Fastest-Growing Flavours

As restaurants reopen their doors to guests, many operators are taking this opportunity to revamp their menus. Whether to introduce different price points, adjust their food costs, or to ensure that menus meet the shifting consumer demands.

Technomics has detailed the fastest-growing flavours on Canadian menus for operators. As customers trickle back to dining-in, taking a look at menu to make sure that you are hitting on the most popular flavours can be beneficial at a time when profits are top of mind.

“Not everyone likes all our flavours, but each flavour is someone’s favourite” once said Irv Robbins, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins. With almost two-thirds of consumers (65%) reporting that they like to try new flavours from time to time, operators are spotlighting a variety of trendy flavours in hopes that they will be someone’s favourite. Here we take a look at the fastest-growing flavours on Canadian menus over the latest year-over-year period.

With over two-thirds of consumers (68%) at least somewhat agreeing that they are more interested in trying global flavours and cuisines now than a year ago, enter mole and gochujang. Already popular at Mexican restaurants, mole is increasingly popping up at traditional Canadian casual- and fine-dining restaurants and in non-Hispanic fare. For example, Browns Socialhouse offers the Southwest Rice Bowl, made with mole. Concepts are highlighting gochujang, an Asian paste or sauce made from fermented soybeans, dried chiles, garlic and other seasonings, especially in chicken offerings, including wings, bowls and tacos.

Spicy cayenne also rose by 25%. Operators are featuring the spice in both beverage and food. For instance, Mary Brown’s recently debuted the Spicy Big Mary Sandwich, seasoned with cayenne, and Revitasize offers its Burdock Splash juice, featuring cayenne. Consumer demand for heat is strong, with almost half (47%) expressing a preference for very spicy selections.

Cookie dough also grew by 27.8%, lending sweet flavour additions to already indulgent desserts. Operators are also featuring the nostalgic flavour in creative applications. For instance, Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza rolled out a limited-time S’mores Dessert Pizza, featuring a chocolate chip cookie dough crust.