Pumped-up preparation

Where there’s smoke, there are sales. “Smoking suggests expertise, flavor, a level of professionalism,” Kruse said, pointing to several examples at top quick-service chains, including Chick-fil-A’s Smokehouse BBQ Bacon sandwich and KFC’s Smoky Mountain BBQ Chicken.

Bar menus are on fire, too, she added, citing TGI Fridays’ Flaming Old Fashioned cocktail, topped with a scorching sugar cube.

Restaurant operators also may consider unexpected sauces, Kruse said, suggesting a slather of trendy Alabama white barbecue sauce for a tangy twist on traditional chicken wings.

What’s ahead? Expect a growing focus on global and regional barbecue, Kruse said.

Vibrant vegetables

Following the crazes of kale and cauliflower comes “the great carrot revival,” Kruse said. Roasted carrots are rising on menus, up 124 percent in the past four years, according to Datassential. This versatile vegetable lends itself to a number of dishes, serving as a stand-in for steak at a Detroit eatery. Across the country, foodservice outlets offer such items as ravioli with a carrot-ricotta filling, street tacos topped with barbecued carrots, and salads dressed in a carrot vinaigrette. A vegan deli in New York features a bagel topped with spice-rubbed, cold-smoked carrots as a substitute for lox.

Restaurant operators may look to campus dining halls for inspiration, Kruse said.

“Campus dining far and away leads in terms of creative use of vegetables, and the reason for that is as a percent of population, the greatest number of vegetarians in this country live on college campuses,” she said.