Largely inspired by the pandemic, the comfort food trend has become a celebration of both nostalgic and new¹. Familiar flavors with unexpected twists to appeal to the adventurous palates of today’s consumers.

Consider updating your traditional pizza with a bold chorizo topping or macaroni and cheese with spicy Mexican beef crumbles. With just a few simple ingredient swaps, it’s easy to turn familiar menu favorites into unexpected flavor twists. That’s what consumers want, especially younger generations.

Gen Z is commanding attention from menu developers as they enter adulthood and gain more purchasing power². Better yet, their cravings for new takes on familiar dishes are exciting for operators too. And with so many fully cooked proteins available, chefs have a lot of leeway to play with simple ingredient twists without adding more back-of-house complexity.

Leaning into nostalgic foods and adding trendy flavor twists is how you can help your customers make the most of this comfort food trend.

Content courtesy of Burke Corporation

¹National Restaurant Association, December 2022

²Flavor and the Menu, October 2022