Eating habits don't change much, but the way food favorites are prepared does. The real winner will be the guy who can be creative but offer the food cheaper and more conveniently than it is offered today. It's not all that surprising, then, that the new century unfolds with emerging and continuing trends that neatly fit the context of such food truisms. They will be shaped, however, by a redefinition of quality. At the start of the new millennium, quality will be equated with convenience, value, organic ingredients, well-prepared dishes, the perception of healthy and fresh food and a satisfying overall dining experience.
People travel, read food magazines, watch cooking on television and just eat out more.
So they expect more. His foray into airport foodservice points to the larger and increasingly incessant demand for better food everywhere and at every price level. Thanks to the growing popularity of farmers markets, chefs and consumers often believe organic is healthier and tastes better. But, while some fine-dining restaurants are trying to establish rapport with small organic farmers to grow produce to their specifications, the product can be unpredictable. Chefs such as Daniel Boulud in New York say organic mass producers are more reliable.