Trends-day Wednesday 7/9

Here’s the final installment of the food trends of 2014 as given by Baum and Whiteman. If you haven’t read the first two posts from the last two Wednesdays, you should go back and read those since this is sort of a countdown. Without further ado, here are #4-1.

4. Food Halls

Growing up, I remember every time I went to the mall I ate a meal at the food court. It was always cheap, greasy, processed, unhealthy, and delicious. Those days are slowly sliding away it seems. Food courts are being replaced with, what Baum and Whiteman call, food halls. Food halls are the same premise as food courts; it’s a collection of vendors and food sellers in one location, except these vendors sell more natural and healthy food. The downside to this is that the food is also much more expensive. This concept has taken off in the larger cities of the US. I don’t know how I feel about this. On the one hand, it’s nice not to worry as much about what you’re putting in your body, but is that peace of mind worth the price difference? When I go shopping and buy a $5 unhealthy lunch, then I can justify to myself spending more money on clothes or whatever else I’m purchasing. If I were to spend $20 on lunch, I wouldn’t want to buy anything else. If enough middle class people think along the same lines, this could have a bad effect on the retail stores in the long run as they see a decrease in sales. Am I over-thinking this? Do you agree? Or would you rather pay more for lunch while shopping knowing that you are being healthier?

3. Chicken!

I know what you’re thinking… “How in the hell can chicken be a trend? It is the most trite and boring protein in the culinary world.” All I can say in reply is, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” Chefs around the country are inventing new ways to dress up this commonplace and dull bird. Roasted chicken with foie gras served with a bouquet of flowers stuck in its rear? That’ll be $79 please. Another chef has invented Poulet Vert (which tackles two food trends in one, #5 and #3), which is chicken marinated in green anchovy sauce. I’ll admit I’m a bit skeptical about this one. I don’t know how many new flavor profiles you can give to chicken. I think it has all been done before, right?

2. Tasting Menus

So for those of you who don’t know, tasting menus are multi-course meals where you get a smaller serving, a “taste” if you will, of each course. Upscale restaurants are seeing that it is economically sound for them to do these tasting menus, so they are catching on. And now that I see what these restaurants are charging for them and what people are willing to pay, it makes total sense. These upscale restaurants are charging $150 at the low end, and at others some patrons end up with a $1000 bill after factoring in wine with the meal. It’s obvious that people are willing to pay these extreme prices considering these restaurants are booked solid weeks in advance. The good news for the foodies of the middle class is that other less expensive restaurants are jumping on the tasting menu bandwagon. The bad news is that it costs as much or more than it may cost you to fill up your gas tank. Yes, you get gourmet food like seared scallops or foie gras, but you’re paying about $75-$85 for 6 to 8 courses. For a special occasion, I could see doing the lower end tasting menus, but I think I’ll leave the $1000 restaurant bills to the big spenders. And if any of you reading this is a big spender, I’ll be happy to accompany you to the tasting menu serving establishment of your choosing.

Okay, who’s ready for #1? Drum roll…

1. Restaurants in Retail

Having restaurants in retail stores used to be a common thing, but they were removed because they were deemed “too messy” and “unproductive”. In large cities around the country, these restaurants are coming back. Brooks Brothers in New York is opening a steakhouse in their store. The Nordstrom’s in Bellvue, Washington opened an upscale bar in their store that serves blueberry-lavender martinis and watermelon-jalapeño margaritas. The serving of food is very convenient, and I somewhat touched on my reservations on that topic in #4 above. However, it’s the alcohol service that I think is genius for retail. I know from experience that once people, especially younger people, start drinking, they don’t seem to care how much money they spend. I’ve seen friends at a bar start drinking and just keep ordering more and more; they then freak out in the morning when they see the receipt that tells them they spent $75 on drinks the previous night. Alcohol often impairs people’s judgment. Why wouldn’t this work in retail as well? Some one goes to the bar and has a drink or two, and when they leave the store, they have purchased one or two more item than they had planned on without even giving it a second thought. The only drawback here is that people can return clothes, but they can’t return drinks they have consumed. So my theory will need to be tested, but the potential for the retailers to make more money is there. Would you like to have a nice dinner in a department store while shopping?

Throughout this countdown of food trends, we’ve seen two overarching trends that go hand-in-hand. First of all, we’re seeing a big move toward the natural and healthier foods. This has been a growing trend over the years, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up. I think it’s great. People need to be conscious of the stuff they are putting in their bodies. However, there is a downside, which accounts for the second overarching trend: higher cost. Eating natural and healthy food costs more. It’s that simple. A hamburger made of leftover animal parts and chemicals costs much less to make than a hamburger made from only fresh quality cuts of meat; that’s common sense. But that higher cost is obviously going to be passed down to the consumer. So it’s a win-lose situation. Do you budget for higher food cost and give up something else in your life while knowing that you’re eating healthily? Or do you have more money to spend on other, sometimes necessary, things while you fill your body with junk that could cause physical problems later? What do you think? Get into the debate and give your opinions below.