Canadian Culinary Business Trends in 2020
Welcome to my new look and website. This has been the most prosperous year yet, and I’m feeling pretty grateful. I met a lot of new wonderful culinary folks this year from all over the world in all stages of business. I’ve been soaking up information and taking mental notes everywhere I go so I can better serve our culinary business community. And most importantly, I’ve recognized my own areas of improvement as a coach, consultant and advocate and have made adjustments to make things easier for my clients and more efficient for myself.
This year I’ll be bringing you weekly blog posts (Sunday nights!), more services, more insights, more information, more live time for discussion on Facebook and more advocacy on behalf of the small business culinary community. Check back here or my social media pages for fresh thoughts and content. Should you have a blog post suggestion let me know on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or send me an email at yum@foodbusinesscoach.com
I’d like to kick off this blog for 2020 with my annual predictions list. 2019 saw the anticlimactic legalization of edible cannabis products, with its restrictive and almost impossible government regulations that make production nearly impossible for small scale producers. We also saw transparency on menu boards with calorie counts prominently displayed. It stopped me dead in my tracks a few times so it certainly works. We also saw the rise of sustainable foods being being demanded by our clients, especially when it came to meat, and on the counter side with meat alternatives being offered in large and small chains alike, to as much delight as controversy. (Looking at you, CFIA.)
So what ‘s in store for 2020? These are my humble predictions for Canada, based on what I’ve seen and heard from my peers and clients. Perhaps you see one I’ve missed- don’t hesitate to let me know what you think, I love to learn from others and am always interested in lively, respectful discussions.
Small Scale Cannabis Beverages and Edibles: With the arrival of legal edible marijuana products, we were sure that gone are the days of the knowing wink and smile at the party with the “special brownies”- and the extremes that would follow. (or not). Sadly, this has not been the case as the government continues to be inconsistent with its messaging and regulations, as well as next to impossible to access for small producers. I’ll try to be optimistic here, but I can really see it being several years before edible cannabis production can be accessed properly by small scale producers. What a shame.
Lifestyle Diets- To The Extreme: As diets now go to the edge with the help of celebrity influencers, consumers are carefully evaluating their own lifestyles and eating habits. As veganism was once seen as a radical diet, the other sides have sprung up too with Paleo and Ketogenic products becoming widely available and acceptable as a to go option as well as for even most established catering firms and upscale spots. Diets and restrictions to watch for this year: Carnivore (have you seen a meatza yet?), fasting, and also flexitarianism as folks become more concerned about the environment.
Seacuterie: Snacking and small bites have gained a lot of popularity in the past decade. Charcuterie seemed to take on a new life as the word and style for the first time entered the mainstream for home entertaining. It seemed that everyone- and their Parents and Grandparents- have heard of and are serving a board of cold upscale meats, pickles, jellies and cheese at family or social events for snacking on. The evolution has come full circle and now as folks look for a lighter option for spring and summer entertaining,or even to to switch it up. the concept invented by (depending on who you ask) Brooklyn Chef David Burke in the late 1980s or the Aussies is having a moment here in North America. Watch for smoked, pickled and fermented seafood products such as Gravlax, to begin creeping their way into your next social event.
Kids menus: We’ve all seen and enjoyed this meme- I know I certainly have. (Think I had that outfit…) As with clothing and lifestyle, the young folks of today have more access than ever before to new and exciting foods. As a result, today's young consumer has become considerably more discerning. While there will always be plenty of kids who want the plain cheese pizza or chicken fingers and fries, we’re now seeing a growth of kids who want a smaller portion of what the grown ups are having. Some of the children I know these days eagerly gobble down sushi, french onion soup, bone marrow, pizza with hot sausage and mushrooms, brie with jelly and baguette, and savoury flavoured french macarons. With young palettes and young media becoming such an influence (food network anyone?) not all youthful paletes will be satisfied with a plain kids menu. It’s worth it to up your game on your kid friendly menu in 2020.
Farty Vegetables
Laugh at the name but when you read the title you knew exactly what I was talking about. Never before have there been so much broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts as mains on menus. Once relegated to be boiled to death then dredged in cheese sauce and served to sad kids everywhere, suddenly Cauliflower has become Pizza, Sprouts are lovingly roasted wrapped in bacon, and Broccoli is showcased in fritters and burgers. I’m loving this veg forward movement as well as enjoying the very things I used to cry over finding on my plate when I was a kid. I’m still in awe with the ease and acceptance with which I can access cauliflower pizza crust.
