Unique and trendy restaurant menu items can attract new customers and build a restaurant’s brand both in-person and on social media. These items don’t always have to equate with using the craziest or most expensive ingredients. They can be offerings noted for their creativity, their fit within your restaurant’s concept, or the mix of flavors they present to your guests.
Let’s look at some unique menu items that have drawn in customers and created a brand presence for the restaurants that served them.
Key Takeaways:
- Unique restaurant menu items do not need to be super expensive or outlandish. They must be true to your brand and irresistible to your customer base.
- Menu items that cross-promote brands or play on nostalgia often do well with customers.
- Focus on good flavors, novel ideas, and consistent execution—and virality will follow.
1. Taiyaki
What it is: Taiyaki is a fish-shaped bread served at the popular Los Angeles bakery Mumu. Traditionally, it is red bean-filled bread made with sweet batter. This bakery’s take on the dish is a fish-shaped croissant with multiple filling flavors such as Nutella, cream cheese, red bean, brown sugar seed, and savory flavors. The bakery focuses on the balance of sweet, salty, and umami in each baked good.
Why it works: The crunchy sugar baked on top, paired with an often creamy filling, hits all of the notes of flavor and texture a consumer wants. Beyond this, the spin on a classical baked item, brought to life with the beautifully designed fish details, makes this item attractive for social media users. A delicious bite with a beautiful golden brown color and a unique fish design is sure to draw customers in, and items like this make customers go out of their way to eat at your business.
Take inspiration: Creative takes on traditional recipes tap into nostalgia and excitement for guests. If you have a traditional recipe you can enhance, then doing so may lead to more sales and even virality.
2. Sushi Box Pizza
What it is: The sushi box pizza from Tanuki Sushi & Grill in Chicago packages six of its signature sushi rolls in a pizza box. You can mix and match your favorite rolls and are provided generous portions, enough for four to six people. This novel packaging of the sushi protects it during transit and offers a unique presentation. It got so popular that one TikTok video received over 1.7 million views on the item reveal. This is effective menu item marketing at work.
Why it works: The nostalgia a pizza box evokes, paired with the beautiful presentation of sushi within the box itself helped this food item blow up on social media in the Chicago area. As you can see in the picture above, bright colors, generous portions, and the novelty of the red-and-white checkerboard packaging really sell the menu item for Tanuki. It’s a great example of unique combinations and packaging can be a successful formula.
Take Inspiration: What’s exciting about the Tanuki sushi pizza box is that nothing new was actually created. By playing with nostalgic packaging with menu items, you can also create a novel dish that sells in a unique, fun, and hopefully viral way.
3. Maple Creemee
What it is: The Maple Creemee is a high-butterfat soft-serve ice cream flavored with pure maple syrup served at multiple food businesses across Vermont. According to Vermont news site VT Digger, around 400 businesses serve Maple Creemees in the Green Mountain state. Most creemees are made by flavoring a bought-in soft serve base with local maple syrup. Some creemee sellers make their own base featuring local dairy, too.
Why it works: The Maple Creemee combines two powerhouse moves: regional flavor and an affordable price. The dish is easy for customers to understand and appeals to people of all ages. Spots that serve these treats benefit from customer familiarity; the Maple Creemee is basically the pumpkin spice latte of Vermont. Businesses from scoop shops to general stores get an immediate boost from offering this unique regional specialty.
Take inspiration: A standard maple creemee makes sense at any restaurant serving New England fare. But any restaurant can highlight a regional flavor in a treat at an affordable price. Start with a regional ingredient that attracts locals and tourists. What cost-effective dish can carry that flavor and make it shine? And how affordably can you price it? Soft serve is a natural fit for many sweet or bold flavors because the base can easily be infused with flavor.
Depending on your restaurant type, you could infuse your flavor into the base of a sauce, cake, or custard (like a creme brulee, flan, or creme caramel). Some dishes that follow a similar formula to the Maple Creemee are Key Lime pie in Florida or Huckleberry cheesecake in Montana.
4. Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme
What it is: If you can imagine a giant, baked Cheez-It inside a Taco Bell quesadilla, then you have imagined the Taco Bell Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme. Seasoned beef, nacho cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and a baked Cheez-It cracker stuffed in a tortilla that is then grilled and served. It is nostalgic and imparts texture and flavor, and it went super viral upon launching a few months ago.
