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Between keeping up with current TikTok food trends, monitoring best-of restaurant lists, and chasing must-try dishes, it&rsquo;s all but impossible for the average diner to predict next year&rsquo;s dining trends. And while we might not have a culinary crystal ball, we do have access to a community of <a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/awards/restaurant-and-chef-awards" target="_blank">James Beard Award&ndash;recognized chefs and restaurant owners</a> eager to dish on restaurant food trends for 2026. Chefs pay attention to consumer trends not only to anticipate what diners want, but to drive innovation, support their communities, promote sustainability, and <a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/stories/improving-restaurants-profit-margins-with-our-new-tool" target="_blank">stay nimble in their operations</a>.
We asked ten James Beard Foundation&ndash;recognized chefs and restaurant owners to weigh in on the food trends they think will most impact the way that we dine, drink, and talk about food next year. From savory cocktails to intentional fermentation, large plates to affordable luxury tasting menus, these are the top food and beverage trends for 2026.
Trending Flavors and Ingredients
Claws and Carcasses
"More animal anatomy&mdash;heads, claws, carcasses&mdash;all on the plate,&rdquo; says <a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/stories/top-takeaways-womens-entrepreneurial-leadership-wel-program" target="_blank">Kayla Abe, fall 2023 WEL alum</a> and owner of <a href="https://shuggies.world/" target="_blank">Shuggie&rsquo;s Trash Pie + Natural Wine</a> in San Francisco, California. Sayat Ozyilmaz, a James Beard Award semifinalist&reg; and co-chef/co-owner of San Francisco&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.dalidasf.com/" target="_blank">Dalida</a>, agrees, but only when it&rsquo;s integral to technique or storytelling. &ldquo;We incorporate elements like fish collars or vegetable stems when they contribute flavor and communicate the whole-ingredient ethos that underpins our kitchen,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;The goal is to show respect for the product, not to shock the diner.&rdquo;
Souped-Up Seaweed
"It&rsquo;s such a highly sustainable and incredibly versatile ingredient, and I hope more chefs will start exploring its potential,&rdquo; says Emily Yuen, a James Beard Award semifinalist&reg; for her work at <a href="https://www.lingobk.com/" target="_blank">Lingo</a>, a Japanese-American restaurant in Brooklyn (Yuen is no longer at Lingo). &ldquo;From adding umami depth to broths and sauces, to using it as a textural element or even in desserts and cocktails, seaweed can bring so much character and complexity to a dish.&rdquo;
Intentional Fermentation
Although fermentation is integral to many culinary traditions, consumers are increasingly aware of not only its health benefits, but flavor potential and sustainability. &ldquo;Chefs are using ferments to extend short growing seasons, preserve abundance, and reduce waste,&rdquo; Ozyilmaz says, noting that he stocks Dalida's pantry with staples like fruit vinegars made from trim and cultured chili pastes from seasonal gluts. &ldquo;Fermentation lets a cook express time, place, and scarcity all at once.&rdquo;
Terroir-Driven Storytelling
When ingredient storytelling is done authentically, it can help foster a more meaningful dining experience for diners curious about ingredients and cultural origins. &ldquo;I see diners gravitating toward deeper expressions of terroir&mdash;ingredients that tell a story of place, especially those grown regeneratively or stewarded by Indigenous or local producers,&rdquo; says Codi Bates, owner/operator of <a href="https://www.bates-co.com/" target="_blank">Bates Co.</a>, the hospitality group behind Lawrence, Kansas eateries like The Burger Stand, Bon Bon, and Cider Gallery &amp; Taco Zone. Ozyilmaz says this is a trend he&rsquo;s noticed in his travels. &ldquo;Across the country, I&rsquo;ve seen restaurants honoring Indigenous farming traditions&mdash;like milpas [an intercropping system where corn, squash, and beans are planted together], dry-farming, or heirloom bean cultivation&mdash;not as nostalgia but as viable, sustainable systems that shape the plate.&rdquo;
Restaurant and Bar Trends
Shrinking Menus
As restaurant- and bar-goers become more discerning with their dollars and attention spans, every dish and drink must deliver. As a result, operators are focusing their menus on fewer things done well, which helps streamline workflow for staff, too. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re seeing smaller menus that change more often, built around what&rsquo;s fresh, what&rsquo;s local, and what feels right for the season,&rdquo; says Jhonny Reyes, chef/owner of <a href="https://www.lenoxwa.com/" target="_blank">Lenox</a>, an Afro Latin soul restaurant in Seattle. &ldquo;And descriptions are getting simpler. No fluff&mdash;just real food with a story behind it.&rdquo;
