As global cuisines were flourishing at lunch and dinner, it was only a matter of time before those trends hit breakfast menus—and that time is right about now. According to Technomic’s 2017 Breakfast report, 51% of consumers say they would like to see more ethnic items and flavors offered at breakfast. For operators, this means there’s a big opportunity to branch out from the standard fare and add new and exciting dishes to the a.m. menu.
So what kind of globally-inspired breakfasts are trending and likely to attract diners?
Belgian Waffles
Waffles are a familiar food item, so it’s easy to adapt them for diners who want something new and interesting. Different styles of waffles are perfect for this trend—leige waffles, native to Belgium, contain bits of pearl sugar, which caramelizes on the outside of the waffle when baked, which makes these waffles perfect for eating without syrup, as is custom in Belgium (though they are often offered with an array of sweet and delicious toppings).
- At Chicago Waffles in Chicago, diners can try out a number of unique waffle options including a Green Tea Waffle, and the restaurant’s Leige Waffle is served with pearl sugar, seasonal berries and chocolate chips.
Filipino Silog
Filipino food is making waves on menus, and the breakfast dish silog, a portmanteau of the Tagalog words “sinangag” and “itlog,”—fried rice and eggs, respectively, is often served with a choice of additional protein. Meat choices often include sweet cured beef (“tapa”), sweet sausage (“longganisa”) or cured pork belly (“tocino”). When the rice, eggs and meat are combined, the dishes are called tapsilog, longsilog and tosilog—all portmanteaus of the Tagalog words.
Torrance, California’s aptly-named Silog restaurant features a number of iterations of the dish, including adobo chicken or pork ribs silog, spam silog, and pares silog, made with stewed beef brisket.
Russian Blintzes
This Russian pancake-like dish isn’t necessarily new, but expect to start seeing more of it. Blintzes are thin and crepe-like, filled with a sweetened-cheese filling (like farmer’s cheese or quark) and fried in butter, then topped with fruit or sour cream.
- Le Peep, a 49-unit casual-dining chain with a breakfast and brunch focus, menus its Aspen Fruit Blintz—two crepes filled with creamy vanilla ricotta and topped with a choice of fresh fruit, blueberry compote or “Mom’s Sassy Apples” and raisins with a touch of sour cream.
This post is sponsored by Ferrero