A Year End Foodie Review: The Top Food Trends of 2019
In 2019, we really embraced natural ingredients rather than over-processed food that came in boxes. Themed restaurants and wild diets with intermittent fasting are just two trends that pushed out fads like unicorn and rainbow foods.
With the help of some Yelp data, here are the top food trends in 2019:
Food Trends on the Rise in 2019
Generation tensions, Internet groups, and health crazes influenced popular food trends this year.
Avocado toast
A decade long culmination of boomer vs millennial tensions, the ever so ironic avocado toast continues to stay popular since 2017 while housing sales stay low.
Boba and bubble tea
An educated guess on the rise of popularity of bubble tea and boba is that because the Internet connects the world, millions of the Eastern Asians living in Western culture came together on a Facebook group and discussed their love for the Taiwanese drink so much that it trended everywhere.
Celery Juice
The “I Drank Celery Juice For _ Days” trend sparked interest in only drinking celery juice to lose weight. As true as the idea behind it is, doctors say that drinking celery juice is no different from juicing another vegetable. It’s still a trend, though!
CBD-infused foods
Thanks to a shrinking stigma surrounding marijuana, more people are adding CBD into what they eat for the calming effects.
Acai bowls
An aesthetically pleasing, healthy breakfast bowl, the acai bowl is essentially a fruit smoothie in a bowl that looks good on social media.
Oat milk
Oat milk became so popular that there were shortages and is expected to continue to conquer other milks in 2020.
Plant-based meat products
As every industry looks for more ways to save the environment with the threat of climate change over our heads, BeyondMeat and other plant-based meat companies have rolled out their products in grocery stores and fast-food restaurants as a natural meat alternative.
Rising Restaurant Trends in 2019
A good experience and yummy food are worth the extra dollars and get bonus points for all natural, authentic ingredients.
Themed cafes
People want more experiences over physical items and themed cafes (like a cat café) were the answer and continue to be popular as more themed restaurants show up around the world.
Mexican cuisine
According to Yelp, Mexican cuisine has been steadily rising in popularity over the past 15 years as more authentic and diverse Mexican dishes are available in place of inauthentic packaged goods.
Breakfast and brunch
Millennials love their sleep and they love their breakfast foods. With more fluid schedules and interest in experiences, breakfast and brunch restaurants sparked much interest with the market.
Most Popular Diets of 2019
Keto
Everyone and their brother’s dog seemed to be on the Keto diet in 2019. It was a lot of carb cutting and eating at certain times.
Gluten free
People heard the words “gluten free” and immediately connected it to a more special and healthier option, but doctors said that people without sensitivity to gluten don’t benefit much from living gluten free.