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FoodBytesNOVEMBER 2015

A TOPICAL TREND REPORT FROM

BARBECUE LATEST TRENDS AND MENU INSIGHTS

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Barbecue is one dish that truly resonates with consumers – whether it’s barbecue ribs on the grill at a family cookout,slow-smoked brisket at a local restaurant, or simply a burger slathered with barbecue sauce, consumers love it all. InDatassential’s latest MenuTrends Keynote Report on Barbecue and Southern food, we found that more than a third ofconsumers have eaten barbecue or barbecue-sauced foods in the past week, and only 4% of people say they never eatbarbecue.

This month’s FoodBytes offers you a look inside our barbecue report, with deep dives on what types of barbecuepeople like best (St. Louis style or Texas-style?), what flavors and ingredients are trending on menus (maple, sriracha),and what types of proteins and side dishes consumers are reaching for most. And while barbecue may seem like aspecialty offering available at barbecue-specific restaurants, it actually has wide appeal for a variety of operators –about half of all restaurants include some type of barbecue item on the menu. There are plenty of opportunities foroperators to take advantage of Americans’ love of barbecue, whether it’s adding uniquely flavored sauces withbarbecue notes, such as the premium dipping sauces at Red Robin (Smoke & Pepper Ketchup, Smoked Bacon), oradding LTOs like a chicken melt with house-made Fireball Whisky BBQ sauce at Uno Chicago Grill.

So dive into this Keynote preview with information on regional barbecue styles, flavors and ingredients, menuexamples of barbecue items from every restaurant segment, and follow along with our breakdown of barbecue-related trends cycling through our Menu Adoption Cycle (MAC). For more information about ordering our BarbecueKeynote, which also includes extensive data on Southern flavors and dishes, contact Brian Darr [email protected].

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City Butcher and Barbecue | Springfield, MOPremium brisket, smoked turkey, pork belly, and Texas hot link sausage with pickles, bread, and baked beans.

ALL ABOUT THE ‘CUE

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Get a sneak peek at our latest MenuTrends Keynote report on barbecue.

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FLAVORS & INGREDIENTSFor most Americans, barbecue sauce is all about the smoke. Morethan half of consumers also prefer sweet flavors, and both sweet andspicy are the most common BBQ flavors appearing on menus – you’llfind them on over a third of menus. There are plenty of opportunitiesfor innovation in barbecue, particularly when it comes to trendyflavors making their way through the trend cycle, such as sriracha.Other trending sauce flavors include maple and bourbon.

REGIONAL BBQ STYLESWhat barbecue means to consumers can vary greatly across the country – there are severalregional definitions of barbecue, from Central Texas BBQ (beef brisket smoked without sauce),to East Texas (served with a sweet tomato-based sauce) to two different versions in NorthCarolina (Eastern and Lexington) and additional variations in South Carolina and many otherstates. While St. Louis-style BBQ, characterized mainly by its use of pork that is grilled and thensauced, and Southern-style BBQ are both found throughout foodservice, Texas BBQ is the mostpopular regional variety called out on BBQ restaurant menus.

Alabama is the birthplace of white BBQ sauce made with mayo. At Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Que in Decatur, Ala, the BBQ chicken is dunked in white sauce before serving.

Hawaiian BBQ sauce by Sweet Baby Ray’s.

PIG OUT ON THE LATEST INSIGHTS

Pappy’s Smokehouse | St. Louis, MOIt’s all about Memphis-style BBQ with meats like pulled chicken, turkey breast, and ribs at Pappy’s.

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FoodBytes

32% of consumers love Kansas City-style BBQ.

38% of consumers love smoke-flavored BBQ sauce

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Barbecue is a universally popular offering customers can find in all areas of foodservice, from QSRs to casual independents. We took a

look back at some of the most recent barbecue-centric new menu items and LTOs using Datassential INSIDER. n Two limited-time rib varieties were available during Ruby Tuesday’s American Rib Festival earlier this year – Texas Dusted Ribs with a Texas dry rub and hickory bourbon barbecue sauce, as well as Hog Heaven Ribs slathered with bacon-studded barbecue sauce and topped with crispy

bacon strips. n Arby’s has put a barbecue spin on many of its offerings, with its line of Smokehouse sandwiches like the Smokehouse Turkey Sandwich with turkey that has been smoked for eight hours topped with white BBQ sauce, as well as its brisket sandwiches with

brisket smoked for at least 13 hours, used in items like the Brisket Bacon Flatbread with a smoky barbecue sauce. n During its Smokehouse Specials promotion, Perkins offered an All American Cowboy Burger topped with pulled pork, and sides like BBQ beans or coleslaw, and a Texas Two Step combination with pulled pork and beef brisket.