Soul-Satisfying Large Plates
Small plates probably aren&rsquo;t going anywhere, but Abe predicts that we&rsquo;ll see lots of larger format entr&eacute;es, noting that not everyone wants to share. This trend might also appeal to diners who crave value, especially if they&rsquo;re of the mindset that small plates don&rsquo;t fill you up. Corrie Wang, <a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/impact/institute/programs/womens-entrepreneurial-leadership" target="_blank">fall 2024 WEL alum</a> and co-owner/operator of <a href="https://www.jackrabbitfilly.com/" target="_blank">Jackrabbit Filly</a> and <a href="https://eatkingbbq.com/" target="_blank">King BBQ</a> in North Charleston, South Carolina, acknowledges that there will always be restaurants catering to wealthy diners chasing status bites, but &ldquo;Otherwise, I think restaurants will veer homey and saucy and big!&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Desperately needing some comfort, we&rsquo;re all looking for food that feeds the soul right now.&rdquo;
Affordable Luxury Tasting Menus
"Recession brain has reduced the general public&rsquo;s tolerance for the unbridled creativity of a tasting menu if it means they may not come away completely full by the end of a meal,&rdquo; Abe says. &ldquo;So, it now feels less about experiencing the uniqueness of that restaurant&rsquo;s edible perspective at that specific moment in time, and more about &lsquo;does this menu feel like a deal at this price point?&rsquo;&rdquo; Danielle Duran Zecca, chef/co-owner of <a href="https://www.amigaamorela.com/" target="_blank">Amiga Amore</a> in Los Angeles, agrees: &ldquo;Tasting menus will always have a place, but I think that people will look for more loaded dishes that don&rsquo;t skimp on flavor and satisfy without breaking the bank."
Multi-Concept Spaces
To create true third place spaces, operators are experimenting with multiple concepts under one roof. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s something meaningful about a room that can hold different types of gathering[s] depending on the hour. It feels flexible, community-driven, and welcoming,&rdquo; says Alba Huerta, winter 2024 WEL alum and owner of <a href="https://www.julephouston.com/" target="_blank">Julep</a>, a James Beard Award&ndash;winning cocktail bar in Houston, Texas, citing places like Jun in Houston, which is a coffee shop during the day and a restaurant at night. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised to see more spaces explore this idea: caf&eacute;s that become wine bars in the evening, bakeries that shift into intimate dinner counters, or bottle shops that open their doors for neighborhood hangouts.&rdquo;
Trending Cocktail Flavors and Styles
Savory and Culinary-Driven Cocktails
Chefs and operators predict that bartenders will continue taking inspiration from the kitchen. &ldquo;We'll see more savory and herbal profiles, perhaps culinary-style beverages that highlight ingredients like sorrel, koji, and sea greens,&rdquo; Bates says. Ozyilmaz cites ingredients like ferments, hydrosols, and shrubs, contributing to "savory profiles that feel more connected to agriculture than to the bar cart. Guests want drinks that taste alive&mdash;not just composed.&rdquo; Wang says, &ldquo;I am forever on the search for salad in a glass. (That is not a Bloody Mary.) Or cheese and crackers in a glass!&rdquo;
Craft Cocktails Sans Booze
With more consumers moderating their alcohol consumption, restaurants and bars are crafting top-notch cocktails without booze. &ldquo;Producers are using ingredients like gentian, seaweed, capsaicin, and distilled smoke to create products with bitterness, salinity, and structure,&rdquo; Huerta says. &ldquo;There is also a noticeable shift toward savory and textured profiles, with the industry incorporating miso, nori, salted syrups, and fat-washed or clarified non-alcoholic ingredients.&rdquo; In low-alcohol drinks, Huerta sees bars utilizing fermented components like tepache, kombucha reductions, lacto-fermented fruit brines, and koji to build acidity, texture, and complexity.
Low-Waste Cocktails
Sustainability extends to cocktails too, with many bar programs relying more on fermented elements and citrus replacements to reduce waste without compromising flavor. &ldquo;Tepache made from pineapple cores and skins, osmotic macerations, fruit scrap vinegars, and whey from milk punch clarification, when used to add texture to non-clarified drinks, are examples of components that extend shelf life and broaden flavor,&rdquo; Huerta says. She adds that bars are also turning to citrus alternatives like citric and blended acid solutions, verjus, and acid-adjusted juices to bring brightness to drinks with much less spoilage.
