The best way to understand industry trends is to learn what is impacting the trend to begin with. At first glance, a rise in the popularity of Hawaiian and Asian fast-casual franchises may not seem applicable to a restaurant business outside of that market; however, a closer look at the supporting data shows that the trend isn’t so much about new food flavors and concepts as it is about the changing demographics of the American population.
As Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN) recently shared, “According to the 2020 U.S. Census, more Hawaiians now live on the continent than in Hawaii proper for the first time ever — 53% compared to 47%. Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders were the fastest growing populations in the U.S. from 2000 to 2002, marking a 120.3% increase.”
The increase in immigration indicates more diversity across the United States and directly correlates with an increase in Hawaiian food categories. “Consider, for instance, Hawaiian cuisine,” writes NRN, “which includes everything from Spam musubi and kalua pig to katsu chicken, all served in a plate lunch format. There are several high-growth concepts on Technomic’s 2023 Top 500 list that focus on such cuisine; among them are, Mo’Bettahs, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Ono Hawaiian BBQ, and Hawaiian Bros. Island Grill. Mo’Bettahs finished 2023 with about $80 million in sales and about 50 locations, or just over 40% year-over-year sales growth and just over 31% year-over-year unit-count growth.”
This rapid growth is clearly demonstrated in Asian food establishments as well. “Concepts like KPOT Korean BBQ and Hot Pot have generated staggering sales (251%) and unit count (243%) growth from 2022 to 2023. Gen Korean BBQ, which went public last year, experienced nearly 11% sales growth in 2023, as well as 20% growth. Meanwhile, Jinya Ramen Bar was up 21% in sales and 30% in units, while Teriyaki Madness was up nearly 19% and 14%. Further, BonChon, Bibibop, Rock N Roll Sushi, Kura Sushi, Hawkers Asian Street Food, and Nobu all turned in impressive growth numbers from 2022 to 2023.”
While U.S. citizens are more familiar with Latin food categories already, the immigration data still correlates with the rise in related food popularity. “The Hispanic population is the third-fastest growing in the U.S., with about an 80% clip throughout the past two decades,” NRN writes. “To leverage Technomic’s data that means homing in on Mexican cuisine specifically, to which there are – again – several concepts growing sales and unit count at a remarkable pace, including and especially those in the fast casual taco category, like Torchy’s Tacos, Condado Tacos, Bartaco, Velvet Taco, and Barrio Tacos.”
Leveraging the data behind a trend, restaurant owners in all categories can make informed decisions about marketing and menu changes. “Simply put, and as Mo’Bettahs CEO Rob Ertmann explained, with these demographic shifts, more people are exposed to global cuisines now and are figuring out what it is. Notably, the white space potential in these categories is significant, as most of these concepts are emerging brands.”
Richard Weil, owner and principal of National Restaurant Consultants (NRC) writes, “High flavor profiles have been enticing guests to try many new varieties of foods. These trends will continue to evolve, so restauranteurs willing to creatively adapt their menus with intrigue will drive traffic in both new and existing customer groups.”
Creating successful menus and marketing campaigns is more than quality content. It is engineering dishes and concepts that are appealing to target audiences and that are informed by the interest of the moment. By working with a restaurant consultant, we can find the means for your restaurant to make cost-effective and impactful adjustments to attract the right audience at the right time.