Data dives into prevalence of potatoes on menus

A recent trends report found that potatoes remain popular, appearing on more than eight in 10 U.S. foodservice menus.

A 2024 foodservice menu trends report, compiled with MenuTrends data by Dataessential, also revealed that younger consumers are showing interest in potato dishes incorporating global flavors and sauces.

Potatoes appear most often on foodservice entree and side menus, usually as part of a combination of multi-protein item with chicken, hot sandwiches and egg dishes, according to the report. Potatoes also appear on nearly half of all appetizer menus.

Foodservice segment categories ranked by prevalence of potatoes:

• Fine dining: 90.5%
• Casual: 88.2%
• Midscale: 85.6%
• Quick-Service: 73.7%
• Fast casual: 71.7%

New trends

More than one-third of potato offerings are traditional American fare, but the 18-28 age demographic has shown an affinity for diverse flavors, including:

• Classic Mexican flavors such as chamoy and Tajin
• Asian cuisine staples such as gochujang, black vinegar, eel sauce and ponzu
• Spicy flavors such as chili crisp, diablos sauce and Nashville hot

While fries continued to be the most prevalent potato dish, trending varieties included Greek fries, Italian fries, carne asada fries and topped varieties such as truffle fries, loaded fries and buffalo chicken fries. The most-loved  fries across all age groups were classic, curly, seasoned, crinkle-cut and home fries.

Younger and older age groups were also united in their love of comfort foods including traditional mashed potatoes as well as garlic and loaded varieties.