Hospitality Trends for 2026
A People-First Approach
When consumers dine out, they want to feel taken care of&mdash;and that&rsquo;s not possible without the people preparing and serving it, so restaurants need to invest in their employees&rsquo; wellbeing and prioritize workplace culture. For Huerta, this means &ldquo;team sustainability&mdash;reasonable schedules, ergonomic stations, and real pathways for growth." For James Beard Award semifinalist&reg; Lordfer Lalicon, executive chef/co-owner of James Beard Award nominee&reg; <a href="https://www.kayaorlando.com/" target="_blank">Kaya</a> in Orlando, Florida, creating a healthy team consists of &ldquo;constant education, effective communication, and growing intentionally with focus." When things like these are attended to, says Jamilyn Salonga Bailey, fall 2025 WEL alum and general manager/co-owner of Kaya, "We are all best prepared to provide intentional, unforgettable, and authentic experiences for our guests.&rdquo;
Collaboration Over Competition
When asked what they hope to see more of in 2026, many chefs responded with the word collaboration. &ldquo;Restaurants showing up for each other, building community, and creating together,&rdquo; Reyes says. &ldquo;More unity, more shared wins, more love. There&rsquo;s room for everybody at the table, and the more we work together, the stronger the scene gets." For Bates, this translates to creating spaces where food is a vehicle for community, &ldquo;whether that&rsquo;s through shared dining formats, chef-led storytelling, or partnerships with local artists, farmers, and makers,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;All of this points to the incredible power independent restaurants have within their communities that extends beyond the plate."
Real Moments Vs. Instagram Bait
In our current &ldquo;the phone eats first&rdquo; social media era, more chefs are hoping that 2026 will see a return to authentic dining experiences. &ldquo;These days, it feels like as chefs we&rsquo;re expected to make food that&rsquo;s not only delicious but also &lsquo;Instagrammable,&rsquo;&rdquo; Yuen says. &ldquo;It takes the focus away from the flavor and intention of the dish and from the actual experience of eating. I&rsquo;d rather guests put their phones down and really taste what&rsquo;s in front of them.&rdquo; Reyes agrees: &ldquo;We love seeing people share their experience, but it shouldn&rsquo;t come before actually enjoying it. Let&rsquo;s get back to real hospitality, real food, real moments.&rdquo;
Bottom line: 2026 promises to be a delicious year, but no matter the trends, the best way to continue supporting independent restaurants is by putting away your phone and arriving with an open mind. &ldquo;When people come in open and present, not rushed or distracted, you can feel it,&rdquo; Reyes says. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s when the experience hits different.&rdquo;
Source: Layla Khoury-Hanold, <a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/stories/top-restaurant-food-trends-2026" target="_blank">James Beard Foundation</a>

Ten James Beard Foundation-recognized chefs predict the flavors, cocktails, and concepts that will define how we dine and drink next year.

Flavor Forecast: Top Restaurant Food Trends for 2026

In 2026, restaurants may be backed into a financial corner.
Turbulent trade policies could raise food costs when many diners are already tightening their discretionary spending, forcing operators to get creative to keep sales healthy.
&ldquo;Restaurants are set for a humbling year,&rdquo; BTIG analyst Peter Saleh wrote in the analyst firm&rsquo;s December 2025 forecast for this year, citing depressed valuations, pending unit closures, consumer price sensitivity and strategy overhauls. &ldquo;Looking ahead to 2026, we expect a central theme to be market share gains by existing category leaders.&rdquo;
Few chains are reporting positive sales growth, but QSRs may stand to reap the rewards of consumer spending anxiety, as diners trade down from casual and fast casual to save money, said Victor Fernandez, chief insights officer at Black Box Intelligence.
Still, there is opportunity for restaurants across categories to improve their 2026 outlooks, experts said. Cost savings strategies, innovation around affordable menu items like chicken and dipping sauces, and signaling value beyond just price &mdash; through novelty ingredients or wellness-focused formulations &mdash; can make a brand stand out.
Check out the six trends Restaurant Dive will be watching in 2026.
Traffic and sales will flounder
Consumers will likely continue to pull back on spending in 2026, experts said, which would strain restaurant sales and traffic. As of November, Black Box Intelligence measured four consecutive months of comparable sales and traffic declines, Fernandez said.
&ldquo;Profitability and survival becomes a question, and it&rsquo;s a challenge when you see that sales are trending down,&rdquo; Fernandez said.
