Let's Play: Playful food trends 2024

66% of UK consumers say they love trying new experiences when eating out. So dishes that stimulate their senses visually, emotionally or through new taste combinations or contrasts that they have not tried before are becoming more popular, and great a great way of helping eating out venues differentiate themselves in a very competitive market. Using colour, playful presentation or novel styling, a touch of theatre or very large or unusual sizes, for example giant croissants, are all ways to really engage consumers and offer them that exciting experience they are looking for. Mixing up different sweet and savoury tastes and formats are another way of surprising and delighting diners, for example, the Gelato Burger which is trending right now. Dishes that look fun and creative also lend themselves well to social media, which fuels their popularity.

We eat with our eyes as the expression goes, and consumers are increasingly drawn to visually appealing and stimulating dishes, as they seek new and interesting experiences when eating out. Great presentation not only indicates care and attention has been paid to a dish, but enhances its appeal and provides eating out venues with the opportunity to sell at a higher price point and achieve more margin, or gives the perception of greater value.

Consumers are certainly looking for new experiences right now, and dishes that are visually stimulating by being more colourful, playful or even vintage-themed are growing in popularity. Rainbow desserts or dishes achieve this very well. But aside from presentation, consumers are also looking for healthier choices. Nearly half of UK consumers are interested in eating more foods that are beneficial to their physical health when eating out of home, and 44% would consider ordering a dish that features vegetables if they were seeking one that offered health benefits. The expression ‘eat the rainbow’ has given rise to the concept of rainbow salads which offer a variety of different coloured vegetables and therefore a range of different nutrients.

Consumers have become more adventurous in their tastes over the last few years, partly influenced by the lockdowns we all endured as a result of the pandemic. So fuelled by this, they are now seeking new experiences when they eat out. Visually stimulating dishes, creatively presented and colourful dishes are a great way of exciting consumers, driving spend as well as capturing interest on social media platforms.

Nearly three quarters of UK consumers are looking for something new at least ‘some of the time’ when they dine or order out**. And, 70% of consumers find the idea of flavour contrasts appealing because they enjoy trying new tastes and combinations they haven’t tried before**. The most popular flavour contrasts are sweet and sour, sweet and spicy (for example, honey and chilli), and sweet and salty (for example, honey and feta).

The appeal of flavour contrasts is growing as consumers look for taste combinations they haven’t tried before, driven by their interest in trying something new or seeking new experiences. In fact, 70% of UK consumers find the prospect of flavour contrasts appealing**. The most popular flavour contrasts tend to include an element of sweetness i.e. sweet and sour, sweet and spicy and sweet and salty. Great examples of flavour contrasts that are popping up on menus include: chilli and chocolate, feta and watermelon, chilli and honey, feta and honey, and of course the highly popular salted caramel.

Cocktails are increasingly popular, with demand growing particularly for rum and tequila-based drinks, as well as mocktails and virgin cocktails. More than half of consumers would be likely to pay more for a better quality cocktail. Many out of home venues are creating their own signature cocktails to take advantage of this and to create something unique that can encourage spend. Creative, theatrical or themed cocktails are also on the rise as these appeal to consumers’ sense of adventure.