Demand drives up the veggie options at U.S. restaurants

LongHorn Steak House went decades without serving so much as one Brussels sprout. Nor, for that matter, a slice of butternut squash.

But this year, its new Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin has emerged as its most popular side dish. In January, when it plans to roll out butternut squash risotto, "I guarantee you we'll be the largest seller of butternut squash in the country," boasts executive chef Kurt Hankins.

Huh? A 32-year-old steakhouse chain becoming a paragon of vegetables?

In fact, it has little choice. Americans are eating — make that, demanding — fresh veggies at the one place no one expected them to: the restaurant. Gone are the days when meat 'n' potatoes basked in all the menu glory and an indistinguishable medley of peas, carrots and green beans were pushed to the wee corner of the plate. When Americans go out to eat — when most folks prefer to splurge — they're increasingly splurging with vegetables.

So much so that vegetable offerings on restaurant menus nationally have jumped 11% over the past three years, reports Technomic, the restaurant research specialist. Chief among them is kale, the leafy, dark-green vegetable that has seen a remarkable 400% increase in appearance on restaurant menus over the past five years. About 67% of Americans says a vegetarian meal can be just as satisfying as a non-veggie version, Technomic reports.

Credit a new generation of eaters — 80 million Millennials with a combined spending power of $1.3 trillion annually — who garner a big hunk of their social media cred by what they eat and what they post about what they eat. Credit the Food Network, which constantly reminds cable viewers that vegetables are no longer second-class citizens. Credit hundreds of farmers markets and locally grown sections at grocery stores that drumbeat the same message. And credit Michelle Obama, for planting a high-profile vegetable garden right smack on the White House lawn.

"Culturally, vegetable dishes are becoming the new normal," says Cat Cora, the celebrity chef and owner of seven restaurants, including one at which she tends a vegetable garden. "Vegetables are moving to the middle of the plate."

But it's no longer just celebrity chefs like Cora or Wolfgang Puck driving the trend. Mainstream chains — the ones that serve the typical American consumer — are giving vegetables serious creative reinvention. "They're leaving culinary fingerprints all over these dishes," says Nancy Kruse, a top culinary consultant.

Like the Brussels + Bacon Pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. Like a Warm Asparagus Salad at Cheesecake Factory and Parmesan Roasted Asparagus with balsamic glaze at Olive Garden. Like Grilled Artichoke Sirloin — with grilled artichokes, roasted tomatoes, onions and zucchini — that Applebee's is testing for launch in the spring.

"No longer reserved for the perimeter, vegetables are featured more often in center-of-the-plate arrangements," says Kimberly Perman, director at Technomic, the restaurant research specialist. "They are stealing the spotlight."

So it's no surprise that Cheesecake Factory recently added a Fresh Kale Salad. And while Olive Garden's most popular soup, Zuppa Toscana, has featured kale for years, it's only now that the chain plans to shine the spotlight on that superfood by updating its menu to actually list kale — by name — as a key ingredient in the soup.

'WHAT'S THE GAIN?'

About nine in 10 consumers say that menus containing a full serving of vegetables are more healthful, reports Technomic. But that's not always the case, warns Hope Warshaw, a registered dietitian and author of Guide to Healthy Restaurant Eating. She's no fan of what LongHorn is doing with Brussels sprouts, and what it soon will be doing with butternut squash.

"Vegetables that are slathered, smothered and buttered come loaded with calories, so what's the gain?" she asks. Instead, she advises: "Eat your vegetables pristine."

Even so, the veggie fan club is a rapidly growing one, whether the vegetables are pristine or not. Parents, too, are driving this trend.

At Applebee's, 80% of kids' meals were served with fries just a handful of years ago. Now, more than 40% are served with veggies, and that number keeps growing. McDonald's has plans to keep boosting the veggie offerings in its Happy Meals. "We want to have kids consume more fruits and vegetables around the world — and we want to make access easier," says McDonald's CEO Don Thompson.

