Summer menus are heating up, and not just in kitchens. Passionate online conversations about food spike every summer, but this year, we’re seeing distinct shifts in how consumers talk, share, and select their meals. We analyzed thousands of social posts, reviews, and influencer conversations to uncover the top trends shaping summer menus, behaviors, and expectations.
From rising health priorities to increasing frustration with dining quality, here’s what the data reveals about today’s food landscape.
As seen in the network map below, each conversation is visualized based on volume and proximity of related themes:
This network map visualizes the major clusters of summer 2025 food conversations. Topping the list we see the “Health Benefits of Plant-Based Proteins.” It outpaces even concerns about brunch and dining quality.
Consumers are prioritizing functionality and wellness in their meals, with a major focus on protein-rich, plant-based options. But just behind this leader are clear concerns around Inconsistent Dining Quality, followed closely by perennial favorites like Brunch Reviews and Global Culinary Insights.
Menus today aren’t judged just by what’s served, but by how it performs nutritionally and experientially.
We can see this shift clearly when examining the most frequently mentioned terms over the past three years.
From 2023 to 2025, conversation has moved from broad health terms to functional, food-specific language. In 2023, terms like “healthy” and “provide protein” were dominant. By 2024, kale salads and avocado toast overtook general wellness language, and in 2025, the conversation has become even more targeted:
Consumers are no longer speaking abstractly about “healthy” meals. They are increasingly specifying exact foods and expectations. Items like kale salads and avocado toast aren’t niche offerings anymore; they’re baseline menu requirements consumers expect brands to deliver well.
We can see this shift play out not only in language but in emotional sentiment and behavioral expectations.
Consumers are expressing stronger positive sentiment around health-focused categories like superfoods, snack foods, and food preparation itself. But notice the outliers above: Food Prep and Product Quality sentiment have declined steadily since 2023.
There has been an industry-wide push toward healthy offerings, but consumers are reporting disappointment in execution. The reasons include inconsistent experiences, portion issues, and lack of freshness.
This disconnect highlights that nutrition-forward menus aren’t enough. Quality delivery matters just as much.
The most popular hashtags right now reinforce the health-first narrative.
Leading the conversation, we see #plantbased, #healthyeating, #nutrition, #mealprep, and #healthyrecipes.
Consumers are publicly framing their meals as functional lifestyle choices, whether cooking at home or dining out. This isn’t performative wellness; it’s an expectation that meals contribute to broader health goals.
For brands, that means messaging around nutrient density, gut health, and plant-based benefits isn’t niche—it’s the standard conversation.
And this standard extends beyond ingredients.
Dining Quality Expectations & Influencer Conversations
Inconsistent execution is now a reputational risk.
Coming in as the second-largest cluster, Inconsistent Dining Quality (7.8%) highlights a critical concern: customers are vocal when dining experiences fail to meet expectations. And, closely related, at 6.5% we see Service & Ambience reviews as a crucial part of the food conversation.
Consumers aren’t distinguishing between what’s on the plate and where (or how) it’s served. Poor service, underwhelming plating, or awkward seating arrangements are now as likely to drive negative reviews as bland food and tiny portions.
And when diners share, they share everywhere—TikTok, Twitter, Reddit, and review platforms capture each inconsistency in real-time.
Consumer reviews and news stories dominate today’s food conversations, accounting for nearly half of all online discussions. Specifically, 24.8% of mentions come directly from consumer reviews, while 23.5% are driven by news media coverage. This means formal feedback channels—not influencer content or casual social chatter—are shaping brand reputations most powerfully.
Yet social platforms remain essential. YouTube, Reddit, and Twitter serve as key spaces for recipe discovery, real-time meal reactions, and peer-to-peer recommendations.
Review platforms like OpenTable play a pivotal role at the decision-making stage, with diners using these platforms to book reservations and validate their choices based on recent reviews. In effect, each dining experience now fuels the next customer's decision.
Brunch in particular faces these high standards.
Ranked third in the conversation map at 7.6%, Brunch is no longer simply a meal—it’s an event. Venues that prioritize visual appeal, creative plating, and atmospheric dining spaces are winning not just customers, but content creators and influencers who amplify their reach.
Global tastes are rising in parallel.
Global Culinary Insights signal that consumers aren’t content with local fare alone. Conversations about international menus and travel-inspired meals reveal that consumers expect global authenticity, not fusion experiments or simplified adaptations. Brands with genuine global offerings or well-executed international influences are well-positioned to attract this curious, experience-driven audience.
There are several smaller but important trends shaping consumer expectations.
Discussions around dining diversity and vegetarian choices (6.2%) show the importance of inclusive offerings. Consumers celebrate menus that cater to varied needs.
And sushi dining (4.9%) generates its own, smaller but dedicated, conversation stream. It signals precision, quality, and craftsmanship. For brands, engaging in specialty categories like sushi isn’t about volume; it’s about distinction. Executing niche offerings well gives brands the opportunity to carve out influence and customer loyalty.
Ultimately, no trend supersedes the fundamentals. Quality and variety, accounting for 4.2% of discussions, remain core expectations. Regardless of whether a menu emphasizes health, innovation, or global flavors, consumers still prioritize fundamental aspects: portion size, flavor, freshness, and overall satisfaction.
Women are driving the food conversation in 2025. They account for 64% of all food-related posts, while men represent just 36% of the conversation.
This overrepresentation isn’t random—it reflects the priorities of a demographic that balances health consciousness, social sharing, and lifestyle integration.
Most of these women fall within the 25–44 age range, blending millennial and older Gen Z voices.
These consumers are wellness-focused, socially connected, and prioritize meals not just as nutrition, but as a lifestyle marker. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate values, showcase experiences, and connect with peers.
When we examine food conversation trends by gender, the pattern holds:
Across nearly every major cluster, women lead the discussion:
Notably, even traditionally niche topics like Sushi Dining Reviews, Global Culinary Insights, and Health Benefits of Plant-Based Proteins skew female. This reinforces that women both lead these conversations and shape the agenda.
In terms of broader interests, food conversations tie directly to adjacent lifestyle themes:
And when are these conversations most intense? Summer.
From May through July, food conversations spike annually. They also spike a bit during holidays, but the warmer months drive consumers outdoors, into restaurants, and onto social platforms where meals become moments shared with friends and followers.
To succeed in today’s food landscape, brands need to recognize not just how consumers talk about food, but where those conversations happen and who’s already capturing attention.
Looking at which companies appear most often in current food conversations reveals a mix of restaurant brands, social platforms, and content creators shaping the narrative:
And crucially, food conversations are accelerating. As seen in the engagement timeline, consumer interactions around food have surged dramatically in 2025. Conversations that once spiked seasonally are now climbing steadily month after month.
In short, this isn’t just a trend, it’s a growth trajectory.
Ready to map your market and discover what your customers are hungry for?
Contact Quid to help you turn conversation data into actionable insights, so your brand can lead, not follow.