Tastes change. Fads come and go, and sometimes come again. Trends take hold nationally and locally, infiltrating just about every way we dine. Amid the ever-evolving culinary landscape, here’s what we’re hankering for more, and less, of as the calendar turns to 2026.
Sell: Influencer Shoots During Service
We understand the value and importance of social media. Those digital creators are a vital link between restaurants and potential customers, wielding enormous sway over their followers. No longer a fringe field, the typical collaboration involves contracts, complicated shoots, supplemental lighting and compensation. As such, they should be treated like any marketing campaign, which is to say: done outside standard service hours. Why spoil the experience of paying customers already in the dining room in hopes of attracting hypothetical ones?
Hold: Conveyor-Belt Sushi
Northeast Ohio didn’t land its first kaiten-zushi, aka conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, until 2022. Now we have four. I’m not saying that’s too many for the area, but when it comes to burgeoning trends, we often see a rush to market by less-than-competent operators keen to cash in – something we witnessed with barbecue, tacos and other foods. I’m a huge fan of places like Watami and Funshi because they are the antidote extravagant omakases and somber sushi counters. Let’s just proceed with caution.
Buy: More International Markets
We are blessed in Northeast Ohio with international food markets catering to a diverse group of cultures. St. Clair Superior bursts with Asian groceries; Little Arabia is a rich source for Middle Eastern and halal products; Mayfield has become a hotspot for Russian and Eastern European food markets. The west side is home to some of the best Latin markets in the state. Greek, Italian, Indian, African, Mediterranean, Caribbean and more. Cleveland’s immigrant makeup is more diverse now than ever and that’s represented by our amazing markets.
Sell: Covert Gratuity and Service Charges
Gratuity is a non-negotiable facet of dining. And I understand that service charges are often necessary to offset rising operating costs rather than raise menu prices. The former goes straight to employees while the latter is intended for the business in general. Neither should come as an unwelcome surprise to unsuspecting diners via the post-dinner check. Servers should make diners aware of the restaurant’s policies in case they miss that 8-point type on the back of the menu.
Hold: Hangry Brands Total World Domination
It has taken other hospitality groups a decade or more to amass the sort of bar and restaurant portfolio that Jason Beudert’s Hangry Brands has in just a handful of years. Since launching The Yard in Willoughby in 2022, the group has launched Geraci’s Slice Shop and Lionheart Coffee downtown, STEAK in Tremont and Jolene’s Honky Tonk on 4th Street. The group also has acquired legacy spots like Society Lounge, Edison’s Pub and Danny’s on Professor. In the works are Paper Tiger in Tremont and STEAK in Chagrin Falls. Monopolies never fare well for the consumer.
Sell: Ohio City Chain Invasion
If you had mentioned a decade ago the possibility of a massive global chain descending upon W. 25th Street, folks would have assumed that you slammed one too many Christmas Ales. Not long ago, community opposition ended plans to open a McDonald’s restaurant on Lorain. But now, Starbucks is opening a drive-through coffee shop just steps from the West Side Market and Chipotle has opened a location on West 25th Street, tarnishing in one year the independent identity that neighborhood stakeholders have spent decades cultivating.
Buy: The Casual but Compelling Neighborhood Bistro
No segment has been decimated more than the small but mighty neighborhood restaurant. At places like the Black Pig, Lolita, Flying Fig, Spice, Bar Cento and more, a diner could walk in off the street and spend as much or as little as he or she desired. The menu offered a broad range of chef-driven staples and specials that could support multiple visits per week and month. While perhaps not “Instagrammable,” these owner-operated bars, bistros and boites were the lifeblood of neighborhoods.
Buy: Tavern-Style Pizza
When it comes to pizza, Cleveland is doing just fine. We have amazing wood-fired pizza, some very good New York-style pies, and enough Ohio-style pizza to fill a collegiate stadium. What we don’t have is tavern-style pizza. While deep-dish pizza grabs all the attention in Chicago, most locals there go for tavern-style, a niche that originated in that burg’s bars nearly 100 years ago. It is characterized by a thin, cracker-like crust, edge-to-edge cheese and toppings, and a signature square cut, making it ideal for pub sessions. It is the next big thing in pizza – already spreading across the land – so let’s conjure some up right here.
Sell: Cavernous Hospitality Concepts
If there’s one thing we learned from recent developments in the Flats East Bank, it’s that Cleveland has too many oversized entertainment complexes. The simultaneous closures of Margaritaville, Inferno and Rum Runners all have one thing in common: the outsized footprint of the property. In a market such as ours, these types of places tend to start with a bang and end with a whimper.
Sell: Tech Over Humans
If you want to bring customers back into restaurants, you have to have people eager to serve them when they arrive. I’ve had recent dine-in experiences that involved so few actual human beings that I might as well have stayed home and ordered delivery. From QR-code menus and tablet ordering to self-service beverage stations and bussing my own damn table, certain establishments have stripped the convivial, social aspect of dining out down to the studs. Am I still obligated to leave a 20-percent tip?
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