CHICAGO—A new study from Technomic reveals lighter, seafood dishes and fruit flavors such as lemon, lime and peach are popping up on restaurants menus nationwide in celebration of the arrival of spring and warmer weather.
The findings are part of Technomic’s examination of menu additions to leading independent and chain restaurants’ menus, which are collected bi-annually and available on Technomic’s searchable online MenuMonitor database. According to Technomic, shrimp tacos, lobster tails, grilled salmon and grilled mahi mahi are some of the most common menu additions. The seafood trend is evident across all restaurant segments, from quick-service chains to fine-dining restaurants. Some chains got a jump-start on summer by crafting seafood entrées prepared with light sauces and seasonal ingredients. Numerous examples of citrus and other fruit flavors are also showing up on beverage items, alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike.
“We found that restaurants have begun rolling out a number of new seafood dishes, especially entrées incorporating grilled shrimp, salmon or tilapia,” said Bernadette Noone, director of product management at Technomic. “We believe that the higher incidence of seafood dishes is the direct result of a fall in seafood’s retail price points. We’ve also seen countless restaurants introduce new menu offerings featuring citrus and other fruit flavors. Lemon and lime have been exceptionally popular.
