Southern flavor is a perfect way to drive dine-in traffic this year.

Southern cuisine isn’t just a regional trend—it’s a national craving. Diners seek out authentic, craveable flavors that deliver comfort and nostalgia. Whether it’s crispy fried chicken, golden hushpuppies, or buttermilk biscuits smothered in gravy, these staples continue to dominate menus and increase ticket averages. By leveraging a few smart tactics and relying on a brand that helped to define southern flavor, adding a few southern menu items can be easy and authentic.

Southern food dominance in the list of comfort foods is at the heart of its menu power. From fried chicken, to fried pickles, biscuits to chicken and waffles, just the words on a menu sparks cravings and nostalgia. That’s why more than 70% of casual and midscale casual restaurants have at least one menu item whose flavor is described as ‘southern’. Datassential says the ‘southern’ descriptor grew 2% in just the past year and projects continued growth through 2028.

House Autry® has played a significant role in defining the flavor of southern cuisine for more than 200 years from its Four Oaks, North Carolina, mill. Crafting spices with flour and cornmeal for breadings and mixes makes the brand the brand of choice by top restaurant chains. House Autry’s research and development team also works with restaurant chains to tweak their own signature flavors with southern flare.

House Autry breadings and mixes assure easy prep, consistency, and ways to save money in the kitchen. For example, House Autry’s Pre-Dip Batter Mix eliminates the need for high cost eggs or milk to first moisten fresh chicken before breading. The Pre-Dip Batter Mix can also be used on veggies and other proteins before frying. House Autry Chicken Breaders are easy to use and double breading the chicken before frying can be an easy way for serving extra crispy chicken that can be a signature of your offering.

Fried chicken on menus is trending. Datassential’s AI-driven Menucast projects it will grow nearly 6% in the next two years with most of the growth among casual and midscale casual restaurants. Other trending items include fried pickles (+14%), chicken and waffles (+8%), black-eyed peas (+4%), shrimp and grits (+3%), and fried okra (+3%) in just the past year.

House Autry is ready to discuss a restaurant chain’s own signature southern flavor or assure a ready supply of its original products. You can request a free sample of any of its products for your own testing. More insights into the power of southern flavor is available now by downloading House Autry’s 2025 Southern Flavor Guide.

Tapping into southern craving is a perfect tactic for growing traffic, sales and long-term loyalty this year and for years to come.