| | | | | | | Presented By Upside | | | | Axios What's Next | | By Jennifer A. Kingson, Joann Muller and Alex Fitzpatrick · Dec 16, 2022 | | What's for dinner? If you're going out to eat anytime soon, expect wild new flavor and cuisine combinations, Jennifer reports. - Have you encountered any novel culinary concoctions recently? Let us know at whatsnext@axios.com.
Today's newsletter is 972 words ... 3½ minutes. | | | | | | 1 big thing: The year of "chaos cooking" |  | | | Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios | | | | Dishes that are an aggressive mash-up of global flavors — like sashimi tostadas and tandoori spaghetti — will hit restaurant menus in 2023, a style that's been dubbed "chaos cooking," Jennifer A. Kingson reports. - Those concoctions will live or die depending on how well they play on TikTok, the latest must-use channel for restaurateurs.
Why it matters: With dining out almost back to pre-pandemic levels, people continue to crave novelty in their meals as well as video-friendly foods they can show off to their friends (butter boards, anyone?). - At the same time, restaurants are struggling to manage soaring food prices and ongoing labor shortages amid high demand.
- They're pruning their menus, paring back portions and (sometimes) offering takeout-only during certain hours.
What they're saying: "Dining is back — we've been seeing that," Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, tells Axios. - "We remain bullish about dining even in potentially turbulent times."
Driving the news: A review of year-end restaurant prediction reports reveals many common themes, such as the rise of "eatertainment," new interest in Latin American cuisine and nonalcoholic booze, and the emergence of a jumbled culinary genre called chaos cooking. - Eater describes chaos cooking as "a new, brash food style" that's "part neo-fusion, part middle finger."
What else we'll see in 2023: Mondays are trending as a dining-out night, as they're seen as "an extension of the weekend" in the hybrid work era, Soo says. - Expect more showy tableside experiences beyond the familiar guacamole-prep ritual. Hot spots such as Miller & Lux in San Francisco turn Caesar salad into an artfully choreographed cheese-and-lettuce-slicing event.
- Colombian restaurants are having a moment, as is other Latin and South American fare, as well as Hawaiian cuisine.
- Charcuterie boards, elevated bar snacks and loaded fries — with flavors like ghost pepper and hot honey — are going strong.
The intrigue: There's an arms race to create video-friendly dishes for TikTok, which is rapidly supplanting Instagram and Facebook as the go-to social platform for people deciding where to eat. - "Cheese pulls, sauce drips, drink pours, tableside preparations are all key," Mike Kostyo of Datassential tells FSR Magazine, a food service periodical.
- While search engines remain the #1 way people discover new eateries, TikTok "is becoming the marketing channel that restaurants can't ignore," per BentoBox, a restaurant tech vendor.
What's next: Delish predicts that the biggest trends of 2023 will include tinned fish (!), kelp, dates, plant-based pasta and solo dining. - The National Restaurant Association name-checked flatbread sandwiches, CBD desserts, globally inspired salads and espresso martinis.
- Fine dining, steakhouses and interactive forms of dining — like hibachi and Korean barbecue — are also on various "hot" lists.
The bottom line: "People are craving memorable experiences this holiday season and beyond, and they're willing to pay more for it," says Soo of OpenTable. Share this story. |     | | | | | | 2. College kids get free robotaxi rides |  | | | A driverless Cruise car. Photo courtesy of Cruise | | | | Autonomous vehicle company Cruise is partnering with the University of San Francisco to offer free robotaxi rides to 8,500-plus students there through next May, Axios' Nick Bastone reports. - Cruise says it's the first-ever program providing completely autonomous rides — with no human driver — to college students.
Details: The new service will be available by early 2023 to all students who opt in to the program. - Students taking part can hail a ride from almost anywhere in the city between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.
What's next: If the USF program is a hit, Cruise will consider similar partnerships with other universities. Read the rest. | | | | | | | | 3. Axios Local Power Player: Taylor Anderson |  | | | Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Anderson | | | | As cities speed up their growth, Salt Lake City urbanist Taylor Anderson wants urban drivers to slow down. - An Axios Local Power Player, Anderson has led a push to decrease his city's speed limits to 20 mph for better pedestrian safety.
Why it matters: Anderson, a co-founder of the nonprofit Sweet Streets, wants to promote "people-first" urban planning and push back against the cars-first mentality that defines most American cities. Zoom out: Salt Lake is just one of several American cities capping speeds at 20 mph — Oakland, Denver and others have done the same. Axios Local reporters made Power Player selections based on their own expertise, a reader poll and interviews with influential people. Read all the profiles here. | | | | | | | | A message from Upside | | How to fight inflation with your everyday spending | | |  | | | | The Upside app pays you back a little from each purchase to help offset rising costs. On average, users earn $148 annually. You can get cash back at: - Gas stations.
- Convenience stores.
- Grocery stores.
- Restaurants.
Take back control of your budget and download the free Upside app. | | | | | | 4. White House relaunches free COVID tests |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | The Biden administration has relaunched its free home COVID-19 testing program ahead of a potential wintertime surge, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim reports. - Officials reopened COVIDTests.gov on Thursday. Households can order four free at-home tests.
The big picture: The administration suspended the program in September after distributing more than 600 million tests, in order to ensure there would be enough supply to meet future needs. - Some states and local governments continue to offer free tests, as do some health insurance plans.
Driving the news: COVID cases are rising across the country, driven by new strains capable of evading immune defenses. Read the rest. | | | | | | | | 5. "Mixed reviews" for Taco Bell's alt meats |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | Taco Bell's plant-based meat products have gotten "mixed reviews," and customers shouldn't expect a national rollout, CEO Mark King tells Axios' Nathan Bomey. Why it matters: The plant-based meat industry encountered a series of setbacks in 2022, including inflation, underwhelming restaurant tests and troubles at industry innovator Beyond Meat. What they're saying: The chain is "very committed" to exploring more plant-based items, King says. But "I do think it would work better if it was in areas that are much more open and interested," he adds. - In short, they seem to work best as regional products.
💭 Nathan's thought bubble: It's a particularly challenging time to be selling an imitation product that costs more than the real thing while inflation batters consumers. Yes, but: Meat alternative prices have been falling, and analysts remain optimistic as innovation improves taste and lowers costs. Read the rest. | | | | | | | | A message from Upside | | This app is helping users treat themselves | | |  | | | | Upside is on a mission to make sure that, even during expensive times, people still have a little extra money for a rainy day fund. The free app gets users cash back on: - Gas.
- Groceries.
- Convenience stores.
- Restaurants.
On average, users earn $148 annually. Download the free Upside app to start earning. | | | | Big thanks to What's Next copy editor Amy Stern. Was this email forwarded to you? Get your daily dose of What's Next by signing up here for our free newsletter. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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