Our menuwatching Street Food 2024 report is now live on TrendHub! In our report, we deep dive into everything handheld and on-the-move – exploring the latest flavour and format innovations to be found across street food markets, pop-ups, trucks, festivals and more.
As the restaurant industry continues to struggle with increasing costs, the stripped back nature of the street food approach can be appealing. Menus are simplified, focusing on a single product served in multiple iterations, keeping material and staffing costs to a minimum, and allowing traders to build a reputation around their chosen dish - indeed, street traders have been awarded Michelin stars for their work.
We've extracted three key takeouts to whet your appetite from the full report, in no particular order:
1. Bold Mash Ups – 'Blurred lines' become a street food signature as formats fuse into wild new forms, including the 'pizzadilla', deep-fried sushi dog – and of course, the viral Crookie (croissant-meets-cookie). Meanwhile flavours from across the world are fused and mashed up… Think Greco-Mex, Italo-Korean and Anglo-Japanese crossovers (to name just a few!), melding global ingredients into a single Insta-worthy offering.
2. Comfort, Squared – Chefs are doubling down on comfort by pairing beloved format favourites with indulgent additions… Think fries loaded with panko-crumbed lasagne bites, toasties filled with apple crumble and custard, or a Korean fried chicken-filled Caesar salad bao! These combinations are like a culinary hug – delicious, decadent, and cranked up to 11 on the comfort scale.
3. Drink Up! – As the weather (finally) warms up, vendors are complementing their food offerings with a flurry of refreshing beverages to see us through the summer. Homemade lemonades and iced teas sit alongside slushies, seltzers and trendy agua fresca, flavoured with tropical fruits, botanical herbs and satisfying citrus. Our nostalgia strings are pulled as drinks come garnished with gummies, fizzy candies and crunchy breakfast cereals, or are given a fiery kick via a cheeky hit of chilli.
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trendhub subscribers can access the full 113-page Street Food 2024 menuwatching report here. If you're not yet subscribed but are interested to find out more then complete the form below and a member of the team will back to you with more information.