1. Fried bologna
Bologna is hopping out of brown-bag lunches and onto restaurant and c-store menus. The deli meat is getting a new life as operations highlight its Southern and Appalachian roots. In 2015, York, Pa.-based Rutter’s Farm Stores added a locally sourced sweet bologna sandwich and fried-to-order sweet bologna bites to its menu. Guests can build their own bologna sandwich with a choice of eight cheeses and 10 breads. In 2017, the 65-unit chain added the fried sweet bologna bites to its grab-and-go offerings.
Similarly, at Tenn16 Food & Drink Co. in Nashville, a restaurant offering “Southern cuisine with a Cajun accent,” the menu lists a fried bologna sandwich with provolone, romaine, tomato, local bacon and mustard on sourdough.