Fast Casual: New Year, New Menu: Winter’s Trends Include Bowls, Healthful Options, Variety of Proteins

As January rolls around, many people are thinking about how they can improve their diets and their eating habits. In the meantime, restaurants are coming up with new menu items and LTOs to temp them back in. Here are some of the top new year menu trends in the restaurant industry, according to a recent Fast Casual article.

Winter menu items

Baby it’s cold outside and everyone is searching for a hot beverage or meal in the beginning of the year. Sloan’s Ice Cream is tempting customers with a sweet treat to warm them up—hot chocolate.

In honor of National Soup Month, McAlister’s Deli and Au Bon Pain have added soup to their menus including Parmesan and Kale Soup and Cooked Smoky Chicken and Sausage Soup respectively.

Healthful options

New year, healthy diet. Saladworks has introduced the Winter Power Salad with spinach, onions, sage, roasted potatoes, beets, roasted squash, cantaloupe and chicken as another healthy addition to its menu. Juice it Up offers Wellness Packs for those who are craving specific health benefits from their juice or smoothies.

New bowl offerings

Pei Wei is adding on to its artisan cooking and cross-cultural Asian offerings with the addition of Thai rice bowls to its menu that include Supergreen Thai Coconut Curry and the Thai Basil bowl.

Wildflower Bread Company is introducing breakfast and dinner bowls that each combine flavors from around the world and include healthy vegetables, lean protein and dressings.