The Flavor Experience is known as the premier annual gathering of top chain menu developers. Led by Flavor & The Menu Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Cathy Holley and Managing Editor Katie Ayoub, the August event shares trend details and emerging flavors through presentations, collaborative workshops, and extraordinary networking opportunities for chain menu developers and the suppliers they count on.

This year’s event was a great one as chains continue their recovery from two years of sagging sales. Here is a quick glimpse at trends that Cathy and her team believes will emerge on restaurant menus next year.

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Sharable & Pullable Breads

It’s comfort and nostalgia rolled into a wonderful restaurant dine-in occasion. Pulling apart a monkey bread or milk bread with a cultured or flavored butter or flavored cream cheese with garlic sprinkles is at the heart of the idea. It’s perfect for any daypart. 

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Comfort Dips

Indulgent dips for appetizers or even sharable entrees are headed your way. Like a Maryland crab rangoon dip and a mae ploy sauce with wonton crisps for dipping. Or, a whipped aged cheddar, beer, spicy maple dip made for dipping Ritz^® crackers for a nostalgic journey.

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Kimchi Is Back

Think of kimchi as a spicy, umami-rich condiment that also follows the pickled, fermented trend. Early adopters are using kimchi as a veggie condiment in sandwiches or hot dogs and kimchi worked into a compound butter sauce drizzled over fried chicken, shrimp, and other proteins. 

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Breakfast Wraps

The ultimate handheld creation compared to biscuits or bagels, this trend is re-emerging within c-stores, quick service restaurants, and college campuses. Expect to see more fun ingredients inside, such as tots or Cheetos^®. Ultimately, the driver is protein-centric and driveable.

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The Chopped Cheese Sandwich Heroes

From NYC bodegas, they call them Chopped Cheese, which is an indulgent take on Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. Think a chopped up hamburger reinvented with lettuce, tomato, and a great sauce as a condiment.

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Stacks Of Comfort

At breakfast, early adopters are lining up pancakes, waffles, and crepes on a plate, then adding healthy halo fruits and drizzling the plate with sweet sauces. Others are blending sprumps of maple, honey, and melted butter for an aromatic memory. Flavored butter sauces are a big opportunity. Also, there are opportunities for ice cream on buttered toast, sweet cereal milks.

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Snack-First Meal Design

Attention toward GLP-1 users at restaurants is growing. They are customers who still like restaurants but want smaller, protein-centric portions. Think permissible indulgence and bite size options.

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The Texturization Of Menus

There’s growing interest beyond flavor and smell to the texture of a menu item. From authentic coatings such as panko or tempura to the experience of a crunch in a bite is now a focus for differentiating a menu.

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Scooping Up Great Ideas

2026 is the year when traffic and sales numbers move to the positive for those who win at delivering a unique customer experience and add excitement around their menu. At Creative Energy, our business is to deliver actionable insights that grow sales and brand loyalty for our chain restaurant and food manufacturer clients. If you are in search of an agency partner that stays atop of market opportunities, we are ready to start a conversation.