Ok; I’ve complained about all the “best of ’07/new for ‘08” lists I’ve seen lately, but I like how concise and specific the “Top Foodservice Trends for 08” from QSRMagazine.com is.  You can read the full article here, but here’s the simple list:

“Top Culinary Style – The New Simplicity/Farmer's Market Cuisine: Chefs who love fresh, local, seasonal and artisanal foods find themselves cooking more simply than ever before. It's all about buying the best ingredients, and letting their natural flavors shine through.

Top Sauce Trend – Barely-there Broths: Lightweight sauces like broths, vinaigrettes, infused waters, teas, reductions and gastriques lend a flavorful accent without overwhelming signature flavors.

Top High-Impact Ingredient – Cured & Pickled Foods: Made-in-house or purchased, items like salami, cedar-cured salmon, craft bacons, sauerkraut and specialty pickles are adding flavor and interest to menus.

Top Ethno-Cuisine Trend – The New Global Street Food: From Mexican antojitos to Indian chaat, the next wave of global snacks and handheld foods are moving indoors, offering new flavor experiences from around the world.

Top Menu-Making Trend – The Educated Menu: Operators are taking a more proactive stance in educating consumers about sourcing, raising & aging techniques, regionality, produce variety, etc.

Top Technique Trend – Slow Cooking: On-trend techniques like sous vide, confit, slow poaching and braising deepen the flavor experience.

Top Comeback Food – The Egg Bounces Back: Eggs aren't just for breakfast anymore; just see how they're being adapted to add a distinctive element to all menu courses, from frisee lardon salads to custardy desserts.

Top Equipment Trend – Tools for Texture: From Vita-Mixto Paco-Jet, slicersto immersion blenders, specialty smallwaresare being used to introduce surprising textures to signature menu items.

Top Dessert Trend – Unexpected Enhancements (i.e., sweet meets salty, savory, floral, herbal): Chefs are differentiating dessert offerings by complementing sweetness with surprising flavors.

Top Beverage Trends — A Return to Elegance: Today's beverage menus are bringing back the classics with an updated twist: house-made bitters and infusions, herbal martinis, classic drinks with new garnishes.”

I especially like that QSR Magazine included a couple of points (“Farmers’ Market Cuisine” and “The Educated Menu”) that seem to resonate with what’s been making news in general lately.  In fact, the New Oxford American Dictionary named “locavore” the 2007 word of the year.  (It’s the term for people who eat locally-sourced food only.)

AND they included a category that touches not only on the kinds of foods that are popular, but the tools used to create them (“Tools for Texture”).  If you’re curious about the tools mentioned in this article, click any of the hyperlinks in the text to see examples found here at Serv-U.  Call or chat online with a sales rep to order, or put them on your wish list for later.