TREND BITES:

Sandwiches

May 9, 2025

Customers are finding new appeal in sandwiches because these reliable, on-the-go entrées can feature any food trend they’re craving! Sandwiches combine desired flavors, satisfying proteins, and delicious carbs for unbeatable meal options, and chefs across foodservice are still finding ways to innovate with this timeless classic.

Serving up Cravings

Data from Yelp’s “2025 Food and Drink Trends” shows that a few of the most popular sandwiches are Italian chopped sandwiches, pickle sandwiches, and Caesar salad sandwiches. Each of those sandwich styles meets specific flavor and texture cravings that consumers can order for delivery right when hunger hits. Italian chopped sandwiches, which were up 1,467% last year in Yelp searches, offer salty umami in layers of tender protein held together by soft bread. Our take on an Italian chopped sandwich is this Chicken Grinder. It uses our Tuscan-Style Sliced Chicken, pepperoni, salami, lettuce, and Provolone cheese for a super satisfying bite!

Carbs of Choice

The bread you use is key to an amazing sandwich. In fact, some kinds of bread are so trendy right now that the bread might be even more important than what's inside! Sourdough has surged in popularity recently, and Datassential predicts that it will grow another 5% on menus over the next four years. For a simple, delicious sourdough sandwich option, try this Chipotle Chicken Sandwich recipe.

Other in-demand breads are croissants, bagels, and flatbreads. Serve a croissant sandwich for breakfast with this Breakfast Croissant Burger recipe and offer a light lunch option that hits on dill pickle cravings with this Dill Pickle Chicken Salad recipe.

Try these sandwich recipes!

Chicken Grinder

Breakfast Croissant Burger

Dill Pickle Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Adventure with Grilled Cheese

Though grilled cheese is already extremely commonplace on foodservice menus, it's expected to expand on to 7% more menus in the next four years, per Datassential's Grilled Cheese Food Profile. Some chefs are getting so innovative with grilled cheese that they build entire food truck or restaurant menus around upscale grilled cheese sandwiches. Because consumers are incredibly familiar with this comfort classic, you can get as experimental as you want with additional ingredients. Try this Dill Pickle Grilled Cheese or Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese on your menu!

Flavors in C-Stores and Delis

In CSP's recent article about "Trending Condiments and Sauces", they explain that, "Many busy consumers don't want to take the extra time to add condiments or sauces to their meals [so] it is quicker and more convenient to purchase items that are already packed with flavor." The good news is it's super easy to add flavor to chicken sandwiches using fully cooked, pre-flavored products like the delicious pickle flavor in our Southern Select™ Filets, tangy spice in our Buffalo-Style Diced Chicken, and the delightful combination of Romano cheese, herbs, and garlic in our unbreaded Garlic Herb Chicken Filets.