These tear-able shareables are heating up menus nationwide
Tear-Able, Shareable Breads Are Heating Up Menus Nationwide
Spurred by viral cheese-pull videos and Korean bakery trends like salt bread (shio pan), garlic cream cheese bread and milk bread, chefs and operators are experimenting with new ways to menu cheesy, tear-able breads.
Shareable appetizers and Instagram-able bar snacks remain a smart strategy for driving check averages and encouraging group ordering, especially as consumers continue craving indulgent comfort foods and snackable formats. Here are a few low-lift ways you can get in on the trend.
Cheesy Garlic Bread
Loaded with mozzarella, butter and garlic, cheesy garlic bread continues evolving beyond the standard basket. Technomic reported that restaurant limited-time offers (LTOs) have increased 53% over the past four years, with craveable comfort carbs and globally inspired breads helping drive menu innovation. When Ruby Tuesday debuted a garlic cheesy bread appetizer, featuring toasted garlic bread topped with melted cheeses and baked until golden, Technomic found that 62% of consumers said they would be very likely to order it. Meanwhile, Datassential found that 69% of consumers eat an indulgent treat weekly or more often, which could support continued demand for buttery, cheesy pull-apart breads.
Garlic Knots and Pizza Knots
From cheesy garlic knots drizzled with hot honey to stuffed pizza knots built for dipping, operators are reworking classic pizzeria sides into craveable shareables. Garlic knots and pizza knots tap into two powerful trends at once: upgraded comfort carbs and pizza-inspired snacking. Operators can easily execute the concept using house dough or pre-made dough products.
Monkey Bread and Other Tear-able Breads
Classic monkey bread – with pull-apart pieces brushed with garlic butter, flaky salt or sweet-savory seasonings and served in cast iron for tearing apart tableside – continues inspiring new menu riffs. Hawaiian breads and milk breads, prized for their soft, tear-able texture and versatility, are also gaining traction. Datassential recently reported menu growth of 10.9% for Hawaiian buns and 7.8% for milk buns, as operators experiment with globally inspired bread formats and snackable carbs.
Cheese Bombs
Classic mozzarella sticks will always deliver a strong cheese pull, but operators are also experimenting with stuffed breads and cream cheese-filled applications inspired by Korean bakery trends. Think warm cream cheese bombs, stuffed dough balls and savory cheese-filled breads designed for dipping, sharing and social media-worthy pulls.
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