13 Catering Trends to Keep on Your Radar For Your Event One of the most eagerly awaited aspects of any gathering is the food and drink. Event organizers and caterers alike would be advised to attempt to make the attendee F&B experience even better than before as in-person events progressively make a comeback. In order to assist you focus on what is important to audiences right now, we have put together this list of catering trends.

13 Catering Trends to Keep on Your Radar For Event

These catering trends will assist you in staying current and creating memorable events, whether you’re organizing a wedding, conference, or anniversary dinner.

In order to learn more about the next trends in catering, we spoke with specialists in the fields of food, drink, and event planning for this blog article. The following are some of the main inquiries we made:

What do you anticipate will be the F&B service trends over the next 12 months, particularly in light of the pandemic?
Will buffets ever return?
Will everyone continue to eat prepared or packed meals?
Do new trends seem to be emerging?
Do you provide meals for far-off events? How does that appear?
Which meals or food groups do you think will be in vogue?
Do we still consider eating to be an adventure? How will it seem in the future?
In terms of food and beverage service, what should event planners be considering in 2021 and 2022?
Below, we address all of these questions and more!

Find more about 13 important catering trends.

Event organizers and caterers may want to think about implementing any, or all, of these 13 catering trends, given the rising popularity of healthy dining. It’s difficult not to get enthused by the following issues, despite the fact that nothing is guaranteed and fashion trends might alter at any time.

1. The open idea is enduring.

In an interview with Social Tables, Omar Torres, bartender and food and beverage director at Bonsai at Hilton Pensacola Beach, said: “I believe consumers want to see where their food is coming from.” More banquet and catering establishments will use action stations and the open kitchen concept.

The open kitchen idea not only looks fantastic, but it also gives customers peace of mind that health and safety regulations are being followed. Not to mention that it may provide some incredible visual material for your next TikTok or Instagram Story!

2. Buffets are coming back.

Torres continues in his email, “Throughout my career, I’ve concentrated on enhancing buffets with chefs producing salads and appetizers rather of the conventional salad bar and serving them to the visitors.” I believe buffets at restaurants and banquets will develop into a more interactive buffet with a stronger culinary presence in the future

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3. Health will always come first.

Working closely with farmers will become the new standard, according to Torres, who previously told Social Tables that he believes the demand for nutritious food will only increase in the near future. More fresh ingredients will be used in meals, such as vinaigrettes for meats rather than rich, creamy sauces; sous vide will become more popular; and there will be more vegetables on your dish.

4. Popular components will prevail.

According to Torres, popular ingredients both now and in the future include avocado, lemon, kale, arugula, quinoa, and root vegetables.
While micro trends like the ones we see on FoodTok have their place, employing them as your go-to meals can help you streamline catering while staying in style.
Additionally, Ramen and seafood prepared in the Caribbean manner are becoming more and more popular, according to Torres
Everything from cactus fruits to Asian fruits may be found in drinks. Yuzu and dragon fruit are now popular items.

5. The pairings must be flawless.

According to Torres, the new restaurant design is enjoyable and has a fantastic connection between the kitchen and the bar. The cocktail menus now include chefs more often, giving customers the whole experience of a perfectly matched meal and drink.

If there are tastings included, this can be an educational activity.

It’s entertaining and a special experience, according to Torres, to see the science behind the ideal pairing of food and drink.

6. Cocktails without alcohol are popular.

These are the new breed of artisan cocktails that are dominating the industry. But this time, people think they’re far cooler than their mocktail equivalents. In fact, according to data published by Yahoo Finance, after reaching an all-time low in April 2020, digital searches for non-alcoholic drinks are up 47% from the same time last year

7. Free-from foods are now required.

In the coming years, demand for free-from food items is anticipated to increase significantly, in part because of the growing acceptance of gluten-free eating plans. Although this category accounts for a significant fraction of all food items, dairy-free and soy-free goods are also well-liked because of their low allergen level.

8. Vegetables will be added to or used in lieu of meat.

Chefs are experimenting with new methods to make these wholesome and enticing substitutes as plant-based meats gain popularity. As long as the costs of fake meat don’t increase too much because to growing pea prices, even seafood may soon be replaced with a veggie-based alternative.

9. Now fermentation is enjoyable.

Fermented foods like kombucha are becoming popular because research indicates that the stomach plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health. In addition to being healthy for our bodies, they are also growing in importance within the catering sector.

10. Demand for CBD infusions will increase.

Due of research demonstrating its many health advantages, CBD has grown in popularity as a food and beverage component, making it a hot catering trend to think about. Don’t trust us? Look at the numbers: A recent forecast from the Brightfield Group indicates that the hemp-CBD industry might reach $22 billion by 2022.

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11. Bars must contain substitutes for milk

Events that serve breakfast or have barista stations should always have cartons of this substitute on hand, as various milk substitutes like oat and almond quickly approach the must-carry status. As consumers grow weary of the unsustainable practices employed by the almond milk industry, coconut milk may also become more popular.

12. Menu choices will be based on sustainability.

The complexity of packaging and food preparation increases greenhouse gas emissions. In the future, caterers and event planners will work to improve sustainable food sourcing, cut back on single-use plastics, and other factors.

Need to know more? We go deeply into 11 methods for making events more environmentally and sustainably friendly.

13. Chips are better than ever and are back.

Potato chips, beet chips, and cheese puffs are making a comeback, but in healthier varieties. Think more umami and less salt. Additionally, natural substances will take the place of artificial ones. There will be a great demand for caterers that produce their own handmade versions.