Being in one of the hotbeds of food and beverage over the last decade, we feel like it's our responsibility to make sure our customers, partners, and friends stay current on Denver's top food trends. It really is a hard and boring job -- ahem -- but someone has to do it.
This is one of the main reasons we created our new demo series called Now Trending in the Chef's Playground. These events highlight the latest and most important trends in the local foodservice scene, but instead of giving chefs and operators the chance to read about these trends or to watch videos on them, we're inviting you into our test kitchen to experience them first hand.
Opening back up is likely going to be a slow journey, but we'll get there, and we'll get there together. Here are some of the trends the Elevation Team things you should keep in mind.
KEEP IT OUTSIDE
From food trucks to outdoor pop-ups to expanded al fresco dining, we fully anticipate the desire for outdoor dining will only continue into the future. In some cases, cities and municipalities are extending temporary dining areas to accommodate this demand. For operators, that means keeping an eye on equipment and supply innovations that can help make mobile service more efficient while still ensuring safety and quality.
THE BEST OF COVID
Similar to some of the outdoor dining trends that will remain, we anticipate some of the changes, pivots, concepts, and ideas that were born during the Covid pandemic will continue on into the future. From take-home cocktail kits to sister businesses that were more conducive to pandemic-era service, the creativity in our industry never ceases to inspire us. Look for that to continue with new profit points and creative ways to get in front of customers.
COME TOGETHER
Without a doubt, the top thing we're looking to see is the return to a more normal stance where we can all be together. There's still pent-up demand and a desire to be amongst other humans, and our local food scene will reflect that, perhaps in baby steps at first, but certainly in totality for the long run. Even before Covid, trends like food halls were overtaking our culinary landscape. During Covid, that continued, and we expect it to grow into the future as humans are looking for human interactions.