2012 food and dining trends: #1 {Real food is chic}

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's finish our 2012 predictions with the number one trend on our list. We're finally done.

The coolness of REAL food.

Real Food is food which truly nourishes and respects producers, consumers, communities and ultimately, the earth.  It is a fundamental food system--from seed to plate--that fundamentally respects human dignity and health, animal welfare, social justice and environmental sustainability. Suck on that Glenn Beck.

Some people call it "local,", "hippie communists", "green," "slow," or "sustainable". Most knowledgable people just call it "Real food". It's that simple. Real food is food that is as close to its natural and original state as possible. Real food is not produced in a factory, it is not engineered in a lab, nor is it full of artificial colors, sweeteners, or flavors. It's what your grandparents and great-grandparents ate. Real food doesn’t have a list of ingredients - it is the ingredient. 


The more I travel, more I see food provides slowly move into this world. Real food, in my mind, is the number one trend in food service today. Real food looks like what it is – a tomato that smells like a tomato and is ate in the heart of summer. The Decentralization of procurement in our country is because people are starting to understand the "why's" of eating healthy. Let's face it, Our food system is broken. From food riots abroad, to rising rates of diabetes and obesity here in America; from the carbon emitted by agriculture to the human rights abuses in the fields; it's clear our food system is in need of major change. Travel to many urban communities and see the food deserts that have served our youth and less fortunate. 

Government and big business have failed to step up to the challenge, with business-as-usual prevailing over the health of our bodies, our communities, and the Earth. There's a real movement happening and slowly the economics are going to make sense. When it does, you'll see a new opportunity of entrepreneurs, farmers and artisans who will capture our stomachs and minds with this new progressive approach to eating.

Here's to REAL FOOD. Raise your pint glass now.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

#6 - Beer is King, not the King of Beer
#5 - Cloud Eating and Cooking
#4 - Grains, Grains. Grains and .....more Grains.
#3 - Grow your own
#2 - Rage against the food machine

2012 food and dining trends #2 {Rage against the food machine}

Coming in at number two is the full on pursuit, by many, of "food justice" and integrity from millions of people across the country in their investigation to find solidarity between social, environment, unbalance and equality in our countries food system. This movement has been moving strong for quite some time, but I believe 2012 we will see a bit more clarity in their message and more focus on the objectives around our food ecosystem.

 As an industry veteran I've never heard the back room chatter this loud around people and companies that are trying to embrace more efficient practices or how to spin their message to dupe the eating populous. See the new Mcdonalds PR campaign around their lettuce, beef and potatoes. In one clip, they feature a farmer emphasizing family cooperation and rotational grazing to showcase the idealistic heritage of "real farmers" that support our industrial food chain. I think the ad campaign is a good move in the direction of transparency and connecting consumers with the farming origins of the food we eat. The farmers share a bit about their dedication to family, the land and environment, and making sure they produce quality food. As with most new campaigns from large companies, there will be critics and some blasting of how they are full of shit, literally and figuratively. Some question the honesty and motive of the ads, while others tie it right back into the big food company brute force and hypocrisy.

Whatever it is, this movement has legacy companies such as McDonald's throwing millions of dollars into a real food campaign to put a message out there. These boardroom MBA's and strategic consultants don't make decisions like this if they don't think that there's some potential Return on investment. Big companies in the food business can't seem to grasp that they're not the front line of innovation anymore and they have to play catch-up to trends that make brand sense. You can be assured the McDonald's of twenty years ago would have never thought they would be spending a big chunk on their Ad budget, touting their farmers and suppliers for a national television audience.

This year you will see a loud and expeditious voice of people making decisions with their wallet as they shift into different eating and purchasing habits. There's still a lot of work to be done, especially in our inner cities and in communities where real food is not an option.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

#6 - Beer is King, not the King of Beer
#5 - Cloud Eating and Cooking
#4 - Grains, Grains. Grains and .....more Grains.
#3 - Grow your own

2012 Food and dining trends #3 {Grow your own}

True Food Kitchen's onsite Herb Garden

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's continue with our educated guessing!

Can we be done with this list already? It might be 2013 before this is completed.  Coming in at number three on our trend list is the movement towards retailers farming their own food. As you can see in the picture above, True Food Kitchen, a concept based out of Arizona,  maximizes it's real estate.  The interior's open layout, high ceilings, large sliding glass doors, and citrus color scheme bring the outdoors in. An on-site herb garden and smoker lend to farm-fresh feel. The airiness of the place creates a unique sense of openness when we almost walk into the wall-less kitchen. The garden ultimately is what makes this place credible.

