Some of the summer drink trends pouring onto beverage menus this season are fresh, healthy, and delicious. From creative juices flowing from fresh and yummy juice bars to refreshing twists on the timeless iced tea, we love these summer beverage trends!
The Juice Bar. Can prove a risky business venture as juicing programs feature fresh fruit (thatcan turn on a dime) and costly cold press equipment, and the like. But the benefits of offering diners healthy freshness in a bottle often outweighs the risk for those willing to dedicate themselves to devising a streamlined, innovative program that sets them apart.
For example, we recently created a fresh, 100% natural, cold pressed juicing program called Farm Health Juice Cleanse for a client. In fact, it’s known to be the first full-service American restaurant to create a juice cleanse program for guests.
With an innovative recycling program and deliciously fresh, creative juice blends, such as: GREEN DAY (apple, cucumber, romaine, celery, kale, chard), SPICY LEMONADE (grapefruit, lemon, h2o, turmeric, cayenne, farm honey), and BEETS BY J (beet, carrot, pear, pineapple, orange, lemon, ginger), the program has proved a hit with guests and staff alike for mornings on the go, afternoon pick me ups, and those trying to up their healthful game.
Refreshing Twists on Iced Tea. A perennial summer trend, iced tea is taking on refreshing new twists to keep it seasonally appealing. So much so, that according to the Tea Association of the U.S.A Inc., approximately 85% of tea consumed in the U.S. is iced.
Adding fresh, all natural traditional black and lighter green iced tea blends (mixed with fresh juices such as lemon, lime, seasonal berries and sustainable sweeteners like agave & honey) to your beverage menu is a successful way to offer great flavor without all the calories and empty sugars traditionally found in soda, for instance.
We believe in tracking trends, and then finding ways to improve upon them and making them stand out for our clients. So much so that our beverage team recently worked to elevate the iced tea trend and created a Sun Tea program for a client based on an innovative method of naturally brewing tea. We specially designed a sun tea room using natural sunlight and grow light technology on cloudy days. The process involves large mason jars of tea steeped (and showcased for guests to see) on shelves in full-height, North-facing windows of the restaurant.
Whatever your process, make sure you craft a trending program to work within the confines of your brand. Always staying true to your vision, but looking for ways to take ideas to the next level.
*photo courtesy of Founding Farmers Tysons