Everything, everywhere
"Already, food is everywhere. And in the next ten years this trend will only increase. The definition of the restaurant stretches to encompass entire entertainment experiences. Retailers look to use food to fight against the growth of online sales. Dedicated urban third places offer an escape from modern life through food and a focus on the moment.
The displaced and dispossessed use food to give themselves a voice and as an expression of their identity. We are using food to celebrate diversity when it is most important."
Open for everyone
"More than anything else this past decade has been the decade of diversity in food. The power of instant communication means a hidden gem doesn’t stay hidden for long, and the internet has been an equalizing force in the food space. As long as your flavors are on point, you have a chance to find success. Immigrant cuisines are finding a mainstream audience in ways they never have before. Obscure regional dishes are subjected to the close scrutiny of a world full of creative chefs and given new life.
Food cultures clash and find common ground in ways that go well past anything the fusion cuisines of yesteryear could have imagined. It’s organic and authentic, and the sign of a hopeful future."
Choose better
"Across this entire spectrum we see an increase in the quality of offerings. Higher quality ingredients backed up by a powerful true story are quickly becoming the norm. Dishes of humble origins are given an infusion of creative energy, turning them into premium masterpieces.
Alongside the premiumization there is a growing awareness of an unsustainable industrial food system. A system that isn’t just spewing out low quality food bad for our health, but a system that is actively harming the planet. Many new players in the food space choose healthy and sustainable, and consumers are flocking to them in droves."
Breaking the mold
"Foodservice is booming and shows no sign of slowing down, and as a consequence of this explosive growth the traditional walls around the food space have collapsed. There is an untold diversity of food offerings. Not just in cuisines and flavors but in the million different ways we eat. At the high end the tasting menu temples turn the experience of eating into an endlessly creative artistic expression.
On the other end the fast food giants and delivery start-ups are infinitely iterating on the quickest and most convenient way of giving us what we want. In between those extremes a kaleidoscopic mosaic of food unfolds into a myriad of specialized niches, from high tech healthy fare to old fashioned comfort food"
Jelle Steenbergen Sander van der Meij Rahi Rezvani
Food is having a moment, and it’s looking like it’s here to stay. In a cultural universe defined by divisions and oppositions, food is a rare vehicle for the celebration of diversity.
Food a rare vehicle for the celebration of diversity
Trendwatch & opinion
4 min
Everything, everywhere
"Already, food is everywhere. And in the next ten years this trend will only increase. The definition of the restaurant stretches to encompass entire entertainment experiences. Retailers look to use food to fight against the growth of online sales. Dedicated urban third places offer an escape from modern life through food and a focus on the moment.
The displaced and dispossessed use food to give themselves a voice and as an expression of their identity. We are using food to celebrate diversity when it is most important."
Open for everyone
"More than anything else this past decade has been the decade of diversity in food. The power of instant communication means a hidden gem doesn’t stay hidden for long, and the internet has been an equalizing force in the food space. As long as your flavors are on point, you have a chance to find success. Immigrant cuisines are finding a mainstream audience in ways they never have before. Obscure regional dishes are subjected to the close scrutiny of a world full of creative chefs and given new life.
Food cultures clash and find common ground in ways that go well past anything the fusion cuisines of yesteryear could have imagined. It’s organic and authentic, and the sign of a hopeful future."
Choose better
"Across this entire spectrum we see an increase in the quality of offerings. Higher quality ingredients backed up by a powerful true story are quickly becoming the norm. Dishes of humble origins are given an infusion of creative energy, turning them into premium masterpieces.
Alongside the premiumization there is a growing awareness of an unsustainable industrial food system. A system that isn’t just spewing out low quality food bad for our health, but a system that is actively harming the planet. Many new players in the food space choose healthy and sustainable, and consumers are flocking to them in droves."
Breaking the mold
"Foodservice is booming and shows no sign of slowing down, and as a consequence of this explosive growth the traditional walls around the food space have collapsed. There is an untold diversity of food offerings. Not just in cuisines and flavors but in the million different ways we eat. At the high end the tasting menu temples turn the experience of eating into an endlessly creative artistic expression.
On the other end the fast food giants and delivery start-ups are infinitely iterating on the quickest and most convenient way of giving us what we want. In between those extremes a kaleidoscopic mosaic of food unfolds into a myriad of specialized niches, from high tech healthy fare to old fashioned comfort food"
Jelle Steenbergen Sander van der Meij Rahi Rezvani
Food is having a moment, and it’s looking like it’s here to stay. In a cultural universe defined by divisions and oppositions, food is a rare vehicle for the celebration of diversity.
4 min