Unlock the future of eating now: Discover the latest culinary trends
When you think you've finished your menu, 2025 will roll in with a fresh flavor set. But it's not about discarding classics, but about rethinking them for a new generation of diners.
This month, Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) released its scheduled future menu 2025 report. Now in its third year, the report unveils four cooking megatrends set to take over plates, pallets and pantry shelves. Based on global research, millions of online searches, and collective experiences of over 250 UFS chefs from 75 countries, this report is part of data, part of instincts, and all delicious.
The annual Future Menus initiative helps chefs take the latest food trends from concept to creation. But is that true power of the planet? It simply goes beyond trending signs. The 2025 edition unveils how chefs can attract Gen Z diners and maximize loyalty through personalization, cultural storytelling and bold global flavours, turning insights into action.
So, what's hot in 2025? According to the report:
1. Street Food Couture
Street food got a designer moment. Think of gourmet tacos, height meeleys and Siza Nyama Sosatie dressed up for the chef's table. This trend takes everyday favourites and gives you the treatment of the red carpet without losing your gritty soul. As chef Mary puts it, “Room-street food is where flavor lives. You're dressed a bit and finally got the runway worthy of it.”
2. Borderless cuisine
passport? option. Diners are hungry for dishes that blur the boundaries and marry a tasteless profile. This is not your average “fusion.” It is thoughtful, story-driven cuisine that utilizes heritage, transition and imagination. Think about it: Chakalaka Ramen, Thai-Style Bobotie, or Peri-Peri Gochujang Aioli drizzled almost everything.
3. The root of cooking
The past is delicious. The chef literally digs deeper figically, reconnecting with ancestral cuisine, indigenous ingredients and local storytelling. From the grains of African heritage to the rethinked Koizan stew, this is a food with strong place and pride.
4. Designed diner
Welcome to the era of “me, me, menu.” Diners want to customize their meals like playlists. 2025 is a year of personalization, with gluten-free, low waste and heat levels. And Tech is stepping up to make it scalable, smart and seamless.
“These trends are more than flavor profiles and plating styles,” said Yonela Motloung, marketing lead at Unilever Food Solutions in South Africa. “They reflect how people want to eat, how chefs want to cook, and how food responds to culture, climate and connections. It's about not only chasing the hype, but also making future menus in the future.”
She added that the full future menu report will be rich in detail and may even include recipe concepts, but it goes beyond naming merely trends. We explore what Gen Z Diners are really looking for, how chefs can relate, and provide practical inspiration to transform global insights into local success.
So whether you run a coffee shop, food truck, or a 5 star kitchen, or whether you run a passionate home chef, these insights offer a practical way to bring your diner back with curiosity.
The complete Future Menus 2025 report is available at https://www.unileverfoodsolutions.co.za/chef-inspiration/future-menus-2025-landing-launch/future-menus-trend-report/downdown–future-menus-trend-book-book-volume-3.html, fucked, fucked, cipsed, fucked-menus-trend-report/down-future-menus-menus-inspiration for every kitchen nook and cranny.
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