Potatoes a top menu performer as loaded drums, fries, bowls entice younger generations

Potatoes appeared on nearly 83% of all U.S. restaurant menus in 2023, demonstrating the staying power of America’s favorite vegetable as a top menu performer. Menu inclusion of potatoes continued increasing in fine dining, casual and fast casual throughout 2023, according to data reported by MenuTrends by Dataessential. 

Growing Appeal: Potatoes are beloved across generations, but over the past year, the percentage of Gen Z and Millennials who "like" or "love" potatoes has grown by 7% each.
 

• The breakdown: 81% of Gen Z respondents "like" or "love" potatoes, compared to 90% of Millennials, 92% of Gen X and 95% of Baby Boomers.
• Loaded drums, fries, and bowls are all on the rise, especially versions that add a little heat or the richness of an aioli.
• Gen Z in particular is craving loaded fries with flavorful and creamy sauces like garlic parmesan, spicy ranch, nacho cheese, and more.

Ordered Nationwide: From coast to coast, you can find potatoes on menus, regardless of restaurant type. And while the South and Northeast tend to menu more potato dishes, the Midwest and West are gaining fast. 
 

• Potatoes appeared on 82.4% of restaurant menus in the South in 2023, compared to 82.3% of menus in the Northeast, 81.5% of Midwest menus, and 78.4% of Western menus.
• Independent and regional restaurants are most likely to menu potatoes, with 84.2% of independent restaurants and 81.8% of regional restaurants putting potatoes on the menu in 2023. By comparison, 71.6% of chain restaurants put potatoes on the menu.

Top and Trending Dishes: Top potato dishes by penetration included fries, mashed potatoes, potato salad, hash browns, and baked potatoes.
 

• Trending dishes included loaded drums, breakfast bowls, loaded fries, breakfast burritos, and Cajun fries.
• Trending flavors included Nashville hot, truffle aioli, chipotle aioli, special sauce, and garlic parmesan.

Potatoes All Day: Potatoes tend to skew higher on breakfast and all-day menus, creating an exciting opportunity for operators specializing in lunch and dinner to menu potatoes in more novel ways. 
 

• Potatoes were included on 75.5% of breakfast menus, 37.5% of lunch menus, 60.7% of dinner menus, and 77.7% of all-day menus.