Berries and kimchi rising
- Menus are featuring more berries and Korean flavours, with kimchi appearing increasingly in mainstream dishes. ( ) - Social trend posts highlight berries dominating U.S. menus while kimchi fuels fusion and fermented‑flavour interest. ( ) - Chefs and operators appear to be betting on bold seasonal fruit and spicy fermented condiments to attract diners. (x.com)
Berries and kimchi are showing up more often on U.S. restaurant menus as chains and independents lean into seasonal fruit and Korean flavors. (restaurantbusinessonline.com) Restaurant Business reported on April 18 that berries were “popping all over menus” that week, while a separate April 13 roundup found Korean mashups moving into sandwiches, tacos and drinks at chains including Paris Baguette, Velvet Taco and Kolache Factory. (restaurantbusinessonline.com 1) (restaurantbusinessonline.com 2) Velvet Taco’s current bulgogi taco pairs kimchi with Sriracha aioli and sesame-marinated cucumbers, and Paris Baguette is using shredded Korean beef in a grilled cheese, wrap, pizzetta and salad. (restaurantbusinessonline.com) Kimchi’s move into mainstream formats has been building for more than a year. In February 2025, Restaurant Business cited Technomic Ignite data showing Charleys Cheesesteaks’ Kimchi Cheesesteak scored strongly with consumers, with 73% saying they were likely to visit to try it after reading the description. (restaurantbusinessonline.com) Korean flavors are also spreading beyond independent Korean concepts. Restaurant Business reported that gochujang appeared on 0.8% of all menus in Technomic Ignite’s database of more than 7,000 operators and was forecast to reach 0.9% by 2026; entree pairings with gochujang rose 14.8% in 2024 and appetizer pairings rose 20.8%. (restaurantbusinessonline.com) Datassential said Korean cuisine ranked third among Asian cuisines with operators in its 2025 analysis, behind Thai and Japanese, with 44% operator penetration. The same report said U.S. diners are seeking more specific regional Asian flavors rather than generic “fusion.” (datassential.com) Fruit is rising on menus at the same time. Tastewise says social conversations about berries rose 16.75% year over year and that 54.98% of restaurants offer berry dishes, with strawberries and blueberries among the most common pairings. (tastewise.io) Trade groups are tracking the same appetite for bright produce and fermented flavors. The National Restaurant Association’s 2026 trends list included smoothie bowls among its top dishes and highlighted miso-glazed proteins, another fermented flavor moving into everyday restaurant formats. (restaurant.org) Restaurant operators are trying to add novelty without rebuilding the whole menu. Berries can drop into drinks, salads and desserts, while kimchi and Korean sauces can be layered onto tacos, fries, sandwiches and wings that diners already know. (restaurantbusinessonline.com 1) (restaurantbusinessonline.com 2) The result is a menu cycle that looks less like a niche-food boom and more like standard restaurant product development: familiar formats, sharper flavors, and ingredients that can travel from limited-time offers to permanent slots. (restaurantbusinessonline.com)
