6 steal-worthy trends from Chicago’s dining scene

Chicago is one of the top dining cities in the world, or so says Donnie Madia, partner of One Off Hospitality, the award-winning multiconcept operator behind restaurants including Blackbird, Big Star, The Violet Hour and The Publican. During a panel discussion at the National Restaurant Association Show, he said the city is leading in trends as well as execution. This year, dozens of foodservice operators from the commercial and noncommercial spheres kicked off the Show with a Saturday morning dine-around that encompassed several of Chicago’s hottest new restaurants. The Taste the Trends tour, hosted by FoodService Director, Restaurant Business and Basic American Foods, showcased a number of actionable ideas for participants to bring back to their operation. Here are some of the top trends from this year’s tasting tour.Photograph courtesy of Erielle Bakkum