Only about one-third of the brands that Black Box Intelligence tracks saw positive comp sales in 2025 and even fewer saw traffic growth, he added. The number of chains to post positive comps this year is likely to decline, especially as 2025&rsquo;s winning chains, like Chili&rsquo;s, will lap very high comparables.
Circana anticipates less than 1% traffic growth in 2026, said David Portalatin, senior vice president and food industry advisor at Circana.
&ldquo;Growth in foodservice is about winning the battle for market share,&rdquo; Portalatin said.
Cost saving takes a front seat
Food costs are expected to increase in 2026, especially for beef, and managing supply chains will be particularly challenging as <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/restaurants-navigate-tariffs-food-costs-holiday-season/808196/" target="_blank">tariffs hit various imports</a>.
&ldquo;Supply chains are really screwed up again,&rdquo; said Phil Kafarakis, president and CEO of IFMA, The Food Away from Home Association. &ldquo;Tarrifs have a lot to do with that. &hellip; There&rsquo;s a lot of uncertainty with the physical mechanics of moving stuff from around the world, and the logistics [are] a nightmare.&rdquo;
With consumer spending compressed, restaurants won&rsquo;t be able to raise prices much, if at all, to make up for increased costs. That means operators will be much more focused on controlling costs in 2026 compared to growing revenue, said Bryan Solar, SpotOn chief product officer.
&ldquo;Figuring out how to manage costs in order to be profitable is going to happen at a clip that has not happened historically for restaurants,&rdquo; Solar said. &ldquo;The ones who don&rsquo;t, unfortunately, I don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;re going to be as successful.&rdquo;
Technology can help restaurants better manage costs, and SpotOn has been working with customers through its product suite to help preserve profits, Solar said.
&ldquo;The big thing is going to have to be agility,&rdquo; Kafarakis said. &ldquo;You are really going to have to have a couple of plans in place to be able to move them quickly and then experiment as you go.&rdquo;
Chicken will still be king, and sauce will be the crown prince
High beef prices will make chicken more appealing for both operators and consumers, said Stacey Kincaid, VP of product development &amp; innovation, US Foods.
&ldquo;Operators are looking for solutions to help balance out their costs and offer customers choice and value,&rdquo; Kincaid said. &ldquo;If you can offer a chicken burger &mdash; as well as your beef burger &mdash; at a lower price, then that&rsquo;s an option that might attract more diners than the place down the road.&rdquo;
Sharon Zackfia, group head of William Blair&rsquo;s consumer section, noted the trend toward bold sauces, spicy chicken and similar dishes is reflective of a larger pivot.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s an ongoing shift to more robust flavors,&rdquo; Zackfia said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen that for years now, food keeps getting spicier or more exotic in its flavor profile. I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s changing anytime soon. That&rsquo;s a generational element.&rdquo;
More customizable flavors and sauces are likely, with greater customization coming to core menu items through new additions, like sauces or LTO versions of permanent offerings, said R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at <a href="http://placer.ai/" target="_blank">Placer.ai</a>. This accords with predictions made by Yum Brands CMO Ken Muench, following Yum&rsquo;s release of a report that found customization &mdash; and an accompanying consumer desire for control &mdash; were <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/yum-brands-collider-labs-consumer-report-ken-muench/807520/" target="_blank">major factors in QSR purchasing decisions</a>.
Consumers will opt for health &mdash; and quality
Portalatin said a growing diner emphasis on health and freshness may benefit chicken concepts, as well.
&ldquo;Many consumers do perceive chicken, oftentimes, to be the &lsquo;better for you&rsquo; choice,&rdquo; Portalatin said.
Outside of protein choices, consumers may opt for smaller dishes, Zackfia said, which is driven by interlocking demands for value and health.
&ldquo;I do expect, over time, more of an evolution towards smaller portions,&rdquo; Zackfia said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s just no question that if people are on GLP-1s [weight loss drugs], they&rsquo;re not eating as many calories.&rdquo;
Zackfia also said the problems facing-bowl based fast casual chains have been overstated, as consumers will still want the healthier, vegetable-heavy options offered by brands like Cava and Chipotle. Both brands, it&rsquo;s worth noting, <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/tracking-same-store-sales-21-major-restaurant-chains/742371/" target="_blank">lapped strong comps quarters</a> in 2025 and could benefit from a reset of the calendar.
Portalatin said specifically that consumer health preferences are often framed around finding high-protein options.
