Seasonal menu adoption is easier to understand through a specific ingredient than through a broad trend label. National Watermelon Promotion Board research provides a detailed example: in a 2023 operator survey, 65% of operators featured fresh watermelon, while a separate 2025 estimate put watermelon menu penetration at 16.3% of U.S. restaurants. These figures use different measures and years, so they should not be treated as a single trend line.
Table of contents
- Restaurant adoption of seasonal ingredients
- Seasonal versus year-round menu timing
- Consumer demand for seasonal restaurant items
- Seasonal promotions and menu placement
- Seasonal ingredient applications across menu parts
- Operator growth expectations and innovation signals
Restaurant adoption of seasonal ingredients
The available evidence is ingredient-specific rather than a universal measure of every seasonal food. The National Watermelon Promotion Board’s Menu Matters - NWPB Board Meeting Presentation FINAL reports results from its 2023 operator research. In that survey, 65% of operators featured fresh watermelon on the menu. The segment split was substantial:
- Fresh-watermelon menu penetration was 47% among limited-service restaurant operators.
- Fresh-watermelon menu penetration was 79% among full-service restaurant operators.
- Fresh-watermelon menu penetration was 90% among noncommercial foodservice operators.
The differences matter for a bistro audience. Full-service restaurants were 32 percentage points above limited-service operators in this 2023 measurement, while noncommercial foodservice had the highest reported penetration. The figures describe whether the operators surveyed featured fresh watermelon; they do not establish that the same adoption pattern applies to every fruit, vegetable, or seasonal special.
A separate Watermelon Update estimated that 16.3% of U.S. restaurants featured watermelon on their menus in 2025. Because this is a 2025 U.S. restaurant estimate and the other figures come from a 2023 operator survey, it is best read as a separate market-level estimate rather than a direct update of the operator percentages above. The two sources also use different study designs and populations.
| Measure | Reported share | Measurement context |
|---|---|---|
| Operators featuring fresh watermelon | 65% | 2023 operator survey |
| Limited-service operators | 47% | 2023 operator survey |
| Full-service operators | 79% | 2023 operator survey |
| Noncommercial operators | 90% | 2023 operator survey |
| U.S. restaurants featuring watermelon | 16.3% | 2025 estimate |
Source: Menu Matters - NWPB Board Meeting Presentation FINAL; Watermelon Update.
Seasonal versus year-round menu timing
Among operators using fresh watermelon in the 2023 survey, 54% featured it seasonally only rather than on the main menu year-round. Another 46% featured it on the main menu year-round. This split shows two distinct operating approaches: seasonal placement can concentrate the ingredient in a defined window, while a year-round menu position depends on continuing availability.
Full-service restaurant operators were the segment most likely to feature watermelon seasonally only, at 56%. That result is close to the overall seasonal-only share, but it is still a useful signal for bistros that use changing menus as part of the dining experience.
The timing of seasonal use was concentrated in warmer months. Among seasonal watermelon menuers:
- 96% featured watermelon in summer.
- 66% featured it in spring.
- 9% featured it in fall.
- 0% featured it in winter.
These percentages describe the seasons selected by seasonal menuers, not a forecast of sales or a requirement that the values add to 100%; an operator could feature an ingredient in more than one season. Among year-round watermelon menuers, 52% expected availability across all four seasons, while 43% expected availability in summer. The distinction between menu timing and expected supply is important: year-round placement does not mean every operator expected identical availability throughout the year.
Source: Menu Matters - NWPB Board Meeting Presentation FINAL.
Consumer demand for seasonal restaurant items
The same 2023 presentation measured when consumers wanted fresh watermelon in restaurant menu items. Summer was the clear high point, selected by 78.7% of respondents. Spring followed at 43.1%, while 23.7% wanted fresh watermelon in fall menu items and 12.3% in winter menu items. A separate 20.7% wanted fresh watermelon available year-round.
| Consumer preference | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Summer menu items | 78.7% |
| Spring menu items | 43.1% |
| Fall menu items | 23.7% |
| Winter menu items | 12.3% |
| Available year-round | 20.7% |
The consumer results broadly align with the operator timing data: summer was the strongest season in both measures. They also show that year-round availability was a minority preference in this survey, although it was still selected by one in five respondents. For a bistro, that combination can support a summer feature while leaving room for a smaller year-round application when supply and the concept make sense.
The presentation also reported that 60% of surveyed operators said seasonal availability was part of watermelon’s appeal. In contrast, 40% said year-round availability would make watermelon more attractive as an ingredient. These are operator opinions, not consumer purchase results, and they point to a genuine tradeoff between scarcity-driven seasonality and operational continuity.
Consumer ordering incidence was high in the reported six-month measure: 50.6% had ordered a restaurant food or beverage item incorporating fresh or flavored watermelon in the previous six months. Among Millennials, the share was 62.8%; among Gen Z and younger Millennials, it was 62.4%. The question was fielded in July, at the height of watermelon season, so the presentation notes that the timing may elevate six-month ordering incidence.
