What was the industry talking about in this month 5, 10, 15 or even 20 years ago?
Each month, we'll be taking a look back through two decades of food and beverage trend forecasting, revisiting what was emerging, growing, and peaking during this month in years gone by.
- 2010 - There was no cutting corners for Domino's as they filled the box with their new square pizza. The largest pizza chain in Australia, Domino's Pizza, released a new Square Puff Pizza, designed to give customers their whole box / quota of pizza. Round pizzas are so often placed in square boxes, but Domino's CEO Don Meij couldn't help but feel customers were being cheated. He hoped the new Square Puff Pizza would give customers the full whack of pizza goodness – and for only $7.95. Meij said: "You can't get any better than a box full of pizza – our Square Puff goes right to the edge and fills the whole pizza box!"
- 2013 - Starbucks adopted sharing plates, branching out of coffee and into casual dining. They created a menu of irresistible savoury small plates and desserts, available only after 4pm. This is what was on offer:
- Warmed Rosemary & Brown Sugar Cashews
- Crudités and Smoky Chipotle Hummus Dip
- Blue Brie Cheese Plate
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken Skewers
- Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Balsamic Glaze
- Truffle Macaroni and Cheese (for this you will need a fork!)
- Chicken and Roasted Tomato Flatbread
- Artichoke and Goat Cheese Flatbread
- Chocolate Fondue
- 2016 - Too Good To Go, a food waste app, was launched for the iPhone and Android operating systems. The sole purpose of the app is to link users up with high quality meals which would otherwise be binned. Think of it as the greatest food sale that ever existed. Prices range from £2 to £3.80. The app was founded by Danish friends who bought it to the UK in 2016 and by September 2016, approximately 100 restaurants signed up.
- 2019 - Much-loved Indian restaurant Dishoom released their first cookbook, much to the delight of their loyal fan base who couldn't wait to recreate their favourite meals at home. Dishoom was all about Bombay comfort food – okra fries, black daal and bacon naan roll – and this beautifully presented book was an ode to that, with beautifully photography and recipes that could transport the reader to the heart of Mumbai. According to celebrated chef Yotam Ottolenghi, this was, "a love letter to Bombay told through food and stories, including their legendary black daal".
- 2024 - Tom Kerridge launched a dine-in range with M&S, which included starters, mains, and desserts with options for one or two people, to mark the 20th anniversary of M&S's Gastropub range. Options included a Mushr oom, Leek & Butterbean cobbler as well as British Beef Cheeks by Tom.
The best way to understand what's next is often to understand what came before. Discover the full story in our latest 20 Years in Food & Beverage Trends e-book, featuring two decades of trend evolution, consumer shifts and future opportunities.
Click HERE to buy your copy - £24 from the sale of this book goes directly to the TFP Foundation.
Image Credits: Domino's AU / Starbucks US / Too Good To Go / Dishoom / M&S