As summer winds down, your restaurant’s customers start looking forward to crisp autumn weather, football season, and pumpkin spice everything. Fall is in the air — which means it’s a great time to revamp your restaurant’s seasonal specials and find ways to participate in fall trends. With a few standout fall menu ideas, you can increase orders and give loyal diners a new reason to come in for lunch or dinner.

How does this season affect restaurant trends?

The fall season has a dramatic impact on restaurant trends, in part due to the marked shift in weather. When the temperature falls and the leaves start to change, customers begin to crave heartier comfort food, such as soups, pasta, hot cider, pot pie, pumpkin bread, and baked apple or pumpkin desserts.

The growing season also affects autumn ingredients and recipe options; many restaurants use seasonal foods to deliver maximum flavor and freshness. In the fall, farmers harvest crops such as apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, Brussels sprouts, and cranberries — which is why they begin appearing on menus and recipe sites in September and October.

As you contemplate recipe options and restaurant menu changes, consider how the advent of fall influences your customers’ habits. When summer winds down, the kids go back to school and companies switch back to normal work schedules. This transition often leaves diners longing for meals that are both comforting and nourishing.

The most successful autumn menus are optimized to accommodate trends and behavioral shifts. By adding delicious, cozy fall recipes and comfort food meals to the lineup, you can delight customers and lean into the joy of the cooler months. As a bonus, an exciting new menu can provide new social media content that boosts engagement, increases revenue, and drives cold-weather catering orders.

Menu ideas to fall in love with

The end of summer is the perfect time to start thinking about the best fall menu ideas for your restaurant. Choose dishes that work for your kitchen crew’s meal planning and preparation process. If you need ideas to help you create a profitable menu, use these fall recipes for inspiration:

1. Curried carrots and apple soup. Fall is all about root vegetables; roasted carrots with curry add an extra depth of flavor, and apples provide the perfect sweet finish. You can serve this dish in a cup as a starter, or pair it with bread and a hearty salad for lunch or a light dinner.
2. Roasted butternut squash soup. With its creamy texture and brilliant orange color, this soup is a delicious addition to your autumn menu. Top it with a sprig of fresh thyme and a delicate swirl of sour cream.
3. Chicken noodle soup. A childhood classic, this soup is a balanced and delicious meal in itself. For extra fall flavor, add black beans, barley, sweet potato, or corn to your usual recipe. Alternatively, go with a roasted chicken and wild rice soup.
4. Pumpkin lasagna with veggies. Capitalize on pumpkin season with a veggie-heavy lasagna recipe. Ricotta cheese, sage, and mushrooms pair beautifully with a squash-based sauce for a nourishing and unexpected lasagna dish.
5. Pork chops with Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are harvested in the fall, when their distinctive flavor is at its peak. Roast these hearty veggies with garlic and Parmesan cheese and serve them with pan-seared pork chops for a satisfying and healthy meal.
6. Mashed potatoes with shredded chicken and roasted cauliflower. Bring a popular slow-cooker (or Instant Pot) chicken recipe to your restaurant by serving an elevated version of mashed potatoes and shredded chicken. Incorporate roasted cauliflower for a more complex flavor and fewer calories; chop it roughly and mix it in for extra texture.
7. Pasta with pumpkin brown butter sauce. Rich and indulgent, brown butter sauce pairs perfectly with any fall dish. It’s especially delicious with dinner menu items such as butternut squash pasta or mushroom ravioli.
8. Roasted chicken with acorn squash. Roasted chicken and acorn squash are both classic fall foods — served together, they create the perfect combination of textures and flavors. To add a bit of color and extra nutrients, serve this chicken dinner with a side of cranberries, roasted zucchini, or even asparagus. You can also prepare stuffed acorn squash with sausage, mushroom, and onion for a heartier side dish.
9. Puff pastry pot pie. Pot pie is a fantastic fall food option; it’s filling, and you don’t need to worry about side dishes. Go with a classic chicken pot pie recipe, or fill the pie with a savory beef stew.
10. Lentil curry soup. Cater to your vegetarian customers with a spicy, satisfying curried lentil soup. Mix in white beans, carrots, garlic, ginger, and onions to create a dinner option that fuels diners for hours.
11. Pumpkin spice desserts. No fall menu is completely without at least one pumpkin spice item. Go with a traditional pumpkin pie, or opt for a unique twist with pumpkin spice crisp, cheesecake, brownies, or muffins. If your guests prefer an after-dinner cocktail, consider a fall recipe for a pumpkin spice-flavored white Russian, Moscow mule, or martini.
12. Creamy mushroom soup. Rich and velvety, this soup is the perfect treat for a cozy fall lunch or dinner. The basic recipe features a blend of fresh mushrooms; you can use button, cremini, or shiitake. For an unexpected twist, use mushrooms that are local to your area. Add chopped thyme for a pop of color, or include ingredients such as soy sauce, garlic, or bacon to deepen the flavors.
13. Pumpkin risotto. Pair creamy risotto with pumpkin puree and you have a fall dish that will capture customers’ attention. This hearty, comforting Italian-inspired dinner recipe is made with Arborio rice for a perfect “al dente” texture. Toast the rice before cooking it slowly in a flavorful broth until it’s creamy and delicious. Customize the broth with chopped vegetables, fresh herbs, and aromatics including sautéed onions and garlic.
14. French onion soup. French onion soup has a cult following, and for good reason — it has a deep, savory flavor and a decadent baked bread and cheese topping that warms up even the coolest fall day. This classic French soup is both comforting and elevated, so it fits on the menu of casual and fine-dining restaurants alike. It pairs well with a range of hot and cold fall drink ideas to create the ideal cold-weather lunch or dinner.
15. Swedish meatballs. For customers who want a hearty fall meal, Swedish meatballs fit the bill. This traditional Swedish recipe creates small, tender meatballs from a blend of ground beef and pork. You can serve them over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. Just make sure to add a splash of lingonberry sauce for a classic touch and a delicious sweet/tart twist.

Another way to approach your fall recipes is to update your existing menu items with seasonal ingredients. For example, you could add locally harvested mushrooms to your best-selling chicken Parmesan dish or use butternut squash instead of peas in your chef’s famous risotto recipe. Soup is often the easiest opportunity; after all, you can always add more veggies.

Some traditional fall recipe ingredients to consider include:

• Pumpkin
• Apples
• Figs
• Brussels sprouts
• Cranberries
• Sweet potato
• Mushrooms
• Beets
• Kale
• Collard greens
• Parsnips
• Pears
• Ginger
• Cabbage

No matter how you approach your restaurant’s fall lunch and dinner menus, consider how each dish will fare during delivery. By packaging meals strategically, you can provide a positive experience with delicious foods for your in-person, takeout, and delivery guests.

Feast your eyes on Grubhub’s lasting benefits

A fall menu packed with comfort food is an effective way to bring in new customers; it also creates another reason for your loyal fans to drop by or spring for delivery. As you plan seasonal menu and promotions, rely on Grubhub to improve your delivery process and expand your reach. When you pair delicious menu items with Grubhub’s convenience and visibility, you can entice customers to place orders throughout the season.

Ready for a profitable fall? Join Grubhub today and enjoy all the perks of a Grubhub partnership with no up-front cost or hidden fees.