Yelp forecasts food and drink trends for 2024

Today, Yelp released its 2024 Food and Drink Trends Report, full of compelling trends based on the review platform’s engagement from over 33 million users this year.

For its latest food trend predictions, Yelp looked to its team of data scientists, community managers and trend expert Tara Lewis. The platform examined millions of searches for the words, phrases and businesses that saw significant interest between 2022 and 2023 across restaurant, food and nightlife categories.

Below are some of the food and beverage rends Yelp’s experts expect to be big in the coming year.

Caviar Bumps

Caviar has become the latest food trend for consumers seeking little luxuries. Searches for caviar were up 31 percent and in 2024, Yelp expects to see caviar content continue to grow as diners flock to restaurants to sample the delicacy. Many establishments have added caviar bumps to their menus, while grocery stores and gourmet food-industry retailers are reporting an increase in new customers seeking the delicacy.

“Girl Dinner”

While “girl dinner” has previously been associated with eating at home, Yelp predicts next year the girls will head to dinner together for small dishess. Searches for “noshing” are up 140 percent across the country, and some restaurants have even added “girl dinner” menu specials to embrace the trend.

Artful Smoothies

Consumers have flocked to local smoothie bars to try these wildly popular bespoke wellness drinks, designed to maximize the health benefits of plant-based foods. Searches for Erewhon (an upscale supermarket chain in Los Angeles) smoothies were up 178 percent and searches for the Hailey Bieber Smoothie were up 408 percent.

A New Coffee Cocktail

Following in the footsteps of the espresso martini, the new coffee cocktail trend is the carajillo—a spiked two-ingredient coffee drink. This caffeinated alcoholic beverage works for any occasion, whether at brunch, happy hour or enjoyed as a digestif post-dinner. Searches for carajillos were up 118 percent this year.

A New Ramen Trend

Tsukemen, or cold ramen noodles made for dipping in a broth with complex heat, is seeing a resurgence in interest, with restaurants adding it to its menu this year and searches spiking 30 percent. Yelp expects to see the food trend added to more menus as chefs experiment with ramen varieties.