When it comes to finding new food and flavor concepts, chefs are known to look for inspiration in some unlikely places. For Chef Scott Uehlein, Vice President of Product Innovation and Development at Sonic Drive-In, one of those sources of inspiration is Trend Hunter. In a recent interview with Perishable Pundit, Uehlein explains how he uses Trend Hunter's free database of crowdsourced information to come up with ideas that can be successful on a national scale.
Uehlein goes on to explain that trend watching goes beyond the kitchen and sometimes involves mining for data using online services such as Trend Hunter. He notes that finding these unique ideas serves as a valuable starting point for concepts that will eventually be scaled up. As Uehlein explains, "It’s part art, part science, with a definite process behind it."
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Trend Hunter in Perishable Pundit
Scott Uehlein of Sonic Explains How He Uses Trend Hunter
Trend Themes
1. Food and Flavor Concepts - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore new and unique food and flavor concepts.
2. Crowdsourced Information - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Utilize crowdsourced information to generate innovative ideas.
3. Trend Watching - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Apply trend watching to identify unique and scalable concepts.
Industry Implications
1. Food and Beverage - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporate new food and flavor concepts into the food and beverage industry.
2. Information Technology - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop online services that provide crowdsourced information for various industries.
3. Product Development - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate trend watching into the product development process to generate innovative concepts.