What’s Next for Restaurants: Data-Backed Trends Defining 2026

Diners are changing. They want new things. They want to be healthier, they want friendship, and they want culture. Essentially, they want a greater connection to their identity through food. Understanding how these wants manifest in dining trends is fundamental to foodservice wins in 2026. If you want to effectively navigate your company’s way through the rapidly evolving foodservice landscape, you can’t be guessing. You need real, actionable insights built from your audience’s data so you understand not only what they eat but why they eat it. This ultimately allows you to determine what they will want next and ensure you meet them there, instead of having to catch up. 

So, what will diners want in 2026? Why do they want it, and how can you ensure you get the most out of this opportunity?

Tastewise recently released its Foodservice Forecast, detailing the next line of foodservice trends for 2026 and how you can take effective marketing, sales, and development action on them. You can find the full report here, but let’s take a look at what’s inside and explore its value, starting at the beginning. 

Quiet Luxury in Alcohol

Drinking culture is shifting towards a surprising trend: zero alcohol consumption. Gen Z is leading this revolution: weekly drinking has decreased by 30 percent among Gen Zers. However, they do not mind raising a glass to celebrate – celebratory drinking is up nearly 30 percent year over year for that same group. The trend suggests that Gen Z is not walking away from alcohol; they are just getting selective about the moments that deserve it. When those moments arrive, they want drinks that feel crafted, clean, and meaningful. And cocktails can serve as a go-to format to deliver on all those claims. Approximately one-third of American alcohol consumption is already in cocktail format, and the number of cocktails on menus has increased by more than 50 percent in the last year, with average prices also rising. There is a crucial rule, though: If a guest is paying that much for a drink, it has to tell a story.

Agave wine arises as one of the most refined, ‘quiet luxury’ beverage options, delivering a sophisticated experience and thereby softening the perceptions of rising prices.

Consumer interest in agave wine has increased by more than 40 percent YoY, and menu items that use it are rising accordingly. Operators are applying their creative juices to weave in the novelty in the menus, think agave wine margaritas that lean into fresh lime and salt, botanical agave spritzes on a brunch list, or a simple agave wine pour over ice. The shift is practical, but it signals moderation, cultural depth, and thoughtful mixology in the glass.

Menus Become Regional

The same search for value is reshaping the plates. Today's diners want food that feels rooted in a real place, not an abstract “anywhere.” Interest in food and beverage connected to local history is up around 30 percent YoY, and savory dishes that call out locally-sourced ingredients are gaining popularity on menus, often at a higher price. Smaller cities are leading this shift. For instance, nine percent of menus in Portland highlight local ingredients. Salt Lake City sits at 7.5 percent. Burlington goes even further, with almost three times the national average. So, diners can genuinely taste the local flavor of the region.

Global menus are also becoming more specific: Milanese bakery items, Neapolitan pizzas, and Calabrian dishes are all gaining traction. Interestingly, Calabrian pizza in particular shows strong year-over-year growth. Sichuan chicken is appearing on more US menus, Manchurian snacks are popping up in Asian fusion, and Vietnamese desserts are quietly making their way into mainstream restaurant menus. 

Such a global cuisine diversity creates clear opportunities for foodservice operators. Instead of saying “spicy Italian pizza,” call it a Calabrian chili pie. Swap “Asian-style noodles” for a Sichuan noodle bowl. Add a Vietnamese coffee flan to the dessert list. The more specific the dish, the more it feels like something guests won’t find anywhere else.

Customization Is a Must

Shifting away from traditional menu item formulations, diners also walk away from fixed portions and fixed builds. They want to take full control over how big the portion is. Today, 98 chains offer portion options, and the menu items designed around size choice have grown by more than 25 percent YoY. The trend is widely driven by the GLP-1 drug consumption and consumers' efforts to maintain the achieved results. User conversations around portion sizing have more than doubled, and the interest in late-night portion control is climbing, which shows that sizing is now part of a lifestyle, not just dieting.

Meal customization goes beyond size. There's also a clear broad interest in build-your-own formats – up 35 percent YoY among consumers, which also prioritize flavor depth and even solo dining. Driven by these consumption trends, malatang, a Szechuan choose-your-own-bowl experience, captures this mood perfectly. At YGF Malatang, for example, guests build their own hot pot bowls, staff weigh them by the pound, and the whole thing feels like controlled chaos at its best. Notably, malatang dishes are six times more associated with personalization than the average savory meal, as every ingredient, texture, and spice level is chosen in real-time. 

How can foodservice operators leverage this? Select a few core formats such as bowls, tacos, or hot pots, and make portion choices and customization options visible on the menu, instead of requiring guests to negotiate.

Maximalist Coffee and Functional Cold Foam

Finally, coffee is becoming more of a daily luxury than a pure necessity. With average coffee menu prices up about seven percent YoY and tariffs squeezing supply, consumers are looking for every cup to feel more like an indulgence ritual than a habit. That is where maximalist coffee comes in – a cup rich in textures, visuals, and function.

Cold foam stands at the forefront of innovation here. Inspired by the thick, silky cream on a Viennese einspänner, cold foam turns an iced coffee into a layered sensory experience. Consumer interest in cold foam is up more than 50 percent YoY, and menu items using it have more than doubled. Starbucks saw cold foam sales grow 23 percent in Q3 2025, proving the format can drive significant demand volume.

On a functional note, innovations related to hormone balance, stress relief, and metabolism support dominate beverage conversations. Some notable product innovations include protein cold foam on cold brew for satiety, or lavender cold foam marketed as a calming treat. With such a twist, the drink is still coffee, but it feels like a moment.

Taken together, these shifts highlight how diners are using food and drink to express their identity, their roots, and their values. Quiet luxury cocktails, local and regional dishes, customizable formats, and textured, functional coffee all support that need.