Editor’s Note: In The Kruse Report, a new feature on NRN.com, food trend expert Nancy Kruse looks at what’s shaping menus across the country. Today she explores the meatball phenomenon.
Meatballs are true culinary classics undergoing a recession-driven revival. Familiar and comforting to patrons, they often provide a sense of fun — a nostalgic quality that makes consumers smile. From the culinary perspective, meatballs are clearly fun to work with as well. Creative and versatile, they’ve been appearing in a host of treatments and in a wide range of operations. And their winning combination of low food cost and high customer satisfaction makes everyone happy.
From sandwiches to cocktails, see the different ways meatballs are on the menu.
Nancy Kruse, president of the Kruse Company, is a menu trends analyst based in Atlanta. Pick up the Feb. 7 issue of Nation's Restaurant News to read more from Nancy Kruse about meatballs' revival.