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Croutons, reimagined. How Croutons are Showing Up Everywhere

Croutons are “crossing over” beyond salads

Into wraps, sandwiches, bowls, and mac & cheese as a simple, high-impact crunch upgrade.

Croutons are still a caesar salad Signature

But operators are using croutons as a low-lift way to add crunch across menu parts (think: finish, topping, mix-in, or crunch layer).

Mac & Cheese

Extra cheesy corkscrew pasta in cheese sauce topped with crushed croutons.

Friendly’s | February 2024

Ham & Swiss Pizza

Extra cheesy corkscrew pasta in a Smoked pork loin, dijon, sweet caramelized onions, Swiss and fresh Mozzarella cheeses. Topped with smashed croutons and Parmesan.

California Pizza Kitchen | April 2024

Spicy Chicken Caesar Wrap

Grilled chicken (ABF) with spicy chipotle caesar, parmesan, garlic croutons, pickled jalapeño, basil and romaine rolled into a 7-grain wrap.

Pret A Manger | April 2024

Grilled Chicken Caesar Bowl

Antibiotic-free grilled chicken, multigrain croutons, parmesan, creamy caesar.

BurgerFi | Oct 2024

Wraps, sandwiches, and bowls are rapidly growing menu favorites

Which makes their adoption of croutons even more meaningful. As these formats rise, they create a bigger playground for croutons to show up in new ways.

Most Menued Croutons DIshes

Croutons are shifting from salad garnish to a texture tool.

More than a third of consumers eager to explore new textures
and many already doing so, there is notable whitespace for croutons to break out of salads and show up in formats that match the dish.
Crushed, seasoned, or even specialty-cut croutons
can bring the crunch consumers crave to soups, bowls, wraps, and comfort builds that benefit from added texture.

Menus are getting playful… dust, crunch, crumble, or full-on bites.

The “Crouton Playbook”: Four formats to unlock new crouton usage

Cubes (classic)

Salads, soup toppers, bowls

Crumbles

Mac & cheese, baked pastas, casseroles, loaded fries

Dust (fine)

Sandwich/wrap flavor layer, “umami crunch” finishing

Smashed/pressed

Pizza topper, crust substitute, or crunchy blanket on proteins

CROUTON – MENU EXAMPLES

Parm Fold

Tortilla folded and filled with tomato sauce, grated parmesan cheese, grilled chicken, crushed garlic croutons, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
– Smoothie Factory

The Gladiator Sandwich

Housemade chicken caesar salad cream cheese, parmesan, anchovy, mayo, capers, crouton dust, tomato, mixed greens and white cheddar.
– Figgies Deli

Brisket Chili

Topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, pickled red onions, cornbread croutons, and pickled jalapenos.
– Martin’s BBQ Joint

Cured Salmon

Hard boiled egg, pickled pearl onion, capers, whipped dill cream cheese, everything bagel croutons.
– Cafe Nuovo

Strip House Roasted Bacon

Pastrami cured, pickled cucumber, rye bread croutons, hot honey mustard aioli.
– Strip House

Balsamic Chicken And Fresh Mozzarella Wrap

Mixed greens, shaved chicken, fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, garlic croutons crumbles, balsamic vinaigrette, and fresh basil.
– Spring Street Delicatessen

Croutons are already broadly adopted

but the biggest opportunity is using them as a versatile crunch tool across the fastest-growing formats (wraps, sandwiches, bowls) and comfort classics.

The next wave is less about “adding croutons”

and more about choosing the right crouton format for the dish.

Want ideation support or crouton format recommendations for your menu? Let’s talk.

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