7 Menu Trends You Can’t Miss for 2025

Planning your menu for 2025, but don’t know what to update? Don’t worry, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. We researched growing restaurant trends heading into 2025, so you can come into the new year prepped and ready! Below are 7 major trends we recommend you incorporate into your daily menus.

1. Plant-Based Options

Plant-based menu items are not a new trend by any means, but it is continuing to grow. According to Datassential, 22% of the population are actively limiting meat in their diet and 44% are open to a plant-forward diet or eating pattern. Many companies have made significant improvements with meat substitutes that are very promising for the veggie-curious. More people have decreased their meat intake for several different reasons. The most popular of those are concerns for the environment, animal welfare, and their own health. Don’t fall behind on this trend and be sure to market plant-based meals on your menu! This goes right in hand with our next trend.

2. Health and Wellness Focus

Another consistently growing trend is a customer’s focus on the health benefits of certain foods. We are seeing this take place on menus in two different ways. In one way, restaurants are adding healthier meals to their repertoire. For example, some highlight the fact that they use non-GMO ingredients. Or you could capitalize on this growing recognition by offering healthier options for already designated items. Adding sweet potato fries as a substitute for regular fries is a great way to accommodate a health conscious customer. The second way this presents itself is through restaurants putting icons to highlight meals that are vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, etc. It’s a simple step that diet-conscious customers appreciate!

3. Locally Sourced Ingredients

More restaurants are beginning to utilize locally sourced ingredients and highlighting it in their marketing and on their menus. There are two reasons for this: supply chain issues and healthy association. We saw a big jump in this decision towards the end of 2020, into 2021 due to the pandemic and the supply chain shortages that following year. I’m sure you remember this time. Restaurants had no idea when they could expect shipments of necessary supplies and ingredients for their staple items. This encouraged them to start looking locally and find nearby food vendors that did not have to rely on major supply chains. The reason restaurants have continued this past the pandemic, however, is because people assume that locally sourced food is healthier and not as processed. Depending on the restaurant and what food they are ordering that may or may not be true, but the association is there. With consumers’ increased focus on healthier options, as previously mentioned, this is a great opportunity to market yourself.

4. Menu Optimization

Another trend that came from the pandemic and supply chain shortages that is sure to stick around: having streamlined menus with fewer options. With such an unpredictable supply chain, you had to get creative! It has stuck, however, because “these tighter, more thoughtfully curated menus are easier to manage, less stressful on labor, and more flexible when either labor or supply chain issues arise,” says Maeve Webster, president of Menu Matters. You know what you do best, so focus on that. It’s better to have a handful of great dishes than a bunch of average ones. Gone are the days of the endless options spanning massive menus of the early to mid 2000s.

5. Comfort Foods

Restaurants are witnessing a food nostalgia trend for the first time since 2008. According to Restaurant Business, over 70% of consumers enjoy foods that remind them of their younger days. People love the idea of biting into something that transports them back to the comfort of their childhood home, where their biggest worry was finishing their algebra homework in time to play outside before the sun went down. On top of offering classic nostalgic recipes, restaurants can target this by adding tags such as ‘homemade’ or ‘Chef’s own’. Don’t be afraid of putting a unique spin on it, though. The last thing anyone wants is for every restaurant to offer the exact same thing. Offer some classic options with your own twist.

6. Global Flavors

Customers want to try new things in 2025. There is a longing to experience people’s different cultures, and no better way to do that than through different foods. More people are going to restaurants to be introduced to meals that they would never have found or made on their own. “Consumers will consider ordering a menu item that includes an ingredient that they would not necessarily use at home. This creates a cascading effect of discovery that is exciting and organic feeling,” claims Daniel Carpenter, managing director of Sterling-Rice Group. This might be the year to do some experimentation with fusion recipes or learn from other cultures!

7. Sense of Community

A sense of community is growing. People are feeling a greater need for human connection and are looking for it in neutral places like restaurants. Young adults are yearning for connection outside of the workplace environment. With the increase in the housing market, renters are going out to socialize and restaurants should take full advantage. Try attracting people with a great happy hour or offer a group meal deal, like wing buckets or sharable pizza.

Those are the 7 most important trends to keep in mind when planning your menu for 2025. People are moving into 2025 with a focus on health and veggie options and love to be included in a sense of community that pushes their palette while reminding them of good times. Now that you know what to put on your menu, check out How to design the perfect menu to learn how best to design it!

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