Why it works: I know some die-hard chefs will hate me for including this one, but I am sharing it for a reason, which I will detail below. The reason it works is because the brands of Taco Bell and Cheez-It are household names, and the fit between the two brings in fans of each product to at least try this menu item. Furthermore, it fits with Taco Bell’s history of brand partnerships; think the Doritos Loco Taco, which was noted as the most successful product launch for the company at the time and is still on the menu a decade later.
Take Inspiration: Independent restaurants have a gap in cross-promotion, and being able to take your beloved brand and another in your region to cross-promote on a menu item may draw customers on curiosity alone. Working with other brands to make unique menu items is an excellent way to show your restaurant’s ability to work with others, and the savviness of your chefs when it comes to making exciting food menu items.
5. Corn Dog Donut
What it is: This donut from Okie Donuts in Philadelphia, PA, is made with a honey corn donut batter and is stuffed with a Sabrett all-beef hot dog. It is served with a side of deli mustard and is a massive hit for this Philadelphia bakery. The best part is that it is gluten-free, making it a junk food holy grail for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Sweet cornbread batter and the savory hot dog create a guilty pleasure that those with or without gluten dietary restrictions can indulge in.
Why it works: Corn dogs are nostalgic and delicious and are found at a variety of fun social functions. That being said, most of them contain gluten and, therefore, are inaccessible for gluten-intolerant diets. Okie Dokie Donuts is a bakery in Philly known for their gluten-free donuts, and this corn dog donut they created totally pushed their brand awareness over the edge. The item got so popular that even local news channels covered the product launch.
Take Inspiration: The reason Okie Dokie Donuts is so beloved is because it takes an artistic approach to a traditionally gluten-containing product and makes it gluten-free. Sub in any delicious, beloved dish and make it accessible to those who cannot eat it—then watch your customers come.
6. Half-Smoke
What it is: Ask any Washington, D.C., local, and they can tell you about the half-smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl. A grilled, quarter-pound beef and pork hot dog is placed on a bun and smothered with mustard, fresh onions, and the famous homemade chili. According to Eater, Ben’s Chili Bowl sells around 600 to 800 of these a day, making it a staple in the area’s food scene.
Why it works: Ben’s Chili Bowl has been around for close to seven decades now and is a fundamental part of the Washington, D.C., dining scene. The half-smoke itself relies on the hard sear of the hot dog, the fresh and tangy mustard and onions, and the decades-developed chili. Expect to find the half-smoke on shows such as the Today Show as well as across various social media sites and blogs.
Take Inspiration: Have a longstanding menu item that customers crave? Share it with the world and prop it up as a mainstay of your business. You’d be surprised at the type of community you could create out of a hot dog.
7. Black Truffle Explosion
What it is: The Black Truffle Explosion is a dish that has followed the career of Grant Achatz, ever since he made it at Illinois restaurant, Trio, more than two decades ago. The ravioli is filled with black truffle juice and butter, in no easy terms, and then topped with black truffle, romaine, and parmesan. It is literally an explosion of flavor and is even an item you can preorder through your reservation when going to a Grant Achatz restaurant.
Why it works: The flavor of truffle and parmesan, paired with a truly excellent textural experience of broth popping in the mouth, has made this dish something sought out by many over the years. Four core flavors are distilled down into a flavorful bite: truffle, butter, romaine, and parmesan. The distillation of flavor and the artisanal elegance of the dish make it so sought-out. This dish inspired designer Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail to design the Anti Plate serving piece that later became an iconic part of the Alinea experience.
Take Inspiration: The lesson to be learned from this standout dish at Alinea, The Aviary, or past restaurants of Chef Achatz’s is the idea of a dish so focused on delivering a flavor that diners simply cannot miss. It has a dedicated Reddit thread to its genius, and this type of artistry in cooking is all it takes to create a menu item that can transcend restaurant concepts and stand the test of time.
8. Blueberry Iced Latte
What it is: Newport Rhode Island’s Nitro Bar makes a simple– and viral– drink. It is blueberry syrup with coffee and a customer’s choice of milk, served over ice. The blueberry syrup is house-made and adds sweet and fruity notes to the iced latte that has driven customers crazy in the Newport region.
Why it works: Coffee can be bitter, and the sweet and floral flavors of blueberry when paired with coffee and milk create a flavor affinity that surprises customers of The Nitro Bar. This simple addition to the classic iced latte has skyrocketed this menu item to social media fame, with TikToks of the drink getting 100k+ to 2M+ views a post. This viral iced latte makes the coffee shop a must-have stop for visitors to the region.
