Amid the flurry of trend predictions for 2026, there’s one that almost every expert agrees on. From Datassential to Carbonate and more, there’s widespread consensus that It’s going to be a banner year for meat! In this edition, we get our teeth into the why, and how operators can take advantage of it.
One of the first indicators for this trend is consumers’ attitude towards protein in general. For the 3rd straight year, “high protein” is the most common diet Americans are following, and for the 5th straight year, protein is the top nutrient they’re trying to consume, now at 70% of consumers. The latest Dietary Guidelines – while admittedly not without controversy – put proteins at the top of the food pyramid, reinforcing this mindset. So protein is almost universally seen as a good and healthy goal – but what about animal proteins?
There’s news there too, as we seem to be in a moment where pure, natural protein sources like meat are not just more craveable, but also seen as healthier than plant-based proteins or meat analogs. According to Datassential, 34% of consumers said it was important for their health to eat more animal protein in 2026. This adds up to a consumer who’s ordering meat on the menu guilt-free, and probably explains why there are 17% more self-described meat eaters among millennials -- and 4% fewer vegans -- from 2021 to 2024.
So where does this show up on the menu, in a time of rising costs and price sensitivity? The trendwatchers at Carbonate point to “Chefs embracing meat’s rich flavors and unctuous textures, celebrating off-cuts and overlooked parts, and delivering a little surprise and a lot of flavor at low food costs.” This is something we’ve been seeing too, with chefs looking outside the middle cuts (a breakdown on that here) or to off-cuts from premium beef. Our mates Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth turn to Aussie Wagyu top round for carpaccio, beef ribs for showstopping on-the-bone presentation with a friendly food cost, and give Aussie lamb shoulder the pastrami treatment.
Meat has always been craveable and a dining-out worthy splurge; the shift has been towards new conception as something both good to eat and good for you, the ultimate permission slip for guests to order what they wanted all along…meat!