4 Figures From Datassential’s Midyear Trends Report

Datassential, a food and beverage intelligence platform, has released its 2023 Midyear Trend Report. The annual report features the latest insights on headline trends in the food industry, consumer views on the state of hospitality and research on what’s hot on menus today and what should grow in the future.

“Understanding what these trends are and how to implement them is critical for food industry professionals to stay ahead of the curve all year long—and to be able to plan for the long term,” says Mike Kostyo, associate director and trendologist at Datassential, in a press release.

Report highlights, by the numbers, include the following:

+373%
That’s how much barbecue chicken wings grew on menus in just the past year, making it the fastest-growing menu item in the U.S. The development is driven by the growth of chicken overall and operators calling out specific, on-trend varieties like Korean BBQ or Carolina gold barbecue wings.

99
The number marks the composite score of Denny’s returning Super Slam, the 2023 chain menu winner. The menu item also scored the highest in Unbranded Purchase Intent (80% of consumers said they want to purchase it), and it also was in the Top 5 winners in a number of other metrics. “This year major restaurant chains have already released over 2,000 new menu items, limited-time offers (LTOs), and test items—and we tested them all with consumers,” Datassential reports.

67%
The percentage of consumers who want to see more fads at restaurants and retail. “While short-lived trends or fads found on TikTok may come and go quickly, that doesn’t mean consumers don’t want to experience them,” Datassential states. “In fact, 67% of consumers want to see more of them at restaurants and retail, while nearly three quarters of Gen Z and Millennials (74%) say the same thing.” The “microtrends” can earn brands extra attention.

54%
The percentage of consumers who say tipping has gotten out of culture control.

Later this year, Datassential will release its 2024 Annual Trends Report.