There are two roads that lead to concept innovation – the first one is to remarkably improve the pre-existing options think drive-thru coffee and the second one is to come up with a completely different mechanism to attract customers – think Starbucks when it was newly launched. This year’s emerging trends have been heavily shaped by the pandemic. Anytype of to-go feature showed increasing popularity. From drive-through salads to pre-portioned single-serving meal packs, to boxed lunches for delivery – one common factor for all the up-and-coming food brands is that they are easy to scale. Location expansion over same-store growth proved to be a bigger driver for growth.

Here’s a list of three buzz-making items and the twist they have taken over brands that came before.

Bowls

Bowls are a very popular concept amongst food lovers today. Firstly, they are photogenic which makes them popular amongst the Instgram-Twitter generation, secondly, they are healthy and come in exciting new flavors. From healthy options like grain bowls, harvest bowls, buddha bowls, and smoothie bowls to tongue-tingling options like burrito bowls or poke bowls or KFC’s famous mashed potato bowls. This concept also makes it easy for takeout and delivery adding another advantage to the list. They are one of the top-ranking features in almost every list.

Bubble Tea

Although bubble tea has been around for a while now ( say decades) but it’s getting rediscovered. Tea enriched with boba (tapioca pearls) is gaining increasing popularity – with a lot of emerging providers topping this year’s list. The key focus is on authenticity and heritage. The drink is originally from Taiwan – and there are two main authentic Taiwan players on the market. Sharetea and Gong Cha. What are they doing differently you wonder? Well, the focus is on freshness. The ingredients and elements that go in the drink are freshly prepared every day.

Salads

While healthy eating/ conscious eating is slowly gaining mainstream popularity – Salads have been around for a long time now. A concept that has been popular across generations and nations. While the ingredients and prep methods are constantly witnessing changes – for example for this year adding vitamins in the greens are turning out to be a popular trend.

It basically looks like one Greek salad bowl with boba tea to go kinda future!

When it comes to buying sandwiches, how much is too much? Then again, when it comes to buying caviar, $14 seems like a bargain. This restaurant in New York City is bringing fancy food to the masses in the form of a $14 caviar sandwich.

Food For Thought

For generations, caviar has remained as the food choice of the elite. It’s such an expensive dish that few people have ever seen it in person, let alone actually put it in their mouths. For some people, it’s a symbol of celebration as they only splash out for special occasions. Traditionally it’s served on blinis, but Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York City is serving its caviar in a sandwich.

Grand Central Station

Among the hustle and bustle of Grand Central Station sits a quiet oyster bar that’s perfect for those commuters looking to add some luxury to their train journey. Among the busy menu of Grand Central Oyster Bar sits the caviar sandwich, priced at $14.

The thought of spending $14 on a simple sandwich is preposterous for some, but what’s wrong with a bit of decadence now and then? Many would argue that if you were going to pay $14 for some caviar, it’s actually pretty cheap.

The Sandwich

The sandwich itself is pretty basic. Customers are served two slices of toasted white bread with a chopped up hard-boiled egg. The caviar is smeared over the egg, with some creme fraiche and parsley on the side. You will experience a crunchy texture, but enjoy the caviar’s saltiness with just a little hint of fishiness.

While it’s not going to break the bank, splashing out on this $14 sandwich will make you feel special while you eat it. Sure, you couldn’t have it every day, but every once in a while, you should go out and treat yourself.