Understanding the fundamental building blocks behind food and menu trends can help restaurant operators and owners optimize these trends. A renewed focus on the consumer can carry one further than obsessing over the most recent trends. Many trends prove to be only fads or to only have regional appeal. Longer-term trends and those that can be monetized provide for a greater ROI. When restaurateurs understand the motivations and context surrounding food and menu trends, they're able to focus on how this information can be applied to their menu and their restaurant. This presentation is a RickZambrano.com presentation - the third in the 2015 Year of the Indie Restaurateur series.