New food experiences have become a new form of entertainment. Heading to a restaurant and sharing an exotic meal with friends is very meaningful to millennials and GenZers. These experiences are important to collect and share with others in real life or online, like their parents may have collected and displayed things in the past. They are also more open to bold flavors and unusual combinations.
Food and flavor trends travel faster than ever before in today’s connected world. Food is a way to explore another culture in a time when travel is limited. We no longer are interested in southern food but are looking for dishes from specific southern regions –Appalachian, Lowlands, Creole. Mexican restaurants focus on cuisines from Veracruz, Oaxaca, or Yucatan.
Technomic, a research and consulting firm that focuses on the food industry, predicted that consumers are looking for limited time experiences and hard-to-find flavors. They frequent restaurants that offer special meals for a short period of time, creating a media frenzy. These meals can be expensive, hard to prepare, or so off-the-wall, that the enthusiasm won’t last. The experience can be accomplished through an entire meal or just a new flavored coffee or unusual doughnut. Novel and different, a short window of availability, or unique taste combinations are drivers for adventurous eating experiences.
