Household income is steering consumers onto different food trend paths, according to Datassential’s Consumer Preference Shifts report, with lower earners leading trials of widely available comfort foods and higher earners driving early adoption of global and specialty items. Consumers earning under $49,000 lead trial and affinity for widely available comfort foods, both classic and global. Birria tacos posted the bracket’s largest affinity gain, up 9.8%, followed by cold foam

Plant-forward dishes are running into a value perception problem at foodservice, with nearly two-thirds of consumers saying these dishes seem overpriced for what they offer, according to Datassential’s Plant-Forward Opportunity report. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of consumers agree that plant-forward dishes often seem overpriced for what they offer, and 57% say they should usually cost less than meat-based equivalents. Resistance to paying a premium has also grown in recent yea

The share of consumers that said they cut back on dining out hit the highest rate in more than a year, though operators largely maintained higher expectations for traffic and sales, according to Datassential’s July 2026 Table Stakes Tracker report. Nearly half of consumers, 49%, said they cut back on restaurant meals in the past month, up 6 points from May. Looking ahead, 48% said they expect to dine out less often or stop completely, while just 13% expect to increase their v

Five global breads have entered the Inception stage of Datassential’s Bread Menu Adoption Cycle, a sign operators are testing global bread formats well ahead of consumer demand. These new entrants are globally rooted, spanning influences from Central America to Southeast Asia. Among them are lefse, a thin Norwegian potato flatbread that resembles a crepe; simit, a sesame-crusted bread ring typically sold as street food in Istanbul; and pupusa, a Salvadoran griddled masa cake

As consumers shift back toward animal protein even as beef prices climb, operators are turning to beef cheeks, a low-cost, underused cut, to capitalize on the trend without the price tag of pricier cuts. Beef cheek menu penetration has grown 33% over the past four years as operators look for a lower-cost way to meet renewed demand for animal protein amid rising beef prices, according to Datassential’s Animal Protein Issue report. Nearly three of four consumers say animal meat

Mixed-protein dishes draw the highest level of consumer interest when it comes to plant-forward eating, according to Datassential’s 2026 Plant-Forward Opportunity report. Mixed-protein dishes are those that combine animal and plant proteins in one plate, such as a stew with pork and lentils, or a grain bowl topped with egg, rather than swapping meat out entirely. Sixty-four percent of consumers say they are open to trying more mixed-protein dishes, ahead of interest in dishe

Generative AI has advanced from the Adoption stage to the Proliferation stage on Datassential’s updated Macro Trends Menu Adoption Cycle, with new survey data showing that more than half of consumers are now familiar with the technology and over a third use AI tools at least once a day. At present, AI usage skews younger, with Gen Z and Millennials significantly more likely than Gen X or Boomers to use AI tools daily and describe themselves as familiar with it. Foodservice br

Global cuisine is no longer a specialty play in American foodservice, but a baseline expectation for most consumers, according to Datassential’s Global, Redefined report. In general, eighty-nine percent of consumers have dined at a restaurant serving cuisine from another culture, and 86% have tried an international snack or packaged product. Seventy-seven percent have cooked globally-inspired dishes at home, and the same share have shopped at an international grocery store.

Birria has grown 221% on menus over the past four years with its appeal extending past the taco format that first made it a breakout star, according to Datassential’s Animal Protein Issue. Birria, traditionally a stewed goat dish, has become best known in recent years in its beef form, most often served as a taco with a side of consommé for dipping. Forty percent of consumers now say they want to try it, while 27% have already tried it, and 24% say they love or like it. Overa

Menu prices in the Midwest have been rising faster than other regions so far this year, effectively narrowing the pricing gap between that area and the national average. Datassential’s Price Monitor shows that across the country, the average price for core menu items rose 2.5% at full-service restaurants in the first six months of 2026, while at limited-service restaurants they ticked 2.3% higher. Those increases were more pronounced in the Midwest, where menu prices are tr

