5 menu trends worth noticing

Unique local specialties, fresh ethnic mashups and a lesser-known ancient grain are making their way onto restaurant menus—and could be the next frontier for noncommercial outlets, too. Here are five trends we’re keeping an eye on.

1. Edibles or recyclables?

The name alone is a grabber: Jalapeno Bottle Caps. Are they a recycling effort or are they actually edible? Fuzzy’s Taco Shop introduced these battered and fried fresh jalapeno slices as a limited-time appetizer for $3.99. They’re served in a basket with housemade avocado ranch dressing for dipping.

2. A local specialty made with sweet potato sauce

Another wacky name comes along with one of Biscuitville’s latest items: the Cackalacky Chop Sandwich. The Southern chain is expanding its lunch menu by highlighting local products. The pork chop recipe includes Cackalacky Cheerwine spice sauce, which combines two local specialties: a spicy sauce made from sweet potatoes, and Cheerwine, an original soda pop of the South.

3. Korean version of meatballs

Korean BBQ Meatballs, a new item from Noodles & Company, put an emerging Asian cuisine smack in the middle of the popular meatball. Noodles harnessed the sweet-spicy heat of gochujang—what many trend watchers are calling the next Sriracha—to create the meatball sauce. It’s the first launch in the chain’s Asian exploration promotion.

4. Mexican-Indian mashup

Chicago’s Rockit Bar & Grill fused Mexican and Indian elements into one bowl with its new Chicken Tandoori Chili. It was offered as part of the casual restaurant’s annual Chili Fest, a winter tradition in the Windy City.

5. Beans and an ancient grain figure into another fast-casual menu

The Italian lupini bean—a new ingredient in the fast-casual kitchen—stars in a new vegetarian salad at Zoes Kitchen. The protein-rich legume adds a nutritional boost to the plant-based entree, which also includes farro, zucchini ribbons, spinach and tomatoes.