Menu Fads, And Swimming

Let’s talk about waves. Not the ocean kind,

not even the kind that come when a guest asks to “send compliments to the chef” (hi, thank you, I see you). No—I mean the kind of waves we all ride when a menu fad explodes across the industry like hot oil in a dry pan. Think: the era of cupcake empires. Think: the current frenzy over something called Dubai Chocolate (what is it? Does anyone really know? Shreaded wheat and chocolate im told - Does it even matter?). Think: hot honey on everything—pizza, fried chicken, cocktails, ice cream, your aunt’s meatloaf.

Menu fads are like pop songs: catchy, addictive, and easy to get sick of after the fourth remix.

And yet, as chefs, we’re constantly expected to ride those waves. Not even surf them gracefully—just paddle like mad to stay afloat in an algorithm-led sea of food trends. Get that item on your menu. Get the TikTok photo. Hope for a viral moment. Pray for a reservation spike.

But here’s the quiet truth: chasing fads is exhausting. It’s culinary burnout in a bottle. And the wave never pauses. The second you master Hot Honey 2023, along comes Truffle Popcorn Boba Butter Toast 2025 (™) and you’re behind again.

Remember cupcakes? Yeah, barely. A few short years ago they had TV shows, chains, cookbooks, and weddings devoted to their frosted glory. Now? We whisper the word like a forgotten ex. “Cupcake? I haven’t heard that name in years…”

So what’s the solution?

How do we keep creating without losing our minds in the echo chamber of trend-chasing?

Simple.

Swim in your own lane.

You heard me. Look at the pool—hell, the ocean—of chefs and food creators around you. It’s tempting to race them. It’s tempting to peek sideways at what’s trending, who’s going viral, what’s going “Dubai chocolate” next.

But you’ll never see what’s ahead of you if your eyes are locked on the swimmer in the next lane.

The real answer? Be passionate. Be creative. Be so obsessed with your own flavor that you forget to envy someone else’s.

When you stop cooking for the algorithm and start cooking for yourself—for your customers, your roots, your curiosity—then the menu fads lose their power. You can ride a wave if it fits your story, or ignore it completely without fear. Because your food has a compass, not a weather vane.

So go ahead. Let the cupcake fade. Let the hot honey cool. Let the Dubai Chocolate do whatever Dubai Chocolate does.

And you?

Keep cooking like no one’s watching.

(But if they are, make it taste like something they’ll remember.)

Now get back on the line. Dinner service isn’t going to plate itself….