Take Inspiration: This should be an example that not only food items have the potential to go viral—it is true of drinks as well. Focusing on creative drink pairings for your business can be a great way to create original, unique menu items that customers crave.
9. Crunchy Buffalo Wings
What it is: Wingnutz is a chicken wing-focused restaurant in Buffalo, New York. The city is home to the Buffalo Wing, and there are plenty of restaurants that are considered establishments that make chicken wings in the area. What sets Wingnutz apart is its battered wings and a marketing thread that focuses on “size, sauciness, and crunch.” They exploded onto the scene after the pandemic and have even been shouted out by Barstool Sports.
Why it works: I firmly believe the biggest factor as to why these wings are so popular in Buffalo right now comes down to the play on textures. The sauces on the menu are amazing, but it is the crisp, fried chicken wing that has an all-too-pleasing crunch paired with a very saucy coating that makes these wings crave-able. The crunch comes from the wings being breaded, which is not traditionally done in Buffalo, but adds a ton of texture. It is incredible what the restaurant has done, especially since the city has carved out the major players of chicken wings for the past few decades.
Take Inspiration: Rather than trying a new wing flavor or style, they simply chose to enhance the crunch and sauciness of their wings, two aspects of the chicken wing that make it so popular. Where can you enhance tried and true recipes in your region in order to create a cult-like customer base?
10. Mushroom Parfait
What it is: London restaurant Fallow makes this creative parfait from shiitake mushroom puree, eggs, butter, and an alcohol reduction. It is a delicious dish of caramelized mushrooms in butter, and then mixing them with other ingredients and cooking methods to make this iconic dish from Fallow. The mushrooms are grown in-house and the rest of the dish uses off cuts from other dishes to support Fallow’s zero-waste ideals.
Why it works: What makes the parfait special is the fact that Fallow uses home-grown mushrooms and leftovers from other dishes to create it. It is iconic for not only its flavor but also the limited impact it has on the food ecosystem. The draw to Fallow is sustainability, and it shows through delicious, iconic menu items like this that also appeal to environmentally-conscious diners.
Take Inspiration: This parfait is the perfect example of how approaching sustainability and local foods through great flavors and elegant plating can be a draw for customers. Fallow has its own Resy write-up on its sustainability efforts and is seen as a leader in the space of both delicious cooking and managing a restaurant in a sustainable manner.
11. Negroni with Cheese
What it is: Dr. Stravinksy in Barcelona, Spain, is known for its inventive cocktails and attention to detail. Travel blogs have covered the bar, and they have been awarded by lists such as World’s 50 Best Bars multiple times. A unique cocktail I personally found while in Barcelona was this wonderful negroni with a shaving of funky cheese on top. The juxtaposition of bitter, acidic, nutty, and umami was incredible and, quite frankly, blew my mind. While the bar is known for many cocktails, it takes unique menu items like this to stand out in major cities such as Barcelona.
Why it works: This cocktail works based on the many different flavors it provides to the guest. Furthermore, the aroma of the funky cheese and the sheer diversity in drinks this item provides for having cheese on top of ice in a cocktail is enough to get people talking and ordering. I must have seen more than a dozen of these go out while at this bar, and it was due to the curiosity of the “cocktail with the cheese on it.”
Take Inspiration: The biggest lesson I took from a drink like this was the power of curiosity in a dining room or at a bar. While Dr. Stravinsky is well-known, I would not consider this a viral cocktail. But all it took to sell a ton of these was for someone to say a little loudly, “Wow, the cheese on this cocktail is awesome!”
12. The Puppuccino
What it is: This last unique menu item may not be for consumers, but is an interesting one. One way to engage with customers on your menu is to offer items that may not be just for you, but for your furry friend. Starbucks locations and many other food chains often offer a cup of whipped cream for pets. This small, inexpensive portion is served out of a Starbucks takeout espresso cup, delivering the small portion in a cup that is easily used and discarded.
Why It Works: A recent study found that “dog-friendly” restaurant searches increased on Yelp between 2021 and 2023 by 58%. This increase speaks to the fact that consumers want their furry friends to be involved with their dining when possible. With Starbucks branding and offering the Puppuccino, a term it now has trademarked, it shows the company’s understanding of the pet owner lifestyle, drawing customers in through inclusivity and the celebration of pets.
