Attention, C-Stores: Take Note of Fastest-Growing Ingredients, Dishes on Menus

Boba, guajillo pepper and plant-based cheese.

These are some of the fastest-growing ingredients in restaurants—and among the offerings that convenience-store retailers should consider in keeping up with foodservice trends.

Serving burrito value meals? This too is a smart consideration as it’s tied with rotisserie chicken as the fastest-growing dish in the last year.

Stats such as this come from the new report Fastest-Growing Dishes from CSP sister research firm Technomic, which presented its findings at a recent On the Menu webinar.

The research covers the first quarter of 2022 to first quarter of 2023. It compiled data from the top 500 restaurant chains.

Click through to learn more about what’s trending …

Boba leads the top 10 fastest-growing ingredients:

• Boba (pictured) +104%
• Guajillo pepper +75%
• Plant-based cheese +50%
• Cookie crumbles +50%
• Bone marrow +47%
• Pecorino +33%
• Lima beans +33%
• Shishito pepper +29%
• Chuck +29%
• Sage +27%

There’s a tie at the top spot of fastest-growing dishes:

• Burrito value meals +89%
• Rotisserie chicken +89%
• Other side pasta/noodles +80%
• Stir-fry +79%
• Tuna entree +41%
• Breakfast value meals +40%
• Lobster and steak +39%
• Energy drink +34%
• Breakfast bowl +27%
• Punch +26%

From January to June 2023, the top-rated limited-time offers in several categories were:

• Purchase intent: A Tex-Mex sampler from Ruby Tuesday. It features cheddar queso and chips, boneless wings and mozzarella sticks.
• Draw: Peanut Butter and Banana Pancakes from the eatery Snooze.
• Uniqueness: Crab-Topped Bang Fries from Bonefish Grill.
• Craveability: Mexican Grab Dip from On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina.

Two innovative takes on the cheeseburger:

• Cheeseburger salad: Mixed greens topped with butcher’s blend burger, cheddar Jack cheese, tomatoes, red onion, fried pickles, fried onions and secret XTC dressing. From Smokey Bones.
• Cheeseburger rolls: Ground beef, American cheese, pickles and Thousand Island dressing. From Rock & Brews.

Two innovative takes on fries:

• Fire Fries: Wings and Rings’ classic fries topped with ghost pepper ranch, scallions and "flamin’ hot dust."
• 420 Blazin’ Taco: Macaroni and cheese, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos chicken tenders, "flamin’" red chile aioli and Fruity Pebbles, all in a flour tortilla, from Velvet Taco.

There has been an 18% growth of Cheetos on menus from first-quarter 2022 to first-quarter 2023, according to Technomic.

In addition, 27% of consumers say the availability of name-brand items/ingredients is an important traffic driver for limited-service restaurants and 26% for full-service restaurants.

Mentions of pickles are up 8% on pizzas in the past year, including 17% on appetizer pizzas.

The types of pickle pizzas on the rise:

• Specialty pizza +38%
• Veggie/garden pizza +29%
• Cheeseburger pizza +6%

Pickles also are on the rise in:

• Chicken burgers +29%
• Sandwich value meals +11%
• Shellfish sandwiches +9%
• Curry +8%
• Fried pickles +7%