NRN.com reports, “Restaurants are offering pork more frequently on their menus, new research from Technomic finds.”
“Over the past year, menu mentions of pork have increased by 7 percent, according to the foodservice consulting group’s MenuMonitor database. The meat is being featured in appetizers, entrees and side dishes. ‘Restaurants are using pork more often in main dishes and as an accompanying ingredient in menu items for various reasons,’ Bernadette Noone, director, Technomic MenuMonitor, said . ‘First, the higher cost of beef has made pork a nice substitute in combo dishes. Where customers were once seeing chicken and beef on the menu, they may now see more affordable chicken and pork dishes. The popularity of bacon is another key factor. For the last few years we’ve seen bacon-related menu items increase by over 7 percent annually.'”