Wildfire BBQ Half Chicken from Bob Evans.

Barbecue Shrimp from Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

Wendy’s line of BBQ items includes BBQ Pulled Pork Fries. The Chix sandwich from Chop Daddy’s, a 2-unit California fast casual.

TGI Fridays’ rib flight trio includes an Applewood-bacon crusted variety.

The barbecue spread at chef-casual Green Street Smoked Meats in Chicago.


BBQ VERSATILITY ACROSS EVERY SEGMENT

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TRACKING BBQ TRENDS

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Datassential’s Menu Adoption Cycle (MAC) follows trends through a life cycle, from birth(Inception) to chef casuals/fast casuals adopting the trend (Adoption), to Proliferation in QSRs,and finally Ubiquity, when a trend appears across all segments. Here are some examples ofbarbecue trends at every stage of the MAC:

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ADOPTION: GRILLED/SMOKED PIZZAInstead of the traditional oven-baked pizza, creative operators are taking their pizzas to another levelwith the grill. Grilled pizzas get an extra dose of crispness with added flavor and char, which is appealingto consumers – nearly 40% of consumers are interested in grilled pizza. While some restaurants mayoffer grilled pizzas as an option, others specialize in it, such as Bob & Timmy’s Grilled Pizza in RhodeIsland. At Bob & Timmy’s you’ll find 14-inch wood-grilled pizzas in varieties like The Grille Classic withwild mushrooms, grilled onions, pepperoni, parmesan, and romano; and the Lasagna with spinach,ricotta, and mozzarella.

UBIQUITY: BBQ WITH SOUTHERN SIDESOur latest Keynote covers more than just barbecue – we also dive into insights on Southern food such asfried chicken and shrimp and grits, as well as Southern desserts like bread pudding and key lime pie. Andwhen it comes to the sides most often served with barbecue, it’s all about traditional sides like fries,cole slaw, and corn, the three most commonly menued sides served alongside barbecue. At Orlando-based Smokey Bones (at left), you’ll find sides like mashed potatoes and gravy, BBQ baked beans, andcreamy cole slaw. And consumers are big fans – 43% of consumers say they love baked beans, whileother Southern sides like macaroni & cheese also scored well (with 38% loving it).

PROLIFERATION: WOOD PLANKSWood planks, like those from Williams-Sonoma (at left) or other retailers, are a popular way to infuseseafood or proteins with smoky flavor. Cedar planks paired with salmon is a common combination, suchas the Chianti Glazed Salmon on a Cedar Plank at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, where the salmon is roasted ina wood-fired oven on a wine-soaked cedar plank and served with roasted grapes and broccoli. AtCalifornia Pizza Kitchen, you’ll find wood planks used with halibut in the Hearth Roasted Halibut roastedon a cedar plank and served with butternut squash farro, baby kale, and grilled asparagus. And whilecedar is prevalent, experimenting with various other wood planks can help add unique flavor profiles.

INCEPTION: WOOD PAPERSWith wood papers, there’s no need for all of the setup and equipment usually associated with homebarbecuing – these thin sheets of wood are designed to impart the same smoky barbecue flavor intomeats or veggies without a grill. Specialty stores like Williams-Sonoma have begun to offer such woodpapers, marketed as an easy-to-use, mess-free alternative to grilling or smoking. Wood papers fromretailer Fire & Flavor, pictured at left, are designed to wrap around proteins or vegetables and can beused with a regular grill for extra flavor, or on an indoor grill pan or panini press. Some versions can alsobe used with the oven.

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FoodBytesTRENDSPOTTING REPORTSTOPICS COVERED IN LAST MONTH’S

DINE AROUND: NAPA VALLEYIn our October issue of Dine Around, we visited Napa Valley, CA, just in time for the year’sharvest season. While wine is the main attraction in Napa Valley, there are also a number ofworld-class restaurants here, from 3-Michelin-starred restaurants The French Laundry andThe Restaurant at Meadowood, to newcomers who are paving the way for “Californiacasual” cuisine. Discover trends like updated comfort foods and new-age wine bars.

UPCOMING: We head to Asheville, NC for a taste of farm-fresh cuisine and craft beer.

ON THE MENUIn last month’s On the Menu, we discovered the flavor of anise in two different trends –absinthe and fennel. We also took a look at the rich, bold flavors of miso and balsamicglazes, and saw how operators can add heartiness and comfort with savory oatmeal andcountry-fried/chicken-fried proteins. In our coverage of the latest new menu additions andLTOs, we see all of the fall flavors operators are rolling out.

