Why I’ll Try the Pork…

The last time you were at your favorite restaurant did you notice anything new on the menu?  Chances are if you did it most likely was a pork dish.

According to the food service industry research firm Technomic there has been a 7% increase in mentions of “pork” on restaurant menus.  This from a release issues by Technomic today:

“Restaurants are using pork more often in main dishes and as an accompanying ingredient in menu items for various reasons,” says Bernadette Noone, Director, Technomic MenuMonitor. “First, the higher cost of beef has made pork a nice substitute in combo dishes. Where customers were once seeing chicken and beef on the menu, they may now see more affordable chicken and pork dishes. The popularity of bacon is another key factor. For the last few years we’ve seen bacon-related menu items increase by over 7 percent annually.”

A look at recent pork dishes reveals that bacon, sausage and ham are the most common pork ingredients on menus. The data also show that pork is increasingly being used in combination with other proteins. Pork saw a 15 percent increase in shellfish dishes, 13 percent in chicken dishes and 8 percent in both beef dishes and burger dishes during the second quarter of 2011.

The pork trend crosses mealparts, with many types of pork being featured in new dishes. A sample of new pork items includes:

• BBQ Spare Ribs & Pork Roast at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
• Country Style Pork Cutlet at Max & Erma’s
• Mojo Roast Pork at Pollo Tropical
• Red Beans & Rice with Andouille sausage at Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar
• Wood Grilled Chorizo Sliders at Bahama Breeze
• Memphis BBQ Skins with pulled pork at Chili’s Grill & Bar

I’m really intrigued by that pork/shellfish combo increase.  All I can think about is a bacon wrapped scallop or shrimp…that can’t be all can it?  But what other pork goes with fish???

via PR Newswire