Global Dishes That Define Experience-Driven Dining

In recent years, the dining experience has become nearly as important as the food—some consumers might even prioritize it over quality and taste. This predilection is due in part to the multifaceted nature of the overall experience, which can include everything from the restaurant space and atmosphere to the novelty of the menu to the interactive nature of the dishes themselves.

Dishes that check multiple boxes are especially attractive to modern consumers, as evidenced by the growing popularity of items like hot pot and Korean barbecue. These hearty entrées are established staples in their countries of origins but are beginning to inch into the mainstream in stateside restaurants. Other global dishes, such as paella, shawarma and churrasco, aren’t newcomers per se, but their full potential has yet to be explored in the U.S.

The flavor profiles and presentations may vary, but all of these dishes share a meat-centric core, an interactive/novel dining element and a communal nature, often shared among a group. The following dishes come with both a rich history and an opportunity for menu developers to dig deeper. The aforementioned five have penetrated the U.S. restaurant scene to some degree, but a bonus sixth dish is still on the cusp with the potential to become the next “hot” pot.