Sponsored by Bush Brothers
After a season dominated by hearty comfort foods, summer brings cravings for lighter dishes that showcase fruits, vegetables and legumes. Plant-based and plant-forward foods add color, flavor and better-for-you attributes to menus, and they offer a refreshing change for diners as they emerge from hibernation or from sheltering at home.
According to Datassential, in a COVID-19 webinar for the Restaurants Rise online educational series, consumers returning to dine-in restaurants will likely order their favorite menu items and tried-and-true foods during the first two visits. After that, they will want to be more adventurous and taste some innovative foods with on-trend flavors.
Many of these innovative items will be plant-based. According to a survey conducted by Informa Engage and Nation’s Restaurant News for Bush’s Best, 61 percent of menu influencers (chefs, managers) and 42 percent of non-influencers (operations managers, general managers) say they expect to increase the amount of meatless items they offer by both developing new dishes in-house and offering prepared items.
Add Bold Colors
Salad is the quintessential summer meal, and the ability to customize it adds to the appeal. Saladworks, based in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, is hosting its Super Summer Celebration as a creative way to bring attention to guests’ originality. “With over 60 fresh, flavorful ingredients, the Saladworks Create Your Own menu category allows guests to create a salad as original as they are,” says Mark Mears, the chain's chief marketing officer.
Those ingredients include greens, meats, plant-based proteins such as quinoa or chickpeas, fruits and vegetables, and an array of toppings such as corn bean blend, cheese, sesame seeds, along with special summer ingredients such as strawberries, blueberries and watermelon.
Strawberries also have a presence this summer on the menu at MAD Greens, based in Golden, Colorado. The salad chain introduced the Mighty Aphrodite salad, which contains strawberries, cucumbers, almonds and mozzarella cheese with an herby shallot tarragon vinaigrette. Also new is a Sweet Bacon Blue wrap, with blue cheese, bacon, strawberries and a roasted strawberry vinaigrette. For the dressing, the strawberries are roasted, which gives them a deep, sweet flavor that balances the richness of the blue cheese.
“We think strawberries are the true herald of summertime,” says Peggy Littleton, whose title is head lettuce juggler. “They’re at the peak of ripeness and flavor these months, so it’s a no-brainer for us to bring them in and celebrate the heck out of them with three preparations.”
Bowl Them Over
Bowls are another great summer meal. At The Little Beet in New York, the summer bowls menu includes the Seasonal Bowl, which contains braised pork, basmati rice, four beans, olives, cucumbers, feta, sweet chili garlic sauce and super seed mix.
The chain also offers a different bean dish every season, as a side order. For summer, it’s Four Beans and Olives with Goathorn Peppers. “One of the great things about this dish is that every bite is different because of the four different beans—green beans, white beans, black beans and soy beans,” says Trevor Kunk, director of culinary innovation for Little Beet Brands. “When biting into the dish you get an acidic taste, but as you continue to chew the starch from the beans blends with the acidic vinegar.”
Kunk adds that people who eat plant-based foods look for bean dishes as a protein alternative, and summer is a great time to try them. “There are more vegetables, beans and fruits available during summer,” he says. “Due to there being more of these options accessible, it can prompt people to eat more inspired plant-based dishes.”
Offer Protein Substitutes
For many, summer means barbecue, and that traditionally includes meat. However, meat-free barbecue options are gaining popularity. At CatHead's BBQ in San Francisco, the signature dishes include Slow Smoked Pulled Pork and Sweet Tea BBQ Chicken, but Maker’s Mark Portobello Mushrooms and Cornmeal Crusted Tofu are also very popular. “We are one of a few BBQ spots in San Francisco, and having vegetarian/vegan options is important to us and our customers,” says co-owner Richard Park. “You would not believe how many times we have customers from both sides of the meat-eating/vegetarian/vegan spectrum coming in and thanking us for providing the option.”
Park adds that all side dishes, such as BBQ Baked Beans, Dandelion Green Potato Salad, and Pimento Mac & Cheese, are meat-free as well.
Stay Seasonal
Operators can highlight the seasonality of ingredients by featuring certain menu items as limited-time offerings. At Phoenix-based True Food Kitchen, the Summer Corn and Tomato Flatbread has a limited run on the menu thanks to the seasonal availability of heirloom tomatoes. The flatbread is topped with roasted corn, organic heirloom tomato, goat cheese, organic arugula and pumpkin seed pesto.
Another summer staple, corn, is available year-round, but its peak season is May through September, so it generates more excitement during the summer months. Aviv in Portland, Oregon, menus Israeli Street Corn, which is grilled organic corn flavored with chipotle aioli and harissa spice blend. Chef and owner Tal Caspi says the inspiration for Israeli Street Corn came from his youth in southern California. “My best friend and his mother are Mexican, and I grew up in his house,” he says. “I also grew up in Israel so I always wanted to combine those two flavor profiles.”
Peaches are also great summery ingredients, and at Oak Steakhouse in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Peach Gazpacho with Burrata and Grilled Sourdough Baguette features ingredients from locally sourced purveyors. “We look to balance the outdoor temperature with cooler dishes that utilize fresh herbs during the hot summer months,” says executive chef Todd Woods.
Whether adding boldness, bowls, color or seasonal ingredients to the menu, plant-based and plant-forward dishes can play key roles on summer menus. The bright flavors and healthfulness of produce and legumes can attract consumers looking for lighter, better-for-you foods during the warmer months.