Don't invest in trends that don't make sense for your business

In a lively debate on Thursday morning (partially fueled by the selection of local craft beers from Widmer’s available to both the speakers and attendees), three different food industry representatives discussed the differences between stunts, fads and full-blown trends—and how everything from non-GMOs to Millennials to Groupon influence our food culture.

Chef Andrew Hunter, executive chef for Niman Ranch; foodservice and industrial chef for Kikkoman; and founder of culinary development agency Chef Andrew Hunter, wrapped up the talk with some key advice on how to avoid ambulance chasing in the fast-moving world of culinary trends and fads.

“In terms of trends, they have to make sense for your business. If you’re a Scandanavian concept, Sriracha probably doesn’t make sense. I know that sounds sort of like ‘duh’, but when you look at what some brands do to make sure they get to be part of trends, it’s often too far of a stretch. Looking at kale as an example, if it makes sense in your concept, it makes sense to invest in it. We see far too much ambulance chasing and then it doesn’t materialize. We need to make sure we all stay true to brands and our mission and vision.”​