Fun footnote: After I wrote this up, I noticed my friend Paula Roy had put up her predictions list and mentioned farty veggies too! The technical name is Cruciferous vegetables. Read Paula’s End of year List here for more amazing culinary trends.
Farming Practices Environmental and Human: The word of the year is Regenerative Agriculture. These are farming techniques focusing on soil regeneration, biodiversity and the holistic management of farms. We will continue to see scientists and farmers strategizing on how land use could improve the environment and help fight climate change. On the human side of farming, consumers are demanding more transparency than ever before. I know personally I sat in shock watching this video earlier in 2019. The consumer is now speaking with their wallet as they demand better working conditions for farmers and producers. I think that this year we will continue to see more and more poor practices exposed and a stronger push for humanitarian change.
Low Waste Cooking: One of my closest friends has what she colourfully refers to as a “vegetable graveyard” in her freezer from hoarding odds and ends from her culinary adventures for future broths. Turns out she’s on to something. Consumers are looking for less food packaging and more repurposing of ends and bits. New initiatives like the Rotten Fruit Box are saving fresh produce from a life of becoming soil again. I know that for example when I’ve purchased a large container of hot peppers and just can’t use them all in time, I’ll make them into Quickles. There's lots of ways to preserve and repurpose food scraps and I think we’ll see even more in kitchens -at home and commercial- this year.
Open Kitchens Part 1: As consumers become more and more interested in company culture, they’re also become more knowledgeable than ever before about the unique problems that plague the industry. 2019 saw many articles that pulled the cover off the shameful issues unique to our industry such rock bottom pay, lack of benefits and pensions, addiction and lifestyle, rampant sexism, poor work life balance and the epidemic in Canada’s most expensive cities where the employees can rarely afford sky high rents near the very establishments they work in. This year expect to see more diners asking questions about their favourite establishments from their favourite servers and demanding better. With fewer folks than ever before choosing a culinary career, they’d better.
Open kitchens Part 2: Social Media has completely changed the way we select, access and order our food. With that as well, it’s brought a lot of awareness and demand for local agriculture. Consumers actively seek out local businesses that are using nearby farmers and producers to create top notch products. This is so much more than the farm to table trend that has come and come, it’s accountability. Farms must be accessible and sustainable and have good hiring practices. Now not only are the restaurants being held accountable for their humanitarian choices, it’s going further down the chain to the producers themselves.
The Labour Shortage
There’s a culinary crisis that’s been underway steadily for the past 2 years, and it’s come to a head. There are currently 67,370 vacant jobs in food service and drinking establishments across the country, according to Statistics Canada, the highest it's been in nearly five years. Everything from the housing shortage, to the lack of young people who would typically take these jobs has been cited as reasons why. My personal belief is that there is still consistently low pay and long hours in the mix which chase away a lot of potential staff. Throw in how not all restaurants can be the most supportive of the ideal lifestyle (especially if you have a family or non-industry spouse) and there you have it. Chefs are going independent and setting their own rules, those who would typically take the entry level positions aren’t interested. Even the RC Show this year has a Labour Shortage presentation in it’s schedule.
Experiences, Private Chefs
The labour shortage trend is a great segway into our next trend- Chefs making their own rules by offering at home services. I met an incredible Chef at Canadian Women in Food’s FULL TILT Conference this past November who caters to those who want a customized, multi course dining experience at home. A dear friend of mine here in the city also began doing this last year after closing their restaurant and is enjoying the freedom of being their own boss and cooking on their terms to delighted guests. This benefits the client by offering them a customized special experience that feels luxurious, but really isn’t that much higher in price per person than dining at an upscale establishment.
With that, it’s time to put my crystal ball back into the drawer until next year. I hope you enjoyed my list for 2020. If you’d like to read further, check out my 2019 predictions here and see if I was right or not. I hope you’ll come back on Sunday when my next blog post goes up: “January Rush- the Culinary Businesses that Actually See Increased Business in the New Year.”
Mandi