It’s time to start crystal-ball gazing into what’s up for 2023 on menus. Whole Foods has already come out with its top-10 food-trend list. One stands out as a solid repeat for the past few years, but with a revised name. Nostalgic foods. We’re not calling them comfort foods anymore because we’ve all moved past the pandemic. We’re done with comfort. But we still love foods reminiscent of “the old days.”
Breakfast cereal and mac and cheese encapsulate nostalgic foods, per Whole Foods. I can see that. Guaranteed, if you work those in, your customers will lose their minds.
Cereal
If you need some inspiration, Lolli-Waffles at London House Chicago presents what I think is the best spin on cereal. Picture buttermilk waffles on a stick covered with maple syrup and whipped cream rolled in a choice of Lucky Charms, Count Chocula, Boo Berry, Frankenberry or Cap’n Crunch. Can you say sugar coma? Actually, that’s worth a comment. Our better selves are trying to pay attention to things like the keto diet, plant-based foods, clean label, locally sourced, blah blah blah. But we’re human, after all. Bring on the Cap’n Crunch.
Corn flakes offer a specific value for the crunch factor. For example, Wishbone in Chicago serves Crunchy French Toast—made that way by dredging challah bread in corn flakes.
Cereal can also make it to the dessert menu as it does at Greenleaf Chop Shop in Beverly Hills, California. It describes its Gluten Free Summer Camp dessert as gooey, chewy and krispie! Made with caramelized rice krispies, marshmallows and brown butter chocolate chips.
Cereal also works on the lunch menu at Picasso on Paseo Restaurant in Oklahoma City. The Fried Avocado Wrap features corn-flake crusted avocado, spicy mayo, napa cabbage slaw and tomato.
You can even bring cereal to the entrée menu. Magnolias at the Mill in Purcellville, Virginia, uses corn flakes as part of the Fried Green Tomatoes meal featuring corn-flake crusted tomatoes, cheese, tomato jam, Sriracha aioli, pork belly, pistachio butter and an add-on of blackened shrimp for an upcharge.
Mac and cheese
Before I make the full-on transition to mac and cheese, what if you could combine cereal with mac and cheese? Talk about nostalgic with a twist! Hello Deep South Mac and Cheese at Addison, Texas-based Bar Louie. Get a load of this description: Creamy four-cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, provolone and pimento) mac and cheese with southern fried chicken, house-made spicy candied bacon, Parmesan, scallions and spiced rice krispies.
Lately, operators have been featuring mac and cheese as a burger topping. And why not, after all? Back Yard Burgers has done that. In the theme of toppings, mac and cheese is also a pizza topping at Green Mill Restaurant and Bar with headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota.
There are certainly more opportunities to take mac and cheese off the sides menu and place it square in the center. Black Eyed Pea offers Buffalo Mac and Cheese that it describes as creamy mac and cheese topped with marinated grilled chicken, bleu cheese crumbles and drizzled with spicy buffalo sauce.
I’ll bet the ever-experimenting Dallas-based Velvet Taco chain has done mac and cheese tacos. Mac and cheese soup would have great potential. So would mac and cheese chili and mac and cheese chili-loaded fries. Mac and cheese nachos, anyone? Because it’s such a kid favorite, I can also picture fried mac and cheese sticks.
Point is, if you’re looking for an LTO prospect that commands attention and nostalgia, start noodling mac and cheese ideas. Add cereal and see what happens.
Tell me what you think.
Jody
