Tag: Restaurant trends

According to a 2025 *New York Times* report, the transition away from seed oils is happening in fine dining restaurants like Eleven Madison Park, due to environmental concerns and consumer demand. This shift raises a key question for the rest of the industry: How do restaurants avoid seed oils and maintain flavor, performance, and cost efficiency? This guide details the strategies.

According to a 2019 survey, more than half (56%) of Americans who eat out do so at least two to three times per week, including dine-in, takeout, and delivery. This reveals a common and frequent habit, but different studies and recent trends show a more nuanced picture of exactly how many times a week most Americans eat out.

According to Statista, 67% of millennials use food delivery services at least once a week, highlighting a generation defined by convenience and technology. This shift, however, is just one facet of the complex and multifaceted answer to the question, what is the millennial food trend?. It is a movement that combines health consciousness, sustainability, and unique culinary experiences to reshape the entire food industry.

According to a study conducted in Saudi Arabia in 2024, fewer than half of consumers were interested in viewing calorie information on online food ordering apps, yet many who did noticed a positive effect on their food choices. This highlights the complex and varied ways menu labeling has affected consumer purchasing in restaurants since its widespread implementation.

Before the 1990s, McDonald's famously used beef tallow to fry their iconic french fries, a practice that gave them their legendary flavor. So, why do restaurants not use beef tallow today? The shift was driven by a combination of public health concerns, operational costs, and the desire for a more neutral flavor profile in dishes.

In 1991, The Eagle in London coined the term 'gastropub', forever changing the pub dining scene. This was the beginning of what is now recognized as a gastro meal: a high-quality, gourmet culinary experience served in a relaxed, pub-style atmosphere. It is an evolution from simple pub grub to sophisticated, chef-driven cuisine.

According to a 2025 review of studies, adding calorie labels to food products and menus leads to a modest average reduction of 11 calories per meal, or a 1.8% decrease. This raises the question: does putting calories on menus work effectively as a public health strategy, or are the effects too small to matter?

According to a March 2025 article in the *New York Times*, restaurants are once again embracing traditional fats, leading to increased public interest in the use of beef tallow for fries. While many fast-food chains moved away from beef tallow in the 1990s, some notable restaurants and discerning home cooks continue to use this rendered beef fat for its rich flavor and superior frying characteristics. The return to this traditional method is driven by a desire for enhanced taste and a move away from heavily processed seed oils.

Searches for "seed-oil free" on Yelp increased by 414 percent from March 2024 to March 2025, reflecting a powerful consumer-led movement asking: **Are restaurants dropping seed oils?** This rising demand for transparency is forcing a complex reckoning within the culinary world, pitting health perception against culinary tradition and economic reality.