Understand the latest trends and how to capture them
Appetizers aren't just first courses anymore. They are small plates – from bar food beyond roasted peanuts to tapas with a Mediterranean sensibility and hand-held dishes inspired by street food from around the world. Today's diners look to the appetizer menu for either fun, shareable dishes that offer that connection through family-style participation or small bites that give them just a taste of something, allowing them to experiment without too much commitment.
Whatever their form, appetizers are one of the most profitable categories on your menu. They can boost average-cheque size and can help you capitalize on the latest trends — without reinventing your whole menu.
Spice up your appetizer/small-bites offerings with these easy recipes
Smoked Salmon Appetizer with Chive Cream Cheese Spread
Add rich colours and great flavour with this light-hearted presentation of a classic smoked-salmon canapé. Featuring the great creaminess of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, these chips are perfect at a private-party function, as a bar snack or shared appetizer.
Brewery Spiced Chicken Drummettes
Nothing brings the party to a table faster than a plate full of chicken wings. These stand out with a perfect marriage of flavours in the Bull's-Eye Guinness® Barbecue Sauce.
Mini Burgers with Bacon
Call them sliders or minis, these two-bite burgers are a fun way to go family-style on Canada's perennial favourite – the almighty burger.
Mini New Potato Bites
Update loaded potato skins with these mini-stuffed potatoes that offer the same favourite ingredients, but in a small-bite format – perfect as a bar snack, shared appetizer or party food.
Pizza Margherita
Deliver the freshest flavours of the Mediterranean in a light and crispy pizza, which relies on Philadelphia Cream Cheese for added depth.
What's Hot: The Top 5
Research by Mintel Menu Insights shows that these are today's five most common appetizers:
Casual-Dining Segment:
- Appetizer samplers
- Buffalo wings
- Nachos
- Fried calamari
- Mozzarella sticks
Family-Midscale Segment:
- Buffalo wings
- Appetizer samplers
- Mozzarella sticks
- Chicken fingers
- Bread sticks
These appetizers are considered mainstays, but menu distinction and desirability comes from turning them into signature items by pulling from the trends we outline above. So, buffalo wings? Everyone's got 'em, but Thai barbecue wings? Now you've captured a hot trend while staying in the comfort zone of the familiar and popular. For those mozzarella sticks? Try bite-size morsels instead of sticks. Serve them in a cone with an array of dipping sauces – from traditional marinara to cilantro-spiked ranch.
Professional chefs weigh in
According to the National Restaurant Association's What's Hot for 2009, which surveys member chefs from the American Culinary Federation, these are the top 5 appetizers:
- Mini burgers
- Amuse bouche
- Edamame
- Appetizer combos
- Appetizer salads
What's hot next: The Top 4
To help give you a head start on the next wave of appetizer favourites, we've pinpointed these four emerging trends that we see appearing in the mainstream:
Mini crab cakes
Look beyond Old Bay seasoning, by adding ingredients to the crab-cake filling that transport them to Asia or the Mediterranean, or make the crab cakes a part of your seasonal menu with ingredients that showcase fresh, local product.
Mini Crab Cakes on Vegetable Slaw with Apple-Pecan Dressing
Ethnic dumplings and rolls
Won ton wrappers and rice paper filled with Asian ingredients are hot, but fusing Asian with decidedly North American flavours is heating up, too.
Spring Rolls with BBQ-Hoisin Dipping Sauce
Small Bites in all segments
Downsizing isn't always a bad thing. We're seeing minis across all dining segments – not just fine dining or eclectic dining anymore. So delight your customers with small-bite dishes, which can showcase the playful side of your kitchen while perhaps helping out with cross-utilization.
Smoked Trout Spread on Crispy Won Ton Triangles
Understand the latest trends and how to capture them
Appetizers aren't just first courses anymore. They are small plates – from bar food beyond roasted peanuts to tapas with a Mediterranean sensibility and hand-held dishes inspired by street food from around the world. Today's diners look to the appetizer menu for either fun, shareable dishes that offer that connection through family-style participation or small bites that give them just a taste of something, allowing them to experiment without too much commitment.
Whatever their form, appetizers are one of the most profitable categories on your menu. They can boost average-cheque size and can help you capitalize on the latest trends — without reinventing your whole menu.
Spice up your appetizer/small-bites offerings with these easy recipes
Smoked Salmon Appetizer with Chive Cream Cheese Spread
Add rich colours and great flavour with this light-hearted presentation of a classic smoked-salmon canapé. Featuring the great creaminess of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, these chips are perfect at a private-party function, as a bar snack or shared appetizer.
Brewery Spiced Chicken Drummettes
Nothing brings the party to a table faster than a plate full of chicken wings. These stand out with a perfect marriage of flavours in the Bull's-Eye Guinness® Barbecue Sauce.
Mini Burgers with Bacon
Call them sliders or minis, these two-bite burgers are a fun way to go family-style on Canada's perennial favourite – the almighty burger.
Mini New Potato Bites
Update loaded potato skins with these mini-stuffed potatoes that offer the same favourite ingredients, but in a small-bite format – perfect as a bar snack, shared appetizer or party food.
Pizza Margherita
Deliver the freshest flavours of the Mediterranean in a light and crispy pizza, which relies on Philadelphia Cream Cheese for added depth.
What's Hot: The Top 5
Research by Mintel Menu Insights shows that these are today's five most common appetizers:
Casual-Dining Segment:
- Appetizer samplers
- Buffalo wings
- Nachos
- Fried calamari
- Mozzarella sticks
Family-Midscale Segment:
- Buffalo wings
- Appetizer samplers
- Mozzarella sticks
- Chicken fingers
- Bread sticks
These appetizers are considered mainstays, but menu distinction and desirability comes from turning them into signature items by pulling from the trends we outline above. So, buffalo wings? Everyone's got 'em, but Thai barbecue wings? Now you've captured a hot trend while staying in the comfort zone of the familiar and popular. For those mozzarella sticks? Try bite-size morsels instead of sticks. Serve them in a cone with an array of dipping sauces – from traditional marinara to cilantro-spiked ranch.
Professional chefs weigh in
According to the National Restaurant Association's What's Hot for 2009, which surveys member chefs from the American Culinary Federation, these are the top 5 appetizers:
- Mini burgers
- Amuse bouche
- Edamame
- Appetizer combos
- Appetizer salads
What's hot next: The Top 4
To help give you a head start on the next wave of appetizer favourites, we've pinpointed these four emerging trends that we see appearing in the mainstream:
Mini crab cakes
Look beyond Old Bay seasoning, by adding ingredients to the crab-cake filling that transport them to Asia or the Mediterranean, or make the crab cakes a part of your seasonal menu with ingredients that showcase fresh, local product.
Mini Crab Cakes on Vegetable Slaw with Apple-Pecan Dressing
Ethnic dumplings and rolls
Won ton wrappers and rice paper filled with Asian ingredients are hot, but fusing Asian with decidedly North American flavours is heating up, too.
Spring Rolls with BBQ-Hoisin Dipping Sauce
Small Bites in all segments
Downsizing isn't always a bad thing. We're seeing minis across all dining segments – not just fine dining or eclectic dining anymore. So delight your customers with small-bite dishes, which can showcase the playful side of your kitchen while perhaps helping out with cross-utilization.
Smoked Trout Spread on Crispy Won Ton Triangles