Editor’s Note: How is rice, a global ingredient staple, influencing new menu offerings and retail product development? For a closer look, Prepared Foods turned to Katie Ayoub, president of Katie Ayoub & Associates. She serves as managing editor at Flavor & The Menu and is a content strategist for the Flavor Experience, an annual conference for chain operators. Based in Chicago, Katie has been working in foodservice publishing for more than 25 years.

Prepared Foods: Nearly a year ago, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) released its annual “What’s Hot” forecast and it included a top 10 trends list. Our focus today involves rice in foodservice dishes and we see that NRA’s list included “World Stage Soups & Stews” (#1 trend), “Stuffed Vegetables” (#7 trend) and “Regional Menus” (#8 trend). Looking back on this year, did you notice rice as an important distinguishing ingredient in these types of offerings?

Katie Ayoub: Rice is a universal comfort food—quite literally. So many countries and cuisines from around the world serve up rice as a foundation to comfort-centric dishes. Taking a closer look at “World Stage Soups & Stews,” I’m seeing West African jollof take the lead here in the trends landscape. Smoky and spicy, this tomato-based rice stew finds the sweet spot for American consumers between adventure and familiar—rice certainly helps bridge that gap.

I think another rice dish to watch is the Puerto Rican version of arroz con pollo. Nourishing, flavorful and comforting, it offers both protein and starch, flavored beautifully by the craveable adobo-seasoned sofrito. I think more home cooks will give this a spin on their family dinner tables, creating opportunity for foodservice to offer signature, crafted versions—particularly in the fast-casual arena.

PF: We wrote earlier about new offerings from US Foods, including an Organic Purple Rice (known as “Emperor’s Blend”) & Quinoa Blend. It was developed as a colorful, ethnic side dish option. Have you noticed any new varieties of rice this year?

Ayoub: I haven’t seen any new varieties, but I do notice more premium call-outs on menus, such as Koshihikari, the highly prized Japanese short-grain rice.

PF: Have you noticed rice in any other non-traditional applications—such as desserts, hand-held sandwiches, breakfast items?

Ayoub:Yes, crispy rice as textural counterpoint! I love seeing this come into play across menus. It’s even more interesting when offered in vibrant hues, thanks to infusions of saffron or turmeric. I’ve seen crispy rice take shape in compressed cubes of rice, deep-fried and served over (or under) sushi, tossed into salads as croutons or crisped individual grains of rice peppered into bowl builds.

PF: You’ve already mentioned how rice fits so many global ethnic cuisines! Looking back on 2024, can you name some top trending offerings featuring rice? What were they and what can you say about the type of rice and how it’s prepared?

Ayoub: At Breaker Breaker in Atlanta, the Cabbage & Crispy Rice Salad (with carrot, avocado, orange, mint, cilantro, basil, toasted pumpkin seeds and vinaigrette) stands out with its crispy texture and unexpected pairing with cabbage.

A new fast casual in East Lansing, Mich., Handie, offers up a great example of how jollof can proliferate on menus here. It appears throughout the menu, most notably in the Lagos Wrap, a handheld that features a tortilla wrapped around stewed pulled chicken, jollof rice, sweet plantains, beans and a signature Oyo sauce.

PF: Lastly, can you think of one or two popular, trending foodservice dishes—featuring rice—that could make a jump from foodservice menus to mainstream retail products in 2025 or beyond?

Ayoub: I can see dumplings filled with seasoned rice making the leap from foodservice menus to mainstream retail products. I also think that fried rice dishes—from a host of globally inspired menus—can jump successfully to retail. Gen Z is demonstrating big interest here, thanks in large part to Trader Joe’s wildly popular frozen fried rice offerings.

Want to learn more? Readers can reach Ayoub at katie.ayoub@gmail.com