UPCOMING: We explore roasted white chocolate, house-milled grains, rum, rye, and more.

CREATIVE CONCEPTS: MODERN FRIED CHICKENIn Creative Concepts, we took a look at new-school fried chicken shacks that are takingclassic fried chicken to the next level. Fried chicken is constantly evolving, and we look atsome of the country’s most innovative operators, from honey butter fried chicken conceptsto crispy Hawaiian fried chicken and new-age sweet and savory combinations of friedchicken and gourmet donuts.

UPCOMING: We uncover creative bakeries from across the country.

WORLD BITES: ETHIOPIAIn World Bites, we explored the cuisine of one of the world’s oldest countries, Ethiopia. Wesee how much of Ethiopia’s cuisine is heavily rooted in history, from popular raw meatdishes that originated during war times when it was risky to cook over fire, and nationaldishes like injera bread and wat stews. See which Ethiopian dishes resonate with consumersthe most, from traditional coffee to tibs, a meat dish similar to fajitas.

UPCOMING: Next month we discover the cuisine of Russia.

INTERNATIONAL CONCEPTS: RUSSIAIn October’s International Concepts, we traveled to Russia, a country of mostly of chainrestaurants serving hearty Russian cuisine. We looked at Teremok, the country’s largest blinichain that will bring its signature blini (Russian pancakes, similar to crepes) to the U.S. withtwo New York City locations planned for 2016. Other restaurant chains we covered includedPlanet Sushi and Kartoska, or Little Potato, a baked potato-centric chain.

UPCOMING: We check out the restaurant chain scene in Finland.

NEVER MISS OUT ON A TREND! Contact Mike Kostyo at 312-219-6435 or [email protected] to subscribe.

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STAY IN-THE-KNOW ON THE LATEST TRENDS WITH

REPORTS FROM

ON THE MENU analyzes flavor and ingredient trends from across the trend cycle, from consumer awareness and interest to menu examples that put trends into context. Plus, we gather and examine important LTOs and new menu items from chains across the country.

WORLD BITES brings you authentic dishes and ingredients from around the globe, each one packed with consumer survey data and U.S. menu examples – a must for product ideation, menu development, and marketing.

CREATIVE CONCEPTS makes it easy to understand how hot flavors, ingredients, and concepts fit into overall industry trends. Each month takes you across the country and into the establishments that are defining the industry.

DINE AROUND takes you on a TrendSpotting tour of a city or neighborhood, so you are always in-the-know on local food trends and how they fit into the overall food landscape, all combined with Datassential’s industry-leading market research tools, including MenuTrends and Firefly.

INTERNATIONAL CONCEPTS, our newest TrendSpotting Report, highlights chain activity around the world – these are the in-demand, up-and-coming flavors, concepts, and trends that are often adapted for the U.S. market.

To begin your TrendSpotting subscription, contact Datassential Publications

Manager Mike Kostyo at 312-219-6435 or [email protected].

Datassential’s TrendSpotting Reports combine the art of spotting food trends with the science of market research, so you are always up-to-date on the trends that matter to your business, from ideation to marketing to competitive analysis. And, by subscribing to the full TrendSpotting package, you’ll put it all into context by understanding the overall trend landscape, from sauces to spices, carriers to proteins, beverages to desserts.

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SOMETHING FOR EVERY IDEATION

AND MARKETING NEED.


A MAJORITY OF CONSUMERS SAY

THEIR TASTES ARE SHAPED BY

THEIR RESTAURANT EXPERIENCES

What’s happening on the menu today can

be a leading indicator of tomorrow’s food

trends.

Datassential MenuTrends is the industry’s largestmenu data set with the longest historic trendrecord, plus the ability to search millions of dishesfrom over 100,000 menus. Because the database isdesigned to mirror the US restaurant census bysegment, region, and menu type, MenuTrends is theonly system that offers true projectable data. Allsegments and cuisine types are tracked extensively– from food trucks to fine dining.

MenuTrends INSIDER is also updated every monthwith Limited Time Offers (LTOs) and other newmenu activity, with product photos that bring thelistings to life. And with thousands of ready-to-usereports and simple trend detection tools, you canjump right into the database, identifying,measuring, and predicting the food and flavortrends that matter to your business.

Call us today to begin using the food industry’sauthoritative resource for flavor trends.

Call Jana Mann at 312-655-0595 or email [email protected].

barbecue - datassential · datassential.com | 312-219-6435 barbecue is one dish that truly...

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