Take Inspiration: The beauty of the Puppuccino is that it is so inexpensive and so easy to make. If you can find a menu item, which literally could be a small portion of whipped cream tailored to dogs, then dog owners may have one great reason to choose you over another restaurant.
How to Create a Unique Menu Item
Creating a unique menu item does take some talk, planning, and research and development. Generally, a big miss I find in restaurants is the lack of a true product development or R&D process for new menu items. Unique menu items thrive with a true developmental period, as the finer parts of the dish can be tweaked, cost can be associated accurately, and the final draft of the dish can be the best version you produce. Below are the steps it takes in order to create unique menu items for your restaurant.
Step 1: Brainstorm Ideas
Ideas for unique menu items can come from seasonal produce, the addition of new ingredients or cookware, or inspiration from resources within your region. What makes unique menu items great are the fun, creative ideas that started the items themselves. Toying around with different flavor ideas, dish presentations, or food vessels is a great way to start finding unique menu items.
Step 2: Refine Ideas
When you start to land on an idea that seems feasible and desirable, figuring out how you will go about serving this next concept is the next step. Some key points include a rough cost, how the dish will look, how it will be cooked, and what the final eating experience of the item will be for your customers.
Step 3: Test Menu Items
Testing menu items is the next big step in unique menu item development. Figuring out how to make your item can not only be fun for your team but can also be very rewarding for your staff. Bonding over creating a fun, unique item helps capture your restaurant’s identity. So, testing and refining the physical menu item is key and always a positive to team morale.
Step 4: Gather Feedback
Feedback is the next step. Have your cooks, dishwashers, servers, and even produce delivery drivers taste the item. Getting feedback—and a lot of it—on your unique menu item is the single best way to ensure it is the best it can be when going to the menu. With feedback, you can lean into the aspects of the item that work and start to peel away other features of the item that are not appealing.
Step 5: Cost the Dish
Costing the dish ensures it is feasible to include in your menu rotation. Sourcing the ingredients for the dish, running a cost analysis on both food and labor costs to make the dish, and ensuring it is indeed profitable are integral to your launch. If it is not profitable, it will rarely add value to your business in the long run. There are some unique menu items that are over the top and simply do not make money, but most restaurants cannot depend on or rely on a dish like this for their business.
Step 6: Market to Customers
Once you have your dish costed out, on the menu, and ready to be made, then the final step is to market it to customers. I love to offer new, exciting menu items to regulars on the house for them to try. This gives me real-time feedback, lets me execute the dish, and gets word of mouth going. Once this is done, sharing on social media feeds and encouraging your guests to share the dish themselves are how you get more customers to try the item. Also, ensuring your service staff sells the menu item and really explains the exciting aspects of it is how you can push sales during each service.
Benefits & Drawbacks of Unique Food Ideas for Restaurants
Unique menu items bring a variety of benefits to restaurants. For starters, more attention and often free marketing can help bolster the presence of your brand in your region and online. I live in the Chicago suburbs, and seeing the sushi box pizza menu item shared above made me want to take a 50-minute train into the city and a 20-minute Uber to the restaurant just to try it with a friend. We made a day out of the experience, and unique menu items can do just that. They can be events for people to partake in.
Beyond the press, marketing, and employee engagement, unique menu items that are delicious and accessible will bring in return guests, as your location will be the only one serving this item. Unique menu items can help build a brand identity and can deliver the perks of social media fame that then build into merch, more reservations, and the tertiary profits being popular online entails. Your unique menu items should have meaning, fit your restaurant, and be delicious. If they achieve this while garnering interest, then the marketing and social media demand will follow.
One of the drawbacks of having a unique menu item is the fact that you may never be able to take it off of your menu. If customers dine at your restaurant expecting the fan favorite, then disappointment and backlash can follow if it is removed. If a unique menu item is created, it should be relatively feasible for your restaurant to reproduce at scale, should make financial success for your business, and is something you are happy to have as a mainstay on your menu.
Last Bite
As you can see from the 12 items above, a unique menu item is not always the fanciest dish or the rarest ingredients. Most of these items could actually be made at any restaurant. What makes them unique is the creativity of the chef, the identity of the brand, and the ability to reproduce these items consistently so that many can enjoy them.
Unique menu items can define a restaurant, help with local exposure, and be the reason you have more revenue month over month. By being true to your brand and allowing creativity within your kitchen, a unique menu item can be made.
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