When did a cheeseburger and fries become gourmet gastronomy? Marriott’s annual survey of food trends across categories and cuisines finds 59% of their Asian Pacific guests prefer casual dining experiences over formal ones. As the line between fine dining and fast food blurs, experiential meal options take the blue ribbon.
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The Marriott study found, among many things, that guests are more likely to seek out or order experiences that are both elevated and emotionally resonant. Nostalgia plays a heavy role here, but it’s not the only factor. The growth in popularity of street food, both locally and abroad, tantalizes taste buds for local flavors and down-home Asian charm. To meet that desire, high-end chefs look to upgrade the seemingly blase into a culinary art form.
Fast casual is the new sit-down
Recently, Delta announced it’s expanding its partnership with Shake Shack and Uber to earn SkyMiles while first-class flyers enjoy the popular East Coast burger chain’s hamburgers. Sure, Shake Shack is pricier than Burger King or McDonald’s, but it hasn’t been that long since any form of burger on a bun was frowned upon by the elite.
But the Marriott study found more than a third of their high-end guests now rank burgers as the most popular in-room menu items. Local classics such as nasi goreng, chicken rice, biriyani and Vietnamese pho top the list for 20% of those surveyed.
This blending of everyday indulgence without formality fits well with Asian cuisines. “In Chinese cuisine, there’s long been a blending of high and low, such as dried abalone, a luxurious and expensive dried seafood product, served with goose webs,” explains pastry chef and cookbook author Susan Jung. “In reverse, Cantonese cooks take something that most people consider rubbish … and make it into a luxurious dish.”
Fork Lore founder Simon Wilson agrees. “The future is about accessible luxury, where exceptional, innovative cuisine meets a more relaxed atmosphere,” he explains. “This ‘fine-casual’ sweet spot delivers high quality and creativity without the formality, often with an eye toward visual appeal and shareable, ‘Instagrammable’ experiences that offer great value.”
It’s not lost on analysts that social media takes a role in smoothing the transition to fine casual dining options. But they stress it’s not as much about sharing online as it is about sharing experiences with loved ones.
Banking memories rather than gold
There’s no shortage of studies indicating that millennials and even more so Gen Z and Alpha value the experience and subsequent remembrances over physical mementos. Blame it on minimalism mixed with an insistence on living in the now. The feeling is so strong; it’s even bled over culturally to many baby boomers who want to spend their children’s inheritance long before they draw up a will.
Among the Marriott staff polled in the Asian Pacific market, 52% emphasized diners’ desires for experience-based concepts, including theme nights or live entertainment. But not all experiences are created equal. Another 48% report guests want more interactive dining experiences than last year. Marriott leans into the trend, seeing it as an opportunity to allow their chefs to showcase the more relaxed and playful side of their culinary creativity.
Hotels and restaurants aren’t the only ones investing in food-centric experiences. In both the fashion and retail worlds, the addition of taste and smell is being embraced as a way to attract more customers by engaging all their senses. For example, Egyptian artist Laila Gohar, known for using food as her artistic medium, is now being hired to create extravagantly edible installations for luxury brands and fashion events.
“Food, like fashion, evokes memory, place, and emotion,” explains Yoko Ooka, director of lifestyle and hospitality at Louis Vuitton, Japan. “It offers us a way to express the Maison’s savoir-faire beyond objects, through carefully curated experiences that engage all five senses. These collaborations offer guests not just a meal, but a moment: where creativity, storytelling, and culture converge.”
Telling the stories
“Guests today are seeking a story, a cultural connection, and a sense of place,” adds Neeraj Rawoot, director of culinary at JW Marriott Bengaluru Prestige Golfshire Resort and Spa in India. “There is a strong sense of nostalgia and pride attached to local food, and it often sparks deeper conversations about heritage, sustainability, and authenticity.”
Often, the best way for people to immerse themselves in the authentic experience of a place is to inhabit the local flavors, literally tasting the history and mythology. In the past, native ingredients were a novelty, treated as trendy additions or exotic garnishes. But in 2026, expect the so-called third wave of chefs to move even further beyond a superficial approach, instead making local ingredients and indigenous dishes the stars of the show.
These culinary artists draw on the traditions of the past, combining them with their training at Michelin-starred restaurants. This true fusion uses technology and modern preparation methods not to replace their grandparents’ way of cooking, but to enhance and even resurrect forgotten spices and tastes.
More than half of the employees at Asian Pacific Marriott properties say guests choose more local Asian cuisine and dishes than in previous years. It doesn’t hurt that street vendors, both overseas and increasingly on American shores, are adding their personal touches to traditional wares, leveling them up to appeal to more visitors.
Substitute staples and artisanal everything
Rice, long the staple of Asian culture and foods, to the point of becoming a stereotype, may be disappearing as we rapidly approach a global rice crisis. In the West, quinoa has become a go-to substitute. It’s gluten free, higher in fiber and protein and a great source of essential minerals. In the Asian Pacific regions, new alternatives appear. Adlai, an ancient Filipino grain, and Konjac or shirataki rice are becoming more popular as a replacement for paddy-grown rice.
Increasingly, fermentation transitions from a novelty to an essential. It’s not just miso, although that’s more popular than ever, but a bounty of other umami flavor bombs: sawsawans, rempahs and sambals. Additionally, a variety of artisanal vinegars, some made from the sap of tropical trees, are expected to explode as foodies seek more interesting marinades and dipping sauces.
Artisanal salts are more popular and diversified than ever, from new varieties of sea salt to plant-based salts. Nipah, or nypa palm salt, works like sugar cane, except the more you harvest, the more it grows, bringing flavor and sustainability to the dinner table.
Stir the pot
As 2026 approaches, the rise of casual, comfort-driven eating blurs the lines between fine dining and everyday indulgence, as guests seek experiences that are both elevated and emotionally resonant. Local flavors and dishes already play a role, but expect them to become even more popular as they inspire the latest chefs in the Asian Pacific world to experiment and find more depth and enjoyment for diners.
Karen Kelly is a nationally syndicated freelance food and travel writer and the founder of Seasonal Cravings. She is a regular contributor to MSN, Yahoo and the Associated Press.