I'm glad someone finally brought up the Asian segment on this blog. Sarku Japan looks like an interesting concept, and, especially in this economy, it's always impressive to see a brand grow.
But I have to be honest, I'm not surprised to hear that the chain is taking off. While the Asian segment has been "hot" before (I feel like almost every major chain had an Asian Chicken Salad about five years ago), the segment's new popularity is a bit different this time around.
This time chains aren't stopping at won tons atop a bed of iceberg lettuce. The Asian menu inspirations today seem to be much more exotic. There are Thai influences and Vietnamese dishes popping up on menus that normally used a side dish of eggrolls to fill their Asian-menu-items quota.
If I were a betting woman, I'd put money on the trend continuing. No longer will "Asian" be short for Japanese or Chinese. I'm confident the segment will grow increasingly diverse as influences from other Asian regions (like India) begin to enhance the segment.
The evolution only seems natural, really. Today's generation of young diners aren't afraid of sushi; they've grown up with it being a fast food staple all their lives. It seems appropriate that diners would begin to search for the next exotic segment. And with U.K. consumers already having discovered what Indian cuisine has to offer, I wouldn't be surprised if curry started popping up on more menus across the country.
To prove my point, below are a list of key trends in the "Asian/Noodle Cluster" for this year from Technomic. The overarching theme? Diversity.
*Southeast Asian cuisines go mainstream
*Korean catching on
*Asian-style chicken wings
*Edamame
*Expansion of the sushi menu
But I have to be honest, I'm not surprised to hear that the chain is taking off. While the Asian segment has been "hot" before (I feel like almost every major chain had an Asian Chicken Salad about five years ago), the segment's new popularity is a bit different this time around.
This time chains aren't stopping at won tons atop a bed of iceberg lettuce. The Asian menu inspirations today seem to be much more exotic. There are Thai influences and Vietnamese dishes popping up on menus that normally used a side dish of eggrolls to fill their Asian-menu-items quota.
If I were a betting woman, I'd put money on the trend continuing. No longer will "Asian" be short for Japanese or Chinese. I'm confident the segment will grow increasingly diverse as influences from other Asian regions (like India) begin to enhance the segment.
The evolution only seems natural, really. Today's generation of young diners aren't afraid of sushi; they've grown up with it being a fast food staple all their lives. It seems appropriate that diners would begin to search for the next exotic segment. And with U.K. consumers already having discovered what Indian cuisine has to offer, I wouldn't be surprised if curry started popping up on more menus across the country.
To prove my point, below are a list of key trends in the "Asian/Noodle Cluster" for this year from Technomic. The overarching theme? Diversity.
*Southeast Asian cuisines go mainstream
*Korean catching on
*Asian-style chicken wings
*Edamame
*Expansion of the sushi menu
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