The research calls on operators to, not only respond to this consumer demand, but to investigate a fusion of different flavours entering the market to keep their menus fresh and exciting.
Consumers are more influenced than ever before by travels across the globe, with concepts such as ‘street food’ becoming more prevalent.
Comparing data from 2011 to 2012, figures show that twice the amount of people expect Middle Eastern cuisine to grow with the influence of Spanish, Mediterranean and Vegetarian remaining strong.
Ashley Pinder, country sales manager UK, Santa Maria, said: “It’s great to understand the cuisines that are influencing operators including Asian, Middle Eastern, Lebanese, North African and South American amongst others.
"It’s not only consumers that are taking advantage of travelling the world, our chefs are constantly looking for new inspiration from around the world that will put their menu ahead of the game. We know it’s tough out there and being able to make your food offer stand out against the competition is key to delivering on the bottom line.”
Simon Stenning from Allegra Strategies, added: “From the research, we’ve seen more and more operators from event caterers to pub and restaurant chains introducing a growing usage of spices with them becoming an integral part of their regime.
“There’s always something new that we’re seeing coming across from one continent or another that starts to put particular eating out venues on the map. The rise in the number of Mexican outlets over the last few years for example has been phenomenal. We’re now also seeing the rise of new styles of flavouring being used to ‘premiumise’ chicken such as piri piri. It’s great to see this type of taste explosion hitting our shores and really giving consumers something different.”