Menu developers have had a busy year responding to consumers’ shifting habits and a growing desire to have a personal connection with their food, speakers at this week's Menu Trends & Directions conference said.

Much of the discussions among the 165 attendees centered on approaches that help their food stand out in the crowded foodservice field. The 2011 Menu Trends & Directions conference is produced by Nation's Restaurant News, The Kruse Co. and Technomic Inc.

Menu trend expert Nancy Kruse, president of The Kruse Co., and a contributing editor to Nation’s Restaurant News, in her annual State of the Plate presentation, said the country’s 250 largest chain restaurants added more than 3,100 permanent menu items and nearly 2,800 limited time offerings in the past year. Many of them were tweaks on comfort food, with a particular focus on bread — and an unusual uptick in waffles — but adjustments also were made to decommoditize their offerings by focusing on their unique qualities.

Those included highlighting how they were prepared — grilled, fried, toasted, etc. — mentioning where their products came from, with farm-to-table items continuing to spread, especially at noncommercial operations, and using atypical products such as heirloom tomatoes, Alaskan crab or farro.

“The best [menu] successes have included items with a focus on the cooking techniques that create the best flavors,” Dan Kish, vice president of food at Panera Bread, said.

Authenticity of menu items or offerings was another driver of success, according to Bob Okura, vice president of culinary development and corporate chef at The Cheesecake Factory. Consumers today demand — and have knowledge of — authentic menu items, he said.

“A lot of foods that are popular are comfort foods from around the world,” Okura said. “When we do recipes, we need to do the research to get our arms around what authenticity demands … If we can’t maintain a minimum of what is required then we’ll walk away.”