Times are changing fast in the foodservice world, and the 2016 winners of the MenuMasters Awards are showing how to exceed the evolving demands of customers.
Presented by Nation’s Restaurant News and sponsored by Ventura Foods, the awards honor culinary excellence in menu development.
Winners have created menu items that NRN editors have judged to have a significant impact on the foodservice industry.
Get more on the winners:
This year’s MenuMasters winners are: Arby’s, whose profit-churning sliders won best line extension; Jack in the Box, whose on-trend Classic Buttery Jack won best new item; The Melting Pot, which celebrated barbecue and seafood boils with its Dip into Summer promotion that won best limited-time offer; and Slapfish, this year’s MenuMasters Trendsetter, which has worked to source sustainable seafood. MenuMasters best menu revamp went to Sodexo for its Crisol Latin Kitchen; and MenuMasters healthful innovation went to Stanford University Dining for teaching students how to cook nutritious meals for themselves.
Chef David Barzelay has been named Innovator of the Year for exploring new service styles, new approaches to reservations and new flavor combinations at the San Francisco restaurant Lazy Bear. And, chef Norman Van Aken, an original member of Miami’s Mango Gang and an early practitioner of fusion cuisine, will be inducted into the MenuMasters Hall of Fame.
The winners will be honored at a celebration at the Drake Hotel in Chicago May 21.
Go the profiles of each winner, using the images or links above, for a closer look at these award-winning innovations.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
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