In: \u201cChefs popping up in their own spots. We love doing different food and different concepts in our own space. I\u2019d love to support other chefs doing something similar and showcasing their current passions and versatility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Out: \u201cUsing expensive ingredients for expensive sake. We all love our caviar but we see people using caviar and foie and truffles on everything, and it\u2019s a lot harder to just make something simple shine instead of \u2018dressing it up\u2019 with fancy supplements.\u201d Also, \u201ccompetitiveness and overall jealousy in the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eduardo Osorio, chef at Meridian<\/p>\n
In: \u201cI would hope to see more of the industry and guests be open to eating and working with dry-aged fish, not only for sashimi but cooking as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Out: \u201cDining as an individual. Would love to see more family style sharable dinners.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/T5ZJFLU3A5BQPGAOI3KM7FWMOE.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Chef Eduardo Osorio prepares Snake River White Sturgeon in the kitchen at Meridian on Nov. 2, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
Bryan Dunn, owner of Rare Foods<\/p>\n
In: \u201cRestraint. Simplicity will reign supreme and connect with diners.\u201d<\/p>\n
Out: \u201cThe overly complex, labor-intensive and pretentious.\u201d <\/p>\n
Jessie Washington, chef and owner of Brunchaholics<\/p>\n
In: \u201cI hope real food and scratch cooking make a return.\u201d<\/p>\n
Out: Restaurants using \u201cfrozen items with no effort or love for the food, no respect for the customer who is paying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reyna Duong, chef and owner of Chimlanh![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CKXHIXOHNBCCZK3ECYH4XIERUQ.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Chef Reyna Duong owns Chimlanh, a Vietnamese coffee shop in Dallas. Her menu includes coffee, drinks, sandwiches and pastries, some inspired by her culture. <\/p>\n
Christine Vo \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
In: \u201cI\u2019d love to see Michelin expand their visits and research into Garland\/Richardson and South Dallas\/Oak Cliff restaurants … Go beyond the easy layups of only restaurants that are on social media. Pounding the pavement is part of the fun and is necessary when finding local gems. As restaurants are shuttering left and right, it\u2019s even more important now than ever for media companies and organizations such as James Beard Foundation and Michelin to put in the legwork and truly seek out Dallas gems.\u201d <\/p>\n
Out: \u201cI\u2019d like to see unsafe food handling go away. Whether it be a pop-up or brick and mortar. Customers entrust us to do right by them when they spend their hard earned money with us and that starts with food safety … I don\u2019t care how good your food or beverage is, but if I KNOW you don\u2019t wash your hands or don\u2019t prioritize food safety, I won\u2019t patron your business.\u201d <\/p>\n
Leslie Brenner, restaurant consultant<\/p>\n
In: \u201cI think (and hope) that honest cooking from the heart will be in. Also it feels like a moment for Sicilian cooking \u2014 simple, delicious dishes that can certainly come from the heart.”<\/p>\n
Out: \u201cRestaurant groups based in other cities who blow into Dallas and try to dazzle our citizenry with their lavish buildouts, ludicrously expensive menus and obscenely priced dollops of mushy caviar plopped on random dishes.\u201d <\/p>\n
Tanner Agar, owner of Rye, Apothecary and Flamant<\/p>\n
In: \u201cMore Michelin stars for Dallas. And queso at Taco y Vino.\u201d<\/p>\n
Out: \u201cBusiness dinners always happening at steakhouses. There are so many dining experiences in the city; why repeat just one? What better place to celebrate with your team, or woo a client, than a place that\u2019s local, unique, and where the owner will shake their hands at the end?\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Trey](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/P35XBSBFRRANFGDZT2HVB3VDIM.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Trey Hutchins at Hutchins BBQ in McKinney.<\/p>\n
Stewart F. House \/ Special Contributor<\/p>\n
Trey Hutchins, owner of Hutchins BBQ<\/p>\n
In: \u201cI would hope what stays in is that Texas barbecue stays relevant with what traditional Texas barbecue has always been and should continue to be.\u201d <\/p>\n
Out: \u201cFor me, traditional Texas barbecue has gotten way too cheffy and I hope that is out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Do you have thoughts on what you hope is in and out in the restaurant industry in 2026? Email me at cballor@dallasnews.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s that contemplative time of year when we take stock of what we want to bring with us…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":476161,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,52560,27144,36155,1596,7712,990,2105,988,358,1061,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-476160","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-bars-and-cocktails","10":"tag-chefs","11":"tag-coffee-shop","12":"tag-dallas","13":"tag-dallas-fortworth","14":"tag-food","15":"tag-food-and-drink","16":"tag-restaurants","17":"tag-texas","18":"tag-trends","19":"tag-tx","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115794814860381365","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476160\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}