Americans are embracing global cuisines on restaurant menus

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) has issued new research that finds a wider variety of ethn…

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) has issued new research that finds a wider variety of ethnic cuisines are increasingly becoming part of everyday American diets. The NRA’s “Global Palates: Ethnic Cuisines and Flavors in America” study found that Italian, Mexican, and Chinese cuisines reign supreme in terms of familiarity, trial, and frequency of eating, while consumers are least familiar with Ethiopian, Brazilian/Argentinian, and Korean cuisines.

“Ethnic cuisines are a long-term trend on restaurant menus, with some being so common that they’re hardly considered ethnic anymore, while others are still relatively unknown. However, our research shows that consumers are exploring a range of international dishes these days,” said Annika Stensson, director of research communications, NRA.

The survey finds that two-thirds of consumers say they’re eating a wider variety of ethnic cuisines now than they were just five years ago. Restaurants are the primary point of access for trying new cuisines, as well as the source where frequent eaters typically get their ethnic food, the research found.

In addition, the survey shows that American consumers place value on authentic experiences and restaurants specializing in individual cuisines, but are nearly equally as open to ethnic dishes on mainstream menus. In fact, 80% of consumers eat at least one ethnic cuisine per month, and 17% eat seven or more cuisines on a monthly basis. The cuisines most commonly eaten on-premises at restaurants are sushi, Thai, Vietnamese, Brazilian/Argentinian, Greek, and Southeast Asian. On the restaurant takeout and delivery side, Chinese is by far the most common, followed by Ethiopian, Mexican, and Italian.