Even Applebee's has gone so far as to stop pushing vegetables to a corner of the plate on some of its top-selling entrees. Earlier this year, it rolled out Blackened Sirloin & Garlicky Green Beans, which totally changed the way it puts food on the plate. Instead of putting the meat, potatoes and veggies next to each other — with the meat in the middle — this particular dish literally piles the three items on top of one another. At the bottom are the potatoes in pesto sauce; followed by steak on top; with the green beans layered atop the steak.

"You eat it simultaneously," says Mike Archer, president at Applebee's, who notes it's one of the most popular entrees. "This was like a fastball down the middle for us."

Olive Garden may be taking veggie infatuation even one step further. In February, it will roll out a veggie-based pasta that's flavored with spinach and tomato. And the sauce on top of it is made of five veggies, including squash, zucchini and scallions.

"The palate is changing," says Jim Nuetzi, executive chef at Olive Garden. "Non-vegetarians want to eat more vegetables."

Much of this is about keeping Millennials happy. They get much of their peer credibility — both online and off — from eating the right stuff, then sharing the experience via social media. And vegetables, everyone knows, can look super colorful — and super cool — in shared photos, says Donald Moore, chief culinary officer at The Cheesecake Factory. "What's beautiful to the eye can be beautiful to the stomach," he says.

Few know this better than Naomi Schoenfeld, a 25-year-old public relations professional who lives and works in Manhattan.

"In college, there were days when I didn't have a single piece of produce unless it was in some processed food I was eating," she says. Now — just a few years later — "it's changed dramatically," she says. She's not a vegetarian at all, but she sometimes chooses vegetarian meals, she says. When she goes to California Pizza Kitchen, she notes, instead of a pizza loaded with meat toppings, she'll often favor an asparagus and arugula salad.

The top chef at California Pizza Kitchen takes this trend seriously. Earlier this year, the chain that's famous for its pizzas and pastas added a dish dubbed Shrimp Scampi Zucchini Fettuccine that's made with 80% zucchini ribbons and just 20% pasta. It's already rocketed to become one of the top-selling items on its so-called Lite Adventures menu.

Late last year, it rolled out its pizza topped with Brussels sprouts and bacon. "It was the first time we served anything made with Brussels sprouts on our menu," says Brian Sullivan, senior vice president of culinary development. It's seasonable, but sold well enough that it will be returning to the menu, again, early next year, he says.

The best-selling flatbread at California Pizza Kitchen has no meat of any kind on it, says Sullivan, but is a new offering topped with wild mushrooms and spinach.

Now, when California Pizza Kitchen develops new items for menu, the vegetable or fruit component has got to be 50% of the actual recipe itself, Sullivan says. In the past, it was less than 20%, he says. Salads now account for about 30% of the chain's business vs. 10% two decades ago, he says.

DISHES WHERE VEGGIES RULE

The Cheesecake Factory appears to have taken the concept even further. In many cases, says Moore, it starts with the vegetables — not the meat — and builds a meal around them. "That's what many chefs do today," Moore says.

He's now looking at some future Cheesecake Factory meals built around kale, brocholini and even rainbow carrots.

At most restaurants, Schoenfeld says, "waiters are much more prepared to answer my questions about fresh, local produce without having to go back and ask the chef."

When Michael Dinh Truong goes out to eat, there's also a more practical purpose for eating more veggies: They help him to perform better.

Truong is an Army recruiter in the Dallas area. Before required physical fitness testing, he says, he likes to load up at a nearby Olive Garden restaurant — particularly on the fresh vegetables. "I tried the asparagus and it gave me a boost," Truong says.

Olive Garden recently tested out a new "small plate" menu of items for folks who don't necessarily want a full entree. The top-selling small plate wasn't Grilled Chicken Spiedini (marinated chicken on a skewer), or its Chicken Meatballs. Nope, it was Parmesan Roasted Asparagus with balsamic glaze. So popular, in fact, it will roll out as a permanent menu item on Dec. 2.

"You might think Olive Garden guests would go for the chicken dishes," says Jim Nuetzi, executive chef. "But they went for the asparagus."

What's next?

Kruse, the food trends guru, says she's seeing it already: veggies at breakfast.