There was also evidence of unmet menu interest. A reported 50.8% of consumers said restaurants were not menuing watermelon often enough, and 30.1% strongly agreed that fresh watermelon was underappreciated and restaurants should use it more innovatively. Those findings indicate interest in broader use, but they do not quantify willingness to pay, repeat visits, or the performance of a particular dish.
Source: Menu Matters - NWPB Board Meeting Presentation FINAL.
Seasonal promotions and menu placement
Seasonal adoption often extends beyond a standard menu listing. Among operators featuring fresh watermelon, 60.5% used it in limited-time offers or other promotions. The promotional role appeared in both menu strategies: 60.2% of operators featuring watermelon on the main menu or year-round also used it in a limited-time offer or promotion, while 60.9% of seasonal watermelon menuers did the same.
This overlap suggests that seasonal and permanent placement were not mutually exclusive in the survey. An operator could retain a familiar item while using a limited-time special to create a more visible seasonal moment. The percentages measure reported use of promotions, not the incremental revenue or traffic generated by them.
Fresh watermelon appeared in several menu locations among operators that menued it. It appeared in desserts at 48% of operators and in beverages at 39%. A further 30.7% offered it as a stand-alone side, while 50.7% offered it in a fruit bowl or another fruit-forward side.
The ingredient also reached off-premise and audience-specific menus. Among fresh-watermelon users, 60.5% featured it on their off-premise menu. Of users who did not feature it off-premise, 50.3% said they might add it within the next year. Another 60.9% featured it on both kids’ and main menus, while 20.8% featured it only on the main menu.
For bistro operators, these figures describe menu architecture as much as recipe selection. A seasonal ingredient can appear as a promotion, a beverage, a dessert, a side, an off-premise item, or a cross-audience offering. The research does not rank those placements by profitability, but it does show that adoption can be distributed across multiple touchpoints.
Source: Menu Matters - NWPB Board Meeting Presentation FINAL.
Seasonal ingredient applications across menu parts
The 2023 operator research also looked inside the broad menu categories. Among operators using fresh watermelon in desserts, 85% used it in fruit bowls or plates, and 70% used it in frozen desserts such as ice cream or sorbet. These figures are within the dessert-using group, so they should not be read as shares of all restaurants.
Beverage applications were similarly varied. Among operators using fresh watermelon in beverages, 76% used it both as a main ingredient and as a garnish. Within that group, 56% used it in smoothies and 50% used it in juice. The results support both a central flavor role and a supporting visual or finishing role.
Preparation choices among operators purchasing fresh watermelon included simple and more transformative applications. Pureeing was the most common measured preparation, used by 40%. Salted watermelon was reported by 24%, and grilled watermelon by 21%. These are not a complete list of all preparation methods, but they show that seasonal menu adoption can range from minimally transformed fruit to preparations designed for a more savory or composed dish.
The menu-part data gives a bistro a practical vocabulary for seasonal development: fruit-forward sides, frozen desserts, smoothies, juice, garnishes, purees, salted preparations, and grilled applications. The figures identify existing reported uses; they do not prove that any one application will be preferred by a specific restaurant’s guests.
Source: Menu Matters - NWPB Board Meeting Presentation FINAL.
Operator growth expectations and innovation signals
Reported use increased for 50.4% of fresh-watermelon users in 2023, compared with 71% in the 2022 measurement. The comparison indicates a lower share reporting increased use in 2023, but it is a comparison of reported survey measurements rather than a calculated change in volume.
The segment results were:
- Full-service restaurant users: 59% reported increased use in 2023, compared with 71% in 2022.
- Limited-service restaurant users: 51% reported increased use in 2023, compared with 75% in 2022.
- Noncommercial users: 45% reported increased use in 2023, compared with 54% in 2022.
Forward-looking expectations remained positive. The share anticipating increased fresh-watermelon use over the next year was 63% among limited-service operators, 61% among full-service operators, and 55% among noncommercial operators. These are 2023 forward expectations, not later observed outcomes.
Innovation also appeared through value-added products and flavor pairings. Among fresh-watermelon users, 70.6% also used at least one value-added watermelon product. Among fresh-watermelon nonusers, 30% used a value-added watermelon product. Within that nonuser group, 44% used watermelon-flavored syrups, 44% used watermelon-flavored nonalcoholic beverages, and 35% used watermelon-flavored alcoholic beverages or spirits.
Among current fresh-watermelon users, 36% were interested in pairing it with lime juice or believed the pairing would work well. The corresponding figures were 29% for coconut and 21% for Tajín. These measures capture interest or perceived fit, not tested dish performance.
Taken together, the research describes seasonal menu adoption as a set of choices about timing, placement, preparation, and innovation. The strongest recurring signal is summer: operators concentrated seasonal use there, and 78.7% of surveyed consumers wanted fresh watermelon in summer menu items. At the same time, the operator data leaves room for year-round listings, promotions, off-premise menuing, and value-added products when a bistro’s concept and supply plan support them.
Source: Menu Matters - NWPB Board Meeting Presentation FINAL.