U.S. consumers now expect cold foam to be available well beyond the coffee shop counter, with fast casual and grocery emerging as significant secondary channels for the format, according to Datassential’s latest Cold Foam report. Coffee shops and bakery cafés remain the clear leader in consumer expectations, with 85% of those familiar with cold foam saying they expect to find it there. But nearly half, 47%, also expect cold foam at fast casual restaurants, and 39% expect it a

Cotton candy has grown from a fairground novelty to a rising menu flavor, turning up in ice cream, cake, and drinks. Across menus, the flavor has grown roughly 15% over the past four years, according to Datassential Menu Trends data, and it’s expected to rise another 27% over the next four. But it’s expected to see even stronger growth on dessert and beverage menus specifically, with expected four-year growth of 54% and 49%, respectively. Datassential recently highlighted co

High-income consumers are embracing deal-seeking behavior at rates that rival, and in some cases exceed, the lower-income consumer, according to Datassential’s Demographic Dive report. According to Datassential’s 2025 Value Equation report, 65% of consumers earning $100K or more ordered a combo meal or value bundle at least once in the past month, edging out 63% of medium-income consumers and 57% of low-income consumers. To be sure, low-income consumers likely order combo an

Late-night eating is becoming a defining habit for Gen-Z, who indulge at more than three times the rate of Boomers and are skipping traditional meals at a higher rate than their older counterparts. According to Datassential’s latest Demographic Dive report, 84% of Gen-Z consumers said they’d eaten a late-night meal at least once in the past month, compared with just 25% of Boomers. Eighty-eight percent of Gen-Z respondents also said they skipped a traditional meal (breakfast,

Alcoholic beverage LTOs in the second quarter more than doubled from the prior-year period, as casual dining chains increasingly leaned into margaritas and other summer cocktails. Datassential’s Launches & Ratings platform captured 102 alcoholic beverage LTOs in the three months through June, marking the category’s highest quarterly total in three years. The increase was heavily concentrated in the casual dining segment, which accounted for 96% of the quarter’s alcoholic bev

Boomers overwhelmingly prioritize quality over price when defining value, while Gen Z consumers are nearly twice as likely to seek out the cheapest possible option, according to Datassential’s Demographic Dive report. When asked to define value, 72% of Boomers said they want a good deal, but not at the expense of quality, compared with 63% of Gen Z, 60% of Millennials and 63% of Gen X. Gen Z posted the highest share prioritizing

Salad LTOs had their biggest half-year on record, with chains prioritizing pricier, entrée-style dishes over side salads that have long been a mainstay of the category. Datassential’s Launches & Ratings platform captured 103 salad LTOs in the first six months of the year, up from 71 a year earlier and topping the previous high of 84 set in the first half of 2022. The second quarter alone accounted for 66 of those launches, itself a quarterly record. The salads behind that gro

Menu introductions at top fast casual chains jumped in 2026 by 50% compared to the first half of 2025, outpacing every other restaurant segment tracked on Datassential’s Launches & Ratings platform. The segment produced 692 new, returning and limited-time offers during the six-month stretch, up from 461 a year earlier. That pushed its share to 21.5% from 19.2% of all LTOs captured by Launches & Ratings during the period, up 19.2% compared to the same period a year earlier. Q

Creamy ranch and turkey gravy rank among the fastest-growing flavors among new item introductions on U.S. restaurant menus, rising alongside trending Asian flavors, according to Datassential’s Midyear Trends Event webinar. Creamy ranch saw especially strong growth, up +1,288% among new item introductions. It was followed by nuoc cham and chili crisp (+1,201% each) and turkey gravy (+1,028%). The pairing reflects a broader tension that Datassential flagged during the webinar.

Coffee beverage LTOs in the first half of this year shattered the previous record, driven in large part by the cold and frozen formats that now make up the bulk of consumers’ away-from-home consumption. Datassential’s Launches & Ratings platform captured 261 non-alcoholic coffee drinks in the first six months of 2026, nearly double the prior record of 136 set over the same period in 2025. The second quarter alone accounted for 107 of those launches. Much of that activity wa