Category: Trending Now

Research studies are showing what operators have been noticing for the past several years; that families with kids just aren’t dining out as much as they used to. A recent report from Mintel showed that 41% of parents say they are preparing more food at home than the year before. Keep in mind, this is […]

A recent category report on pasta in foodservice by leading research firm Mintel showed that the biggest area of growth for pasta on menus is in applications outside of the Italian segment. On the one hand it’s probably not surprising, since pasta is already pretty much mandatory at any Italian restaurant. But seeing the growth […]

Each new year brings a fresh flurry of food trend predictions from the experts and pundits. They weigh in on everything from the next “it” foods (e.g., tacos are the food of the year; ugly root vegetables are the new kale), to macroeconomic and social psychological factors impacting consumer behavior. Each year at Barilla we […]

Columbus Day this year marked 520 years since Italian culture first hit the shores of the Americas. It may surprise you that in 2014 Italian is still the #1 ethnic cuisine in the US by a wide margin. Menu incidence is more prevalent for Italian than the next five ethnic cuisines combined, including Mexican and […]

Healthy dining has been on every trend watcher’s radar for seemingly forever, and for good reason. Since all of the most powerful demographic groups (millennials, boomers, and Hispanics) are more interested in healthy options than the average consumer, it’s a trend that’s here to stay. In this issue, we’ll look at a couple of categories […]

The past few years have seen an explosion in the usage and acceptance of whole grains on the menu, in everything from pizza crusts to breads to pastas. According to Mintel Menu Insights, whole grains in casual dining restaurants rose by 105.8 percent, in fast-casual restaurants by 68.4 percent and in fine/upscale/gourmet operations by 42.3 […]

Trending Now: Predictions for 2013 At the start of every year, there are a flurry of food trend predictions from experts, pundits, researchers and bloggers. Some seem a little obscure (e.g. “popcorn is the snack for 2013!” or “we’ll be eating more skin!”) and some more mundane, but some common themes and underlying drivers emerge […]

As with every year, the end of 2013 and beginning of this year brought a fresh flurry of food trend predictions from the experts. They weigh in on everything from the next “it” foods (i.e., Sea beans are the new kale! Biscuits will replace 2013’s pretzel bun!), to macroeconomic and social psychological factors impacting consumer […]

A recent trend report from Mintel, “Innovation on the Menu: Flavor Trends” identified some developing trends in specific ingredients, flavors and cuisines that are worth watching.  In this issue, we’ll look at a few highlights from the report of particular relevance to the pasta category. ITALIAN IS HERE TO STAY Columbus Day last month marked […]

A recent trend report on the pasta category from Mintel, commissioned by Barilla, identifies three major themes on menus across the country: Authentic, Regional Mediterranean; Refined Comfort Food; and Small Steps to Better Health.  In this issue, we’ll look at these broad categories to see where they’re coming from, and where they might be headed […]