Winter may be known as a long stretch of cold weather, but the months of December, January, and February are also the perfect time to get cozy and warm up with new seasonal menu items. As temperatures drop, anticipation rises for limited-time offers (LTOs) with comforting flavors and warm, hearty ingredients.

Thirty-two percent of consumers associate the winter with special flavors, according to the market research firm Datassential, and 41% say seasonality is a strong draw when considering new items and LTOs.¹

While consumers expect flavors like eggnog and gingerbread during the winter holidays, it takes some creativity to develop concepts that stand out in the blur of seasonal LTOs. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf chain, for example, brewed up a successful LTO with its Cookie Butter Iced Latte, which Datassential cited as a unique, top-performing menu item.¹

Here are five seasonal ideas to help get your winter menu on a hot streak of sales and customer satisfaction.

1. Unique Ways to Use Citrus

Oranges, lemons, and other citrus fruits are often associated with warmer months, but winter citrus fruits like blood and mandarin oranges, Meyer lemons, and grapefruits present palate-pleasing possibilities for winter menus.

These fruits are great not just for desserts (think: mandarin orange cheesecake). Versatile enough for both sweet and savory dishes, they can add brightness and a twist of flavor to salads and heavier winter meals, including turkey and chicken dishes.

2. Creative Bread Offerings

There are few things more comforting and satisfying than a loaf of fresh bread to enjoy on its own or as part of a meal. Artisan bread varieties with unique flavors and textures, such as sourdough made with ancient grains or breads infused with herbs and spices, can be especially appealing and lend themselves to a variety of culinary applications.

During the winter months, a steaming bowl of soup with a slice or two of homemade bread for dipping can be especially appealing. Or, consider an elevated grilled cheese with all the fixings between two slices of homemade sourdough and served with a hot bowl of soup.

Bread baskets are also a nice complement to a meal. The casual comfort restaurant chain Ellie Bird elevates its bread basket by featuring items like pineapple buns and house-made focaccia with grilled scallion butter.

3. Comfort Food with Global Flair

Bring diverse flavors and textures to winter menus with winter dishes from various cuisines around the world, such as Indian curries, Japanese hot pots, and chicken tagines.

Also consider adding plant-based recipes that combine comfort and global flavor. Bear in mind that customers are gravitating toward the trends of plant-based comfort foods and bold global flavors, as shown at this year’s Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California.²

4. Braising and Slow-Cooked Meals

Braising brings a feast of possibilities to the table when it comes to comforting, hearty dishes that you can serve all winter long. From a braised short rib dinner or pot roast to chicken thighs, lamb shanks, and more, braising combines wet and dry heat to add flavor and make meat extra tender and juicy.

Braising has always been a go-to cooking technique when it comes to creating cohesive winter dishes, but a new protein, oxtail, is gaining popularity, according to a report from Datassential. “A nice seared steak is still a crowd favorite, but many are looking to braise cuts that take a long while to get to tenderness,” reads the report. “Short ribs have been the darling here, but oxtail is starting to have a moment.”

According to a Datassential report from 2020, oxtail penetrated only 2% of U.S. restaurant menus, with 25% of consumers having ever tried it.³ Popular with Black Americans for generations, more restaurants are adding braised oxtail to their offerings.

The Armitage Alehouse in Chicago, Illinois, added an Oxtail and Red Wine Pot Pie with bone marrow and root vegetables to its arsenal of comfort foods. The New York City restaurant Tatiana, by Chef Kwame Onwuachi, introduced a shared plate for two of Braised Oxtail with rice, peas, thumbelina carrot, and chayote squash to high acclaim. In addition, the Blue Ribbon Brasserie in New York is taking its braising technique a step further by creating a condiment in its Beef Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade, which is made with both Port and dry red wine.

Beyond oxtail and beef, restaurants are finding success with braising other proteins. Ted’s Montana Grill—which has locations throughout the U.S.—offers slow-braised Bison Short Ribs with garlic mashed potatoes and buttered carrots. The Plato de Barbacoa (Lamb Barbecue Plate) at Aquis es Texcoco locations in California features meat slow-roasted for more than seven hours in an underground fire pit covered with leaves from the maguey plant.

5. Festive, Nostalgic Desserts and Drinks

Fifty-seven percent of consumers are interested in nostalgic desserts—a percentage that jumps to 62% for Gen Z, who hanker after old-school desserts like Viennetta ice-cream cake, a ’90s hit that returned to U.S. stores in 2021.⁴

During the winter months, desserts featuring seasonal fruits like pears, apples, or cranberries can be big winners. You can also offer comforting treats like bread pudding, warm fruit crisps, or spiced cakes to evoke a sense of nostalgia.

Named “America’s Best New Restaurant” at the 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards, Kann, in Portland, Oregon, has had great success with Baked Haiti, a twist on nostalgic baked Alaska. The recipe includes cinnamon-spiced meringue, star anise, vanilla, and an airy, charred coconut custard studded with lime and covered in meringue. The dessert has become a classic on the restaurant’s winter menu.⁵

The same line of thinking can be applied to holiday-inspired beverages. According to a survey, 90% of Americans say they like to indulge in hot chocolate around the holidays. A close second was tea (78%), followed by apple cider (67%) and eggnog (55%).⁶

For winter menus, as with all seasons, a balanced mix of traditions and taste adventures is a recipe for success.

Content courtesy of Nestle Professional

¹Datassential, Seasonal LTOs Report, 2020

²Good, Kate, “Convenient Comfort, Plant-Forward Protein, and Indulgent Creamers: 6 Trends at Expo West 2024,” Plant-Based Food Association, March 20, 2024

³Datassential, Trend Watch: Oxtail, November 2020

⁴Datassential, FoodBytes: Dessert Decadence, 2023

⁵Datassential, Top 10 Innovative Operators, 2024

⁶Sanders, Linley, “Hot Chocolate Is Americans' Favorite Holiday Beverage,” YouGov, December 22, 2022