The National Restaurant Association’s 2023 “What’s Hot Culinary Forecast” predicts globally inspired salads will be a top trend this year.

Concept Close-Up: Bai Tong

Bai Tong’s signature salad, Som Tum.In 1989, former Thai Airways flight attendant Chanpen Lapangkura wanted to provide the airline’s crew with authentic Thai food. She opened a restaurant by the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; then, as business grew, she moved the location to a former root beer stand and drive-in by the airport’s northern end. The restaurant, Bai Tong, now has four locations around Seattle. 

A signature dish is som tum (papaya salad).“The main ingredients are Thai chile, papaya, cherry tomatoes, prawns, dried shrimp, crushed peanuts, lime juice and a tamarind juice dressing,” says restaurant partner Tucky Wongpaka.

Equipment that is integral to the salad’s production includes a mortar and pestle that gently crushes the papaya and a slicer for slicing it.

“Every single table tries this salad as it’s unique and our signature,” Wongpaka says.

Bai Tong offers a selection of 10 Thai salads, including the traditional larb, which blends red and green onions, cilantro, chili, lime juice and crushed toasted rice with a choice of chicken, pork or beef. 

New Ingredients in the Mix

A variety of different salad ingredients are seeing growth on menus. Elote shows high growth (346% over 4 years), according to Datassential’s year-end 2022 “MenuTrends,” although overall menu penetration remains low (0.3%). Three notable ingredients showing favorable 12-month growth include marinara (202%), green papaya (36%) and chipotle (34%).

Top Growing Salads

The following chart itemizes the percentage of restaurants with salads on the menu that offer a particular salad (penetration), followed by a look at growth from a 12-month and 4-year perspective. 

Chain Interpretations

Many restaurant chains have globally inspired salads on the menu. Two examples of salads with an international flair include the Falafel Salad at Fresh & Co., made with scallions, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, chickpeas, kale and romaine with lemon tahini dressing and house-made hot sauce; and the Tokyo Supergreens at Just Salad, which includes either tofu or chicken, a supergreens blend, carrots, edamame, avocado, broccoli, chopped almonds and furikake.