Join us as we look at some of the biggest dining trends of 2020. Today, it’s all about cannabis and CBD in restaurants – read on, then download our Year in Review infographic here.

It’s easy to be confused when it comes to cannabis – understanding the plants, chemical compounds, and laws can all be a bit complicated. But one thing is perfectly clear: the popularity and accessibility of cannabis is on the rise. 

New Frontier Data predicts that in 2020, legal marijuana sales will earn over $19 billion in the US and Canada. With up to another dozen states anticipating legalization of recreational marijuana in 2020 according to industry publication Marijuana Business Daily, it’s a good time to see where we’ve been and where we might be headed. Read on to learn what’s on the menu when it comes to cannabis and restaurants. 

The lowdown

Cannabis is a flowering plant, and hemp is cannabis cultivated for non-drug use with very little THC, the main psychoactive compound. Another cannabinoid, called cannabidiol (CBD) is not psychoactive, but has been said to offer medically useful properties (how the compounds work together is still being studied).

According to the US Federal Controlled Substances Act, marijuana and cannabis are considered “controlled substances,” and are illegal to possess for any purpose. However, many states have passed laws allowing for medicinal or recreational use of cannabis. 

The 2018 farm bill legalized hemp, although according to the FDA it is currently illegal to market CBD (even CBD derived from hemp) by adding it to food or labeling it as a dietary supplement.

On the menu

In 2018, following the passage of the farm bill, some restaurants began adding CBD to drinks. We covered two restaurants in southern California featuring cannabis cocktails on the menu, Gracias Madre in Los Angeles and Madison in San Diego. When we caught up with those restaurants this time around, we found that CBD is long gone. CBD is also gone from the menu at Havana Beach and 5th and Mad on the East Coast, places we featured in a 2018 story. 

That’s because FDA Commissioner Scott Gottleib stated in a speech that “it remains unlawful to introduce food containing added cannabidiol, also known as CBD, or the psychoactive compound THC, into interstate commerce, or to market CBD or THC products as dietary supplements.” 

He went on to explain that both CBD and THC are active ingredients in FDA-approved drugs, and both substances have been the subject of substantial clinical investigations: “For CBD to be legally marketed as an ingredient in a food or dietary supplement, the law requires that the FDA first would need to issue a regulation to permit such marketing.” 

As a result, most recreational marijuana dining and drinking options remain somewhat underground at this point. Private caterers such as Elevation VIP Catering have gained publicity for hosting cannabis events and a quick search for “CBD pop-up dinner” yields plenty of results. 

In 2019, Georgia restaurants, coffeehouses, and bars removed CBD-infused items once Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black issued a warning that CBD remains barred from food and drinks. This followed on the heels of New York removing CBD from menus, due to a health department crackdown. In parts of California, food inspectors also mailed out notices to restaurants and cafes, warning them that CBD was not yet a legal additive to food or drinks and advising them to remove it. 

Clarifying the subject, the California State Attorney General’s Office issued a letter dated January 24, 2019 explaining that “although California currently allows the manufacturing and sales of cannabis products (including edibles), the use of industrial hemp as the source of CBD to be added to food products is prohibited.” He added that “until the FDA rules that industrial hemp-derived CBD oil and CBD products can be used as a food or California makes a determination that they are safe to use for human and animal consumption, CBD products are not an approved food, food ingredient, food additive, or dietary supplement.”

So far, the FDA has approved only one CBD product, a prescription drug product to treat two rare, severe forms of epilepsy. In a document titled “What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, Including CBD,” the FDA notes that they have seen only limited data about CBD safety and that the data points to real risks that need to be considered before taking CBD for any reason.  [Read more…]

As we kick off a new year, it’s the perfect time to look back at milestones from the past one. So far we’ve seen 131 million diners were seated per month at more than 54,000 restaurants around the globe using OpenTable software*. From Tastemaker lists to social, we connected restaurants to diners through OpenTable marketing campaigns and built over 60 new features into GuestCenter to help you manage your restaurant better than ever – from smartphone to host stand to each table of guests. Read on to learn how you can get the most out of OpenTable in 2020.

1. More digital marketing solutions to help you fill your seats and understand your ROI

With OpenTable, you can reach diners when you need them most by launching and editing your own marketing campaigns through GuestCenter. We know that with limited marketing budgets understanding the return on your spend is important, so we introduced tracking and reporting across all of your digital channels right in the reservations report. With this new marketing tracking, you can better understand how effective your Facebook, Instagram, and Google campaigns are at driving bookings. 

Also, a comprehensive marketing insights report (for US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany) compiles performance metrics from your OpenTable campaigns, so you can make smarter marketing decisions and understand your ROI.

2. Sophisticated, yet simple tools to pack your house while running a smooth service

With new turn and flow controls, you have a flexible way to customize and pace the flow of your dining room to fit your restaurant’s needs by automating your ideal flow and maximizing your table availability.

Avoid turning people away when you don’t have to with the reservation waitlist, which lets you add guests to a list when their preferred reservation date and time aren’t available. 

Help your staff game plan for each service with the pre-shift digest, which delivers a summary of important details – think large parties and guest count. 

Managing your house from the back office is now a breeze with guestbook, timeline view, and shift overview, all available on GuestCenter Web. 

With free POS integration, hosts can see automated table statuses (Appetizer, Entree, Dessert, and Paid) to track table progress and keep tables turning, all from the host stand.

[Read more…]

The beginning of the year always brings a myriad of predictions and trend forecasts from various sources in the world of food and restaurants. It can be overwhelming to read them all, so we’ve done the hard work, homing in on what’s most relevant for chefs and operators today. Explore all that the new decade brings to dining below, with expert reflections and tips to make new menus, processes, and ingredients work for you. 

No- or Low-ABV Drinks

International food and restaurant consultants Baum + Whiteman single out no-alcohol and low-alcohol drinks, noting “boozeless packaged beverages are imitating the flavors of gin-and-tonics and martinis…and they’re marketing canned and bottled drinks that mimic the flavor profiles of rums, bourbons and various whiskeys.” 

Nation’s Restaurant News predicts that 2020 will be all about the low-proof cocktail. In a recent survey, they found 47% of respondents over 21 are looking to decrease their alcohol intake. They expect “softer liquors” to grow more popular on restaurant menus, and sherries and port to become ingredients for low-ABV libations. 

Restaurant and hospitality consultants AF&Co say, “It’s essential to offer enticing, highly curated beverage options for those who choose to avoid alcohol but still want to partake in the celebration.” They highlight non-alcoholic spirit brands and specialty spirit-free “euphorics” formulated to enhance drinking experiences. Camper English, a San Francisco-based cocktails and spirits writer, recently compiled a list of non-alcoholic spirits. “People choose not to drink for a lot of different reasons,” he says. “Leaving off non-alcoholic options from the menu or only offering sodas is just bad hospitality.” 

Tip: Add both low-ABV and sophisticated non-alcoholic beverages to the menu instead of just soda and juice. English notes that customers may expect to pay less for low- and no-ABV drinks, which can be a challenge when non-alcoholic replacements are still expensive. Be hospitable to all diners, and offer them even if you need to charge the cost of a regular cocktail.

Better Beef

Beef is in the news again, in many different forms. Bauman + White call out lab-made meats, noting that “more than three dozen companies around the world are racing to produce beef, chicken, pork and shrimp that, they hope, will not mimic the real thing but actually be the real thing.” They also mention “old cow meat,” or the use of retired dairy cows such as Holsteins for meat. It’s something fast food chains have long done, but the practice is gaining traction at upscale restaurants as well. 

In Food & Wine’s trend report, Chef Michael Lomonaco of Porter House Bar & Grill notes an increase demand for high-quality, hormone-free meat. He says that with paleo, keto, and high-protein diets on the rise, unprocessed beef presents a go-to option. 

While Bauman + White calls out plant-based burgers, Nation’s Restaurant News predicts an expansion of plant-based beef beyond the patty. 

Tip: Expand your beef options to cater to a range of guest preferences. Consider wagyu, plant-based meats, and high-end aged Holstein. In every circumstance, prioritize sustainable sourcing. 

Kinder Kitchens

2020 ushers in a new era of kitchen culture. “The labor shortage has played a large role (good benefits help with employee retention), but this focus is also reflective of reverberations from the #metoo movement and an industry acknowledging – and trying to change – its storied history of anxiety, stress and drug use,” AF&Co explains. 

In addition to addressing mental health issues, restaurants are increasing staff benefits, offering on-site mindfulness centers, and providing and free childcare for employees. Food & Wine quotes Cassidee Dabney, chef of Tennessee’s Blackberry Farm, who welcomes the end of “bad boy” chefs, and a new focus on health, mindful eating, sustainable foods and lifestyles, and fitness. 

Kat Kinsman, senior editor at Food & Wine and founder of Chefs with Issues, says, “In the past, outward kindness and empathy may have been treated as a weakness in a kitchen, a sign of a person who wasn’t tough enough to hack it in a professional environment. Increasingly, it’s celebrated both in the industry and in the media. These kinder kitchens are the ones that will last.” 

Tip: Think creatively about ways to support employees as they strive for wellness and work-life balance. Start with the resources listed in a story we shared last year: A New Kitchen Culture: Mental Health in the Restaurant Industry. [Read more…]

Join us as we look at some of the biggest dining trends of 2020. Today, it’s all about keto – read on, then download our Year in Review infographic here.

In a plethora of dietary terms sweeping the social media and restaurant review landscape in recent years, the word “keto” is among the most typed. Diners mentioned keto 683% more in OpenTable reviews since 2017. Mentions of keto-friendly ingredients are on the rise, too – our reviews referencing “cauliflower crust” increased by 487%.

Like most weight loss plans, the ketogenic diet has its origins in disease treatment, and more specifically, in epileptics to help control seizures. Adhering to a keto diet forces the body to get its fuel from fat storage, rather than carbohydrates; as the body burns fat, it enters into a state called ketosis. The contemporary path to going keto means plummeting carb intake, upping fats, and achieving ketosis. 

For one household or home cook, keto is a snap: Calculate the macros you need for height and weight, and eat mostly fats, some proteins, and almost no carbs (including sugar). For chefs – whose guests may arrive at the table expecting deliciousness and keto in the same meal – it’s not so simple. 

Think Outside the Starch: Keto-Friendly Flavors & Ingredients

Among its faithful observers, chefs also find the keto lifestyle transformative. Just ask Chef Austin Foster, a classically trained chef and culinary consultant who lost 125 pounds following the keto diet. He empathizes both with guests trying to lose weight via keto and chefs challenging the lessons they learned in school. 

“In culinary school you’re not taught to cook healthy, and in the professional cooking world, you’re taught to cook what society deems as ‘good food,’ which oftentimes is unhealthy,” says Foster. “We are trained to eat what’s not good for us – such as fast-food cheeseburgers being $1 while a healthful salad is $6. With keto, you do not touch processed sugar. That’s hard, because the average person in the U.S. consumes about five pounds of sugar a day.”

He cautions chefs who are new to keto cooking against the hidden carbs in typical meal prep, and recommends starting with research to understand what makes a keto dish. From there, they can start planning and cooking intuitively over time. 

Fat

Foster recommends avoiding dishes with dairy and butter during early phases of keto. Don’t skimp on olive oil, and make sure it’s excellent quality.

Consider incorporating MCT oil and avocado oil, and offer coconut oil with coffee service, which provides a little fat and cuts the bitterness without the side effects of dairy. 

“Get fats from avocados, almonds, pecans, and things like bacon, and make your own mayo with egg yolks and oil,” says Foster. “Chopped shallots and anchovy paste are bold flavors, and keep the fat in moderate protein, like 70/30 ground beef and ribeye for marbling.” 

Sugar(-Free)

Foster is a fan of Swerve sugar replacement and warns against stowaway sugars, like cooked onions – keep those raw or only slightly cooked. And for bread, chefs should bake or sample a few loaves of keto bread until they find one diners will enjoy. 

Greens

Jay Pierce is the chef at Mozelle’s, a Southern bistro in North Carolina, where diners flock for his shrimp and grits, tomato pie, and other assorted non-keto friendly fare. But Pierce can prepare a keto plate with just as much flavor. He has a loyal following for hearty, filling salads, and reviewers rave about his classic Caesar.

“The key in making lighter, keto-friendly dressings more appealing is to emulsify – for example, you can make a classic vinaigrette with a coconut oil blend and emulsify it, so the dressing hits your palate like it’s creamy,” says Pierce.

“Also, don’t be afraid to use sturdy greens, like Swiss chard greens, radish leaves if they’re young, and mustard greens, because they can hold a heavier dressing, unlike the soft summer lettuces.”

The entrée salad is a must-have on any keto menu. Pierce suggests topping it with a crispy, crunchy piece of fish as opposed to breaded and fried chicken and find more ways to add texture. 

“Put crispy fish on a salad and add nuts like toasted almonds or walnuts, because they are healthy proteins, good for the brain, with the right amount of fat, and together they will add a textural component for that salad,” he says. 

Meat

Veteran chef Matt Boland heads the culinary team at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino and shares a chef’s keto experience at the property’s steakhouse, Sunset Grille. From his guests, his family members, and his own life, he understands why keto is all the rage among diners.  

“The steakhouse is a perfect opportunity for the kind of food that checks most of those boxes and it’s a way of life now for many people including myself – I was on the Atkin’s diet and now I practice keto,” says Boland. 

Protein and vegetables make up the bulk of the dishes he likes to eat, a combination echoed in his menus. “The biggest thing for us when it comes to protein is the quality, so we serve a highly marbled Certified Angus beef from Creekstone Farms Beef in Kansas and we hear from our diners how good it is,” says Boland. Even his pork chop is highly marbled. 

Boland believes how producers harvest proteins also has an impact on the flavor. He patronizes Creekstone Farms because of the farm’s humane practices: The beef processing plant was designed with animal welfare in mind by Dr. Temple Grandin. [Read more…]