&ldquo;The pursuit of protein is at the forefront for many consumers. We continue to see growth in the number of consumers who described their ideal restaurant meal as being a high protein restaurant meal,&rdquo; Portalatin said. This has already pushed the brand to add new menu items, like Chipotle&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/chipotle-adds-protein-snack-cups/808206/" target="_blank">meat snack cups</a>, which debuted in late December.
Hottovy expects the health preferences to extend to beverages, whether that&rsquo;s a greater uptick in items like Starbucks&rsquo; protein cold foam, or a preference for a general healthy aura.
Value will take on a wider definition
The emphasis on value meals, particularly at specific price points, was a major trend in 2024 and 2025, as lower-income consumers began to reduce their restaurant spending. Hottovy said he expects that trend to continue.
While previous pullback impacted mostly lower-income consumers, Hottovy said the slowdown grew worse with middle-income cohorts in the second half of 2025, and consumers are entering 2026 particularly primed to look for value.
Some are shifting spend to value grocers, c-stores and dollar stores, Hottovy said. Restaurants&rsquo; efforts to win back those cash-strapped consumers will be one of the defining features of 2026.
&ldquo;Value is certainly a part of the equation,&rdquo; Hottovy said, and pricing may converge around the $10 to $12 price point, where many casual dining chains, led by Chili&rsquo;s, are competing with QSR brands. Value plays by <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/chilis-sixth-quarter-double-digit-sales-growth-everyday-value/803929/" target="_blank">Chili&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;and others upended the usual dynamics between the two segments, where value and convenience reined in QSR to the detriment of casual dining, which emphasized experience and hospitality to a greater degree.
QSRs, Hottovy said, are seeing backlash from consumers dissatisfied with pricing.
&ldquo;Our data does show that [casual dining brands] are taking some share from quick-service restaurants. So it is resonating with consumers,&rdquo; Hottovy said
Mark Wasilfesky, head of restaurant franchise finance at TD Bank, said the value meal might be nearing the end of its utility in the present cycle, as they can threaten brand power over time.
&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to survive on a value meal. You want it to help you through certain times. You want to do an aggressive push,&rdquo; Wasilefsky said. &ldquo;I think LTOs are better vehicles for bringing people in than value meals, and they can be very effective.&rdquo;
Beyond price points, brands are likely to find other ways of conveying value to consumers, Zackfia said.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see more ways to create menu innovation that incorporates value &mdash; so not necessarily discounting &mdash; it may even be like a more premium item, but at a more compelling price point,&rdquo; Zackfia said. &ldquo;[Gen Z] customers right now really need a reason to come in.&rdquo;
Retention will be increasingly important
Labor retention will be a key focus for the industry. Many casual chains &mdash; like <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/bjs-restaurant-ceo-lyle-tick-menu-development-unit-growth-strategy/753094/" target="_blank">BJ&rsquo;s Restaurants</a>, <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4834391-the-cheesecake-factory-incorporated-cake-q3-2025-earnings-call-transcript" target="_blank">The Cheesecake Factory</a>, and <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4854411-darden-restaurants-inc-dri-q2-2026-earnings-call-transcript" target="_blank">LongHorn Steakhouse</a> &mdash; have touted improvements in turnover rates, which help improve same-store sales. BJ&rsquo;s, for example, changed its training to be more balanced between digital modules and on-the-job training, a move that resulted in higher employee satisfaction.
Fernandez said that some restaurants are hitting &ldquo;record-setting retention&rdquo; levels and seeing turnover ease &mdash; an assertion born out by significant decreases in key Bureau of Labor Statistics <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/restaurant-labor-market-worker-shortage-in-6-key-statistics/694990/" target="_blank">measures of sectoral turnover</a>.
With unemployment rates creeping up, there will be fewer incentives for workers to move around, Fernandez said. He added that wage pressure has declined over the past two to three years and may be lower still in 2026, though there are countervailing factors.
Retention will be key for restaurants as the labor force is expected to continue to shrink because of immigration raids and changes to immigration standards under the Trump Administration.
&ldquo;A lot of kitchens are powered by immigrants,&rdquo; Solar said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a feeling that labor cost is going to go up in 2026.
Source: Emma Liem Beckett, Aneurin Canham-Clyne, and Julie Littman, <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/six-restaurant-trends-2026-outlook/809073/" target="_blank">Restaurant Dive</a>

Restaurants may face cost savings challenges and sales declines amid continued supply chain disruptions, but can leverage consumer demand for cheaper menu items and experiential meals to stand out.

Six Restaurant Trends to Watch in 2026

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Six Restaurant Trends to Watch in 2026