Coast to coast, more chefs and restaurant owners are adding pitchforks to their small ware repertoire as they create gardens to feed their culinary zest and their diners. Ambitious and environmentally conscious chefs on the West Coast (and everywhere in between), are growing their own veggies and herbs and bypassing the traditional procurement route.

Let's set the record straight. This isn't a new and novel idea. Restaurants across the country have been doing this for years. But.....the ROI is staring to surface in a unique and opportune way that many mainstream outlets are looking into this culture of cultivating. Whatever the scale of the agricultural endeavor, the benefits are clear, you can pick something during the day and incorporate it into a special that night. It creates a convenience and nimbleness that most restaurants aren't afforded otherwise. The trend has caught on with high-end, Michelin-starred restaurants in California such as The French Laundry in Napa and has trickled down to more casual friendly outlets as well.

Providing boutique vegetables for high-end diners has been proving it's worth as of late. Adding the ability to walk outside your back door and get the same high end quality, could provide a new way of menu engineering from a micro sense. I personally think we are just scratching the surface on this...Stay tuned.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

#6 - Beer is King, not the King of Beer
#5 - Cloud Eating and Cooking
#4 - Grains, Grains. Grains and .....more Grains.

2012 food and dining predictions #4 {Grains, Grains, Grains and....more grains}

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's continue with our educated guessing!

With so many past diet trends based on avoiding bread, it’s a wonder that baking and bread cookbooks are still selling off the shelves. America's eating populous always welcomes the newest trend or fad when it comes to quick and rapid weight loss. We've been duped for long enough when it comes to bread and grains, and  we will see a resurgence in 2012 with our society gravitating towards a more traditional approach to these health friendly power punchers.

While people without medical restrictions continue to hop aboard  the bread-free bandwagon as a wishful way to lose weight, education and insight about pound packing processed foods, will continue to grow and resonate with many people. Studies have continued to show that eating whole grains instead of refined grains lowers the risk of many chronic diseases. Sorry Cap'n Crunch - you've scraped and irritated the top of my mouth for long enough.  While benefits are most pronounced for those consuming at least 3 servings daily, some studies show reduced risks from as little as one serving daily. Bam!

The message: every whole grain in your diet helps, significantly.

Restaurants in 2012 will continue their foray into this world of heart healthy grains. As technology and social media continue to crack the code on communicating healthy options to the masses, many restaurants will have to adapt their menus to the oncoming onslaught of inquires and requests for minimally process breads and confections.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

#6 - Beer is King, not the King of Beer
#5 - Cloud Eating and Cooking

2012 Food and Dining Predictions #5 {Cloud Eating and cooking}

Let me show you how we make this

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's continue with our educated guessing!

Coming in at number five on our countdown is Cloud Eating. What is Cloud Eating you say? Well, it's the open book and source for anything and everything for food, recipes, techniques and long lasting secrets once held onto by pretentious chefs and lab techs prior to the onset of technology. Cloud eating is being able to recreate and produce anything, from anywhere. Outside of the original Coke recipe, pretty much any of your favorite food and snacks are floating somewhere out on the intertubes -or- Cloud.

Websites such as Yummly and Epicurious have created a virtual hub for anything you've ever wanted to put in your body. The ability for someone to master a niche craft right from their computer has never been so accessible. If you have a kitchen, tools and a computer - you can master the french skills that were once held for the esteemed culinary schools around the world. All it takes is imagination and ingenuity. Culinary schools are expensive, and they do not necessarily prepare you for the real world like many offset degrees. Big or small, the education is generally the same and the cooking skills don’t change much.  As with most colleges the name of the school will only get her in the door. 

 As the Internet continues to process, collect and host applicable information, some of the remedial skills we once inherited from schools and universities can be now done through alternative outlets. Would I want a Brain Surgeon to learn how to cut my skull open from a blog site, no. You understand the point though - I hope.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

#6 - Beer is King, not the King of Beer

2012 Food and Dining Predictions #6 {Beer is King, not the King of Beer}

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's continue with our educated guessing!

