The Latest Restaurant Menu Trends: Is Your F&B Keeping Up?

As a bottom-line booster for hotels and resorts, F&B is second only to room sales. To help strengthen this key revenue driver, you need to ensure your culinary offerings are serving up what people crave right now. That keeps guests dining on property (rather than going off-site) as well as attracting local residents to fill your booths and high-tops. Review the latest restaurant menu trends below to determine if your F&B is keeping up.

GLP-1-Approved Selections

In 2024, just 3% of U.S. adults took GLP-1 medications. By the end of this decade, financial analysts and healthcare researchers forecast that adoption could reach 25 to 30 million steady users. These medications effectively alter how much and what types of foods people eat. There are two key ways to adapt your menu to accommodate their needs:

Lean, Mean Protein

Smart seafood selections can include grilled branzino or halibut, shrimp & scallop skewers and ceviche. For poultry entrees, think marinated, roasted chicken breast and bowls with ground turkey as the base. The other white meat can hit their plates with pork loin chops. Red meat doesn’t need to be eliminated, but choose cuts such as sirloin or tenderloin medallions. For plant-based dishes, your chef can whip up edamame, lentil and chickpea bowls.

Right-sized Portions

No one likes to waste food, so for guests with a reduced caloric intake, you can offer half-portions or lighter cuts as well as reframe high-protein appetizers as entrée options with recommended side pairings to complete the meal. Even better, put your diners in control and allow them to build their own small plates featuring a 3–5-ounce lean protein of their choosing with a selection of healthy, trimmed-down side dishes.

Geographic Specificity

Most travelers want an authentic local experience — and that includes what they eat. Let’s face it, they can go to an Italian restaurant or grab Chinese take-out anytime at home. When they come to visit your destination, they want to know exactly how it tastes.

Hyper-local Fare

Lean into regional specialties here. No one is leaving Maine without ordering a lobster roll or New Orleans without digging into a bowl of gumbo. Source your ingredients and recipes from the immediate area and own the hyper-local position.

Far Beyond Fusion

It’s well past time to let go of the generic Eurasian fusion restaurant concept. While the stars of your menu should absolutely center on the hyper-local fare we detailed above, you can add subtle touches of international flavor with creative, global twists on classic dishes. Just do it sparingly — a little goes a long way here.

Gut-Friendly & Functional

Dieting is so 1970s. Today’s diners want to consume foods that provide systemic balance and greater well-being. Healthy never tasted so good.

Fermentation: Here to Stay

Rather than relying on excessive salt, butter or artificial enhancers, chefs are using fermentation to build umami, acidity and texture to their dishes. This delivers live cultures, organic acids and improved bioavailability for gut health. Specific offerings can include koji-cured flank steak, cultured chili hot sauces and kefir glazes.

Botanical & Adaptogen Additions

Imagine a two-course meal that could support cognitive function and alleviate stress. An entrée of pan-seared Lion’s Mane “steak” has this functional mushroom seared with thyme, garlic and a splash of olive oil to create a tender, meat-like dish. Follow that with spiced Ashwagandha & golden milk latte for dessert.

Cheers-Worthy Drinks

Plant-derived extracts and functional mushrooms help the body manage stress and restore balance. What used to be shunned as flavors that were too earthy or bitter is being reimagined to elevate beverages. Case in point: We bet you or someone you know swears by their morning mushroom coffee!

Mocktail Culture

Zero-alcohol mixology has come a long way from the “virgin” cocktails of the past. Guests can raise a glass of cucumber lavender fizz made with muddled English cucumber, fresh lime juice, lavender simple syrup and club soda. If your resort maintains an on-site botanical garden, we recommend using the fresh herbs you pluck from the Earth in mocktails and all of your beverage offerings.

Beverages for Betterment

A Lion’s Mane & Yuzu “Gimlet” pairs nootropics with stimulating adaptogens to promote focus and energy for the perfect daytime drink. To wind down in the evening, your bartenders can serve guests an Ashwagandha & Tart Cherry Sour, promoting relaxation and enhanced sleep.

It’s time to refresh your F&B offerings with the latest restaurant menu trends. Looking for more tasty tips on how to beef up your bottom line? You can count on Dana, the Hospitality Business Review 2025 Travel Marketing Agency of the Year, to serve up the perfect plan. Contact Lynn Kaniper at 609.466.9187 ext. 117 or lkaniper@danacommunications.com to start a conversation today.