataifi centred Dubai chocolate bar, to the rise of the air fryer, crunch is a trend Lumina expects to see more of.
Top tip: How could you use the ‘Adjective’ and ‘Item Description’ functions to find the most popular words to describe a specific dish or course?
Items designed to be shared showcase variety and value
The reasons why people are eating out are evolving and operators are responding by developing dishes that facilitate a more fun and communal experience for customers.
We have seen pub & bar operators launching more starter and main items that are designed to be shared, encouraging consumers to trade up and/or purchase additional courses. Often sharing dishes will be made up of visually appealing platters alongside multiple sides and dips, adding to the perception of value and premiumisation. These concepts allow customers to try several variations of the same item, enriching the dining experience as a whole.
Top tip: Have you thought about using the ‘Sharing Item’ dimension to compare sharing dishes across Autumn/Winter menus during the past few years?
We hope you have enjoyed reading about the latest menu and food trends and how we can explore them in the Menu Tracker data. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager!
Sources: Lumina Intelligence Menu & Food Trends Report 2024, Food Strategy Forum Q3 2024 and Q1 2025, Eating and Drinking Out Panel and Menu Tracker.