TREND BITES:

Bowls

November 10, 2023

Over the past three years, bowls have permeated every corner of foodservice—from fast food to sit down restaurants to school lunch. They became hugely popular in 2020 due to chefs seeking new ways to serve fresh ingredients in portable containers. This year, Nation's Restaurant News explored how the appeal of bowls is still increasing in our current, post-pandemic landscape. They've stayed popular because bowls allow you "to mix a lot of different, really neat flavors and not [have] a carbohydrate to hold it all together." That makes bowls extremely useful and desirable across different foodservice segments, so in this Trend Bite, we put together our favorite bowl tips and recipes for all kinds of operations!

Build On-Trend Bowls

According to Datassential's Menu Trends, chicken is the most common ingredient in bowls, with 46% of bowls on menus containing chicken! Combine America's favorite protein with any of this year's in-demand food trends like swicy, Indian, Korean, or Island by adding just a few fresh ingredients, spices, and sauces. Some of the most popular bowls on menus right now are Mediterranean-inspired, so we made a new Mediterranean Bowl recipe that features sliced chicken, couscous, hummus, and veggies!

Bowls in School Menus

Bowls help school foodservice staff tackle a wide variety of challenges, from ingredient shortages and lack of prep time to finding exciting ways to get students to enjoy healthy foods. When students see the word "bowl" on the menu, they know they can expect a variety of tasty flavors packed into one fun-to-eat entree. Many schools have seen success in pairing reliable, beloved foods like pasta or mashed potatoes with important veggies and proteins. Our Mock Poke Bowl recipe allows you to serve crisp, fresh veggies with sliced chicken and your students' favorite sauce in a trendy, student-approved meal!

Try these bowl recipes!

Mock Poke Bowl

Mediterranean Bowl

Chicken Plantain Breakfast Bowl

Bar & Grill Tips

Add important callouts to your menu by putting the exact words customers are looking for in your bowl names. Keep their choices simple by serving a "Protein Power Bowl," "Gluten Free Bowl," "Keto Bowl," or "Pasta Bowl." When The Takeout looked into why bowls are becoming such a favorite of restaurants, the answer was simple: they're the perfect way to make the most of your on-hand ingredients. "The produce, starches, and proteins that a restaurant is already ordering for other dishes on the menu can easily be translated into bowl ingredients, an efficient way to use up any surplus that can’t be easily evenly split between other dishes."

Because you're working with the fresh ingredients you have on hand, bowls make great LTOs and daily specials. Come up with new ideas based on your customers' requests, or check out our bowl recipes for inspiration!

C-Store Success

For c-store foodservice, one of the biggest challenges is serving something easy to prepare, yet super appealing to a wide customer base. Prepared c-store food also has the added challenge of staying perfectly tasty while sitting in a hot case. Luckily, many popular bowls feature in-demand comfort foods that are hot case friendly! You can serve a variety of flavors and ingredients over pasta, rice, or potatoes that will appeal to your customers' cravings. With spicy foods growing more and more universally desired, this simple Buffalo Chicken Mac 'N Cheese recipe is sure to be a c-store hit!

Bowls for University and Healthcare Dining

Healthcare and university kitchens are always trying different methods of serving made-to-order options because patrons crave variety and excitement from the cafeterias they visit nearly every day. Though patrons love customizing meals to their individual diets and preferences, customization often means more staff and time are needed. That's where bowls are the answer! They're one of the easiest meals to customize, and they're also simple to prepare for special diets due to their lack of a carb-filled carrier. Check out our recipes for this gluten free Mediterranean Chicken Bowl and keto friendly Chicken Zoodle Bowl.