An overview of the atmosphere during “Sonic Desert” presented by Coca-Cola Spiced and Topo Chico in partnership with BPM Music on April 13, 2024 in Telmore, California.
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This year’s hottest food and drink trends aren’t just spicy, they’re sweet too.
“Swicy” (a portmanteau of sweet and spicy) has taken over restaurant marketing. While the term doesn’t actually appear on menus, the abbreviation has become a popular way to describe the resurgence of sweet and spicy food and drinks. The Food Research Institute even calls it “ “Swesey’s Summer” This year.
According to data from market research firm Datassential, nearly 10% of restaurant menus feature “sweet and spicy” items, an increase of 1.8% over the past 12 months. Its menu penetration is expected to grow by 9.6% over the next four years.
Many restaurant chains have embraced the trend, from Shake Shack’s trendy menu to Burger King’s Fiery Strawberry & Sprite to Starbucks Spicy Lemonade Refresher. Common menu items are served with fruit flavors and chili powder, or with sauces like hot honey and gochujang (a popular Korean condiment based on red chili pepper paste).
Starbucks Spicy Lemonade Refreshing Drink.
Courtesy: Starbucks
Although most of the items on the menu are only available for a limited time, culinary experts believe this trendy trend has staying power.
Today, buzzy, trendy menu items are even more important to restaurants, which rely on discounts and innovation to attract diners and reverse declining sales. U.S. restaurant traffic fell 3.6% in August, the industry’s second-worst monthly performance of the year since January, according to Black Box Intelligence. Limited-time menus are particularly attractive to Gen Z customers, a key demographic as they make up about one-fifth of Americans.
The story of “Sixixi”
While the trendy concoction may be new, the flavor pairing has been around for decades, says trendologist Kara Nielsen. One factor that may change over time is the spice content.
“I’m sure food is more popular now than it was 20 years ago,” Nelson said.
She remembers Jeffrey Saad, who opened a fast-casual Mexican restaurant called Sweet Heat in San Francisco in 1993 before becoming a celebrity chef and Food Network star.
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According to Nielsen, the second wave of the sweet-hot trend began around 2010, when Mike’s Hot Honey took off. Korean cuisine, especially sweet and spicy chili sauce, is also becoming increasingly popular, which helps attract more people to try this flavor combination.
The pandemic has also caused more consumers to return to classic comfort foods: burgers, fried chicken sandwiches and pizza. But the craving for familiar favorites has faded, and now diners are once again seeking novelty — or at least a change.
“Four years in, we’re moving away from that and adding more spicy flavors,” Nelson said.
Experts in McCormick first pointed out its re-emerging trend 2022 Flavor Forecast Reportsaid Hadar Cohen Aviram, executive chef for the spices and condiments company’s U.S. consumer division.
McCormick emphasizes “sweetening,” where sweetness acts as a flavor enhancer rather than the protagonist. Forecasters even considered naming the trend “swicy” in the report, but ultimately settled on “plus sweet” because of its broader reach, she said.
The next year, McCormick, which owns Frank’s RedHot and Cholula, announced “Beyond Heat,” which uses other flavors to bring out more flavor besides spiciness.
“We’re seeing a lot of different people wanting to add some heat to their plates, but they really want to make sure there’s something for everyone,” Cohen Aviram said.
General Zwesi?
One reason why so many U.S. consumers seek spicy foods and beverages? Increase variety.
“The reason why sweet or spicy flavors persist is because it is an important part of traditional global cuisines such as Mexico, Thailand, Korea, etc., and many people of those ancestry and traditions are familiar with it. Then it was introduced and repackaged, ” Nielsen said.
For example, shake cabin John Karangis, the company’s executive chef and vice president of culinary innovation, said the culinary team was inspired to create Korean-inspired dishes for the limited-time menu.
One menu item is a Korean fried chicken sandwich slathered in sweet and spicy chili sauce. After launching the limited-time menu, Shake Shack’s marketing team compared the chicken sandwich to a Korean BBQ burger, which tasted salty and delicious. It tells customers to choose a side: Team Agile or Team Umami.
This fashion trend also appeals to Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012.
“We have a new generation, Generation Z, who are very excited about complex flavor profiles, but you can only taste so much: sweet, salty, bitter, umami,” Nelson said.
Here’s an example of this generation’s heat-seeking behavior: More than half of Gen Z consumers consider themselves “hot sauce connoisseurs,” according to a survey conducted by NCSolutions.
McCormick’s Cohen Aviram says getting the perfect proportions can be difficult for swicy because it’s so personal.
Feedback from Shake Shack customers reflects this.
“Certainly, we’ve heard a lot of great feedback from our guests, and we’ve heard other feedback as well, like, ‘Hey, you could step it up a little bit,'” Karanjis said.
Cohen Aviram prefers 40 percent sweet and 60 percent spicy when making refreshing concoctions, such as Frank’s RedHot ice cream bars.
“If something sweet hijacks your palate, then if you use too much, you won’t feel the nuances,” she says.
when burger king The Fiery menu was released this summer and ranked dishes according to spiciness. One of them – meaning the least spicy – is its Fiery Strawberry and Sprite drink. Burger King North America chief marketing officer Pat O’Toole said the funky menu was inspired by another trend: “dirty sodas,” a combination of soda water, creamer and syrup that originated in Utah.
The drink marks Burger King’s first twist on the classic fountain drink, but the company previously introduced a Frozen Fanta Kicks Mango with a similarly icy flavor.
“Guests can easily and conveniently try ‘swicy’ drinks and increase the spice ratio with other food items if they wish,” O’Toole said, adding that the chain has seen its focus groups react to Sprite’s spiciness .
Of course, not all swicy profiles resonate with customers. For example, Coca Cola In September, its spiced cola was discontinued after just six months on shelves, after the company initially intended to make it a permanent product.
But despite a few missteps, the stylish duo is likely here to stay — at least for a while.
“Those flavors are definitely here to stay. I think the name is going to be annoying…it’s probably a few years off,” Nelson said.
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