TikTok Food Hacks That Made It to Restaurant Menus

TikTok food trends have reshaped restaurant menus across the country. What started as viral videos of creative home cooking hacks and unusual food combinations has evolved into real dishes you can now order at cafes, bakeries, and restaurants. Some spots have added these trending items as limited specials, while others have made them permanent menu fixtures due to constant customer demand.

Local restaurants are adapting social media food trends to fit their style and ingredients, often improving on the original viral versions. Chefs are watching TikTok closely, picking up on what's gaining traction and figuring out how to bring these viral sensations to their kitchens. What makes this shift interesting is how quickly trends move from phone screens to actual plates, sometimes within weeks of going viral.

Butter boards feature softened butter spread on a wooden board, topped with ingredients like flaky salt, honey, herbs, or edible flowers. Designed for communal dining, they are served with slices of bread for dipping. This trend reimagines butter as a shared appetizer rather than a simple spread.

Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktail at Hotel Palomar, Phoenix, saw the growing popularity of this trend and decided to introduce their own version. Their take focuses on high-quality ingredients, featuring farm-fresh butter, sea salt, locally sourced honey, and house-baked bread. By refining the presentation and using premium products, they’ve elevated this viral trend into a restaurant-worthy dish while maintaining its approachable appeal.

Spicy Honey Drizzle is another TikTok trend that restaurants have embraced. This combination of honey and hot peppers creates a balance of sweet and spicy flavors. It’s used on pizza, fried chicken, waffles, and even ice cream.

One restaurant that has adopted this trend is Del Ray Pizzeria & Draft House. They feature a chipotle marinara base topped with a hot honey drizzle, enhancing the flavor profile of their unique pizza offerings with a blend of smoky heat and subtle sweetness.

The Ramen Burger gained massive TikTok popularity in 2023 when creators started showing how to make burgers using instant ramen as buns. Videos of the noodle buns getting crispy on the outside while staying chewy inside racked up millions of views, with users sharing different sauce combinations and cooking techniques.

Kogane Ramen in New York jumped on this social media trend by adding their own version to the menu. They use fresh ramen noodles instead of instant ones, pressing them into bun shapes. The burger comes with their special umami sauce that TikTokers often try to recreate at home. While many restaurants attempted to copy this trend, Kogane became a popular spot for food influencers to film their own Ramen Burger content, leading to long lines of people wanting to try the viral dish themselves.

The Baked Feta Pasta trend exploded on TikTok when creators showed how a block of feta, cherry tomatoