The Role of Produce on the Menu: Meeting Consumer Needs in 2025

By Maeve Webster and Mike Kostyo

As we head into 2025, there’s no question that produce enjoys a more significant role in menu innovation and development than it ever has before. From the rise of molecular gastronomy to the evolution of comfort food, there’s been a fundamental shift in how both chefs and consumers view produce.

Consumer wants and needs also continue to shift. Today’s consumers often think beyond the meal itself, craving experiences and connections that reflect the changes in their lifestyle, challenges and even aspirations.

Focusing on those underlying changes and core consumer needs that drive behaviors and preferences is what we focus on at Menu Matters. We think it’s less important to jump on the bandwagon when a specific trend is identified (“everyone put yuzu on the menu”), and more important to create impactful and competitively differentiated solutions that open up opportunities based on what consumers need and want at a core level.

Fresh produce is really an innovative toolbox that offers chefs an infinite range of textures, colors and flavors.

Consumers are moving away from focusing on nostalgia and comfort food. But in our research, we’ve seen that consumers are once again embracing — though cautiously — a more hopeful and optimistic mindset. That means restaurants and other foodservice operators must now begin to innovate in a more future-forward way, addressing this consumer need for something new.

There are five keys focusing on different aspects of this need and how produce can be a central part of these solutions:

GIVE CONSUMERS NEW SENSORY EXPERIENCES

There is a real thrill that comes from biting into a dish that is bursting with unexpected flavors and textures (no wonder Gen Z is obsessed with popping boba). Now, imagine how fresh produce can help create those memorable moments in ways that many other ingredients can’t. Fresh produce is really a toolbox that offers chefs an infinite range of textures, colors, and flavors to innovate across every segment, cuisine, daypart or menu part.

Imagine a vibrant dessert that holds a hidden surprise — a burst of umami-rich, juicy heirloom tomato. Or the layered crunch and visual appeal of a watermelon radish carpaccio topped with flavor-packed microgreens. How can you take a produce-driven sensory experience to the next level with techniques like fermenting, pickling, grilling, smoking and dehydrating, which can elevate their sensory appeal, creating new and unexpected textures and flavors, giving consumers a brand new experience.

GIVE CONSUMERS NEW VALUE PROPOSITIONS

Consumers are value-conscious, particularly after a year of inflation and the threat of ongoing inflation into the new year. What constitutes and defines value, however, has shifted significantly since before the pandemic.

Price is no longer the sole or primary driver. Quality, health, convenience, etc. all go into the value proposition a consumer considers when making a purchase (quality is, in fact, neck and neck with price).

Produce can be the hero of value-driven menus by offering more bang for the buck. Emphasizing local and seasonal produce not only appeals to consumers emotionally, but also champions sustainable efforts.

Partnering with local farmers to feature rotating seasonal produce specials can highlight freshness and value, while fostering a sense of community and supporting local agriculture.

GIVE CONSUMERS NEW WAYS TO LIVE BOLDLY

“Bold” is, in many ways, just the way consumers eat today — our plate features bolder flavors and ingredients than at any other point in history. Produce can play a starring role in encouraging continued bold culinary exploration.

Exotic fruits and vegetables like dragon fruit, jackfruit, or purple sweet potatoes can be used to craft vibrant dishes that inspire adventurous eating.

GIVE CONSUMERS NEW WAYS TO ESCAPE

Every consumer craves a little escape. Produce can help transport diners away from the everyday, whether to dream vacation destinations or even to fantastical spaces that defy time and space.

Often, “escape” is assumed to be tropical vacation, but consumers are looking for moments that simply take them out of the current moment. From exotic produce to super-premium fruits that go beyond the norm, produce helps to immerse consumers in a unique experience that helps them remove themselves from stress and anxiety.

GIVE CONSUMERS NEW HUMAN CONNECTIONS

As a country, we are in the middle of a loneliness epidemic made even more acute by the lingering effects of the pandemic and our continued reliance on technology. That’s why consumers crave connections. Produce can foster those human connections, whether through shared dining experiences, connecting with a community through a local farmer or CSA or even simply the experience of interacting with waitstaff at a restaurant.

Shareable dishes and family-style dining with abundant platters of colorful vegetable dishes encourage communal eating and conversation.

The call for innovation and novelty in the culinary world is louder than ever. By thoughtfully incorporating produce into menus, foodservice operators can meet the evolving consumer needs of 2025 and beyond.

Maeve Webster is the president of Menu Matters, and Mike Kostyo is vice president of Menu Matters.