Pears have made it to the proliferation stage of the Datassential Menu Adoption Cycle, meaning the fruit now enjoys placement in restaurant formats with wider reach.
Thirteen percent of fine dining restaurants menu pears, as do 8% of casual restaurants, 4% of midscale restaurants, 5% of fast casual restaurants and 2% of quick-service restaurants, according to the latest Fresh Insights for Foodservice report from the United Fresh Produce Association.
The four-year growth trend shows a 7% gain for midscale, a 2% gain for quick-service, a 2% drop for fine dining and casual, and a 20% drop for fast casual.
Over the same span, pears have become more popular on menus in the South and Northeast, which have both seen 9% growth. The prevalence of pears has dipped in the West (-8%) and in the Midwest (-2%). Seven percent of independent restaurants menu pears, along with 5% of regional restaurants, 3% of chains and 1% of food trucks.
United Fresh wrote in the report that pears can be used in dishes for all meal occasions, from breakfast to dessert to drinks.
“Pears are also increasingly common on kids’ menus, as their sweet flavor and soft texture often score well with kids, and they can be used as an accompaniment to apple slices or in fruit salads and sauces,” United Fresh wrote.
Thirteen percent of Italian restaurants menu pears, as do 13% of French restaurants and 10% of American restaurants. Pears are similarly popular in other European restaurants, per the report.