Coming in at number six on our countdown is beer. Good beer has been that hyperactive cousin to wine for many when it comes to formal dinner pairings and understanding the nuances of what good craft beer represents.Wine has been the "Go To" receiver in crunch time and it's had a great run. Well done Vino.

America has been duped by commodity beer flavored water for too long. Beverage conglomerates such as Coors, Anheuser Busch (InBev) and Miller Brewing Company have led the charge with tasteless malt punch for the past 35 years. Fortunately we're in the midst of a craft beer renaissance.

All you have to do is look at this graph to understand. I love logistics.

The big boys are scared, and they have good reason. Beer has unfolded in a way where many could not have predicted. Chefs turned brewers have infused eclectic flavors and production methods to churn out a new style of craft beers. Restaurants like The Publican in Chicago have proved that pairing great beer with food can be a recipe for success. Beer is as versatile as it is diverse, providing both complementary and contrasting experiences when paired with food. Also, the piece of mind of drinking a crafted pint versus a bottle of Bud has given place to a social culture hierarchy. (Don't tell Nascar that)

Beer: It's just not for pretzels anymore

The range of pairings, many food experts agree, is as diverse as it's wine counterpart. Examples I like are a great Cornish Lobster Salad -  Paired with Lagunitas Brewing Company Pils and Deschutes Brewery Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Or take your favorite selection of British cheeses and pair with Victory Brewing Company Storm King Stout and Green Flash Brewing Co.'s IPA. You can be over simplistic or as complex as your taste buds will allow you.

We believe Craft beer will push the context of beverages the same way the wine boom did in the late 70's and early 80's. More and more people are realizing good beer is nothing to sniff at, and as more Americans realize they don’t have to drink watered down lagers, we expect huge growth in the wildly diverse craft sector to just keep growing – unless, politicians like Scott Walker have their way.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

2012 Food and Dining Predictions: #7 {The fusion of Family Style meals and Belittlement}

"We believe in treating our customers like part of the family," manager Dean Friesz said during Friday's grand opening of a new Ernie's location on Jericho Turnpike in Garden City. "That's why Ernie's offers, free with every Old-Fashioned Super-Duper Ernie's Entree, accusations, belittlement, and other barely disguised expressions of bitterness, despair and sour regret that typify American family interaction. (via: The Onion)

*Where would society be without The Onion?

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's continue with our educated guessing!

Coming in at number seven in our countdown is a slightly altered return to family style dining in 2012. Most of us know family dining as casual dining restaurants where food is often served on platters and the diners serve themselves. Most of us know this concept within the Italian dining format. I can see a model that works within any categorized construct, including QSR, fine dining, modern Bistro and even the bakery-cafe segment. Many of us enjoy the ability to share conversation and food together, and to date this has mostly been relegated to traditional Italian.

With the onset of farm to table concepts, I'm starting to see a unique revival of community and sharing. Many communal table restaurants are slowly migrating towards a family style application. Restaurants are starting to hold weekly family style dinner nights that deviates from their traditional model to embrace this ever popular trend. I'm curious to see what type of adaptation this can bring to more non-traditional venues such as counter service and fast casual concepts. This style of eating has been tough to win over some folks. Many see it as conforming and often that they have to compromise to the group as a whole. Both are valid points, but I see a new breed of this model that can help facilitate the diners ability to choose appropriately within boundaries. The Buca Di Beppo's of the world have held the covenant flame for stewarding family style, which has made it unappealing for many. Eating this way has been seen as a "once a year" meal for family and friends and has deterred frequent visits.

With a little creative menu ingenuity and individual touch, family style dining will make us rethink about "how" we eat out in the future.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

2012 Food and Dining Predictions: #8 {Minimal is the new black}

Just a few years ago, many food concepts were still caught up with being big and cheeky. The more colors, wall ornaments, splattered slogans and flare - the better. The bigger the entree, the louder the apron and the "never-ending" soup or salad bowl caught the eye of many future diabetes and obesity applicants. The restaurant industry in the 90's and early 21st century was about getting the most out of each customer - both mentally and financially. Before small plates and tapas options were rightly pushed into the mainstream, we were all on the Texas bandwagon. Why have a mid-size (Toyota Camry) cut of beef when you could go Monster Truck size for a few bucks extra. If you want a 1/2 gallon of high fructose corn syrup infused soda, we'll be glad to oblige that request. Hell, we even bought more house than we actually needed and some stay at home mom's in Miami decided that they must frolic about town in their new gigantic Hummer. I never really understood that one.

So, after the economic recession of '08 and a slight re-adjustment of what food and materials mean to the most of us, we're starting to come back around. Some of us down sized into a more moderate home and started to really think about what those "things" mean to us. Food is a prime example of culture and the experience of food will follow this trend into 2012. If you look at some independent concepts such as Commis and Benu in San Francisco, they've seem to do "more" with "less". They've left out all the ancillary messaging and sparkle and created their concepts around the people,  food and conversation.

In the months ahead when you eat out, you can expect to see less description about each dish and more single words spaced far apart often all in lower case letters. You can expect to see simple surroundings and recognizable offerings being featured. You will see staff that have no flare and are dressed as if they were over to your house for a dinner party. For most diners, a cleaner, sustainable approach to this model seems to have an elevated and less pretentious mood. If you start seeing concepts moving in this direction, you can tell them that this lil' blog called it out. I will let you know where they can send the checks - payable to "Money Laundering".

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

2012 Food and Dining Predictions: #9 {Personal Investment and Ownership}

Have you ever wanted to own a restaurant? What if you could invest in a concept and a minimal rate and hold shareholder rights? Think of it as a community investment that holds conceptual power for menu development, design, PR and operating structure? We believe that the movement to a non-conventional approach in the food service future is necessary, potentially more profitable and inevitable. However, the mindset of people and behaviors are hard to change in this industry, and when they do change it is usually in an incremental and uneven pattern that is difficult to change. As a participant in the movement to a new world of food, many entrepreneurs are leading by example within the context that we know best: Real food and natural products, and innovative and progressive business practices.

You have to admit, it's a 2.0 world and people want to have as much control over their interests as possible. We are living in a downtrodden economy and many innovators and entrepreneurs are going to search for more viable and plausible methods for financing and concept design. Due to intense competition, restaurateurs must look for ways to differentiate their place of business in order to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage. We realize this through years of competitive scoping. The fact that many restaurants are beginning to leverage this concept presents a window of opportunity and an entrance into a profitable niche in the market place.Similar models have proven it's worth, including CSA's and Grocer Coop's. The ability for customers to have membership and ownership rights offers a point of valued loyalty that no other preferred program could touch. A financial investment and commitment will provide a sense of ownership at unparalleled levels.

A  partnership with other local restaurants, chefs, bloggers, writers and critics to pay homage to food culture and transient eating could propel concepts to extraordinary levels of commutative participation from it's customers. Also, promotion of food swapping at a retail level will allow guests to walk out with recipes of the food they’ve just sampled and communicate with the chef {proprietor}. This type of responsibility and collective wisdom is a way to advance an idea in our industry in a very strategic and innovating manner.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions

#10 - The inconvenience of Food

2012 food and dining predictions: #10 {The Inconvenience of food}

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's get these predictions started!


#10 - The Inconvenience of food

For many years, the goal of food retail was to create a centralized, painless process of food distribution from the manufacturers all the way to the guests plate. We've been so focused on making everything we do as simple and manageable as possible. The more dumbed down, the better.

The word convenience has resonated with people that have busy lives and just don't have the time or energy for anything of added appreciation. The more automated, the better. The quicker, the better.The more efficient, the better. It's a mobile 4G world now - I completely understand. But, something is starting to resonate with food and the intrinsic principles on how we harvest, serve and eat. There's starting to be a heightened awareness around foods sustainability, de-commoditized and grass rooted approach. People are willing to spend a little more money and wait a little longer for the well being of what they are putting into their mouths. The inconvenience real food offers is becoming it's selling point.

The pleasure of eating and knowing the animal welfare of some of our favorite staples is starting to win the battle over the mass produced farm convenience at your local grocer. The efficient and accelerated service you receive at most fast food outlets will hopefully lose some market share to business models that are built on doing the right thing instead of being the fastest and cheapest. With the world around us being connected and moving at the speed of light - diners and food engagement will slowly turn in the opposite direction towards a holistic approach around the food that has a deeper connection. It's no longer ap pro po to have everything, everywhere and at all times. People and business's that are crossing that line are starting to see the benefit at many levels. I often buy my meat from my local farmer's market or local farms and drive or walk by many outlets and retailers that offer the same product. It's an inconvenience that is now part of my DNA. It's this type of disruption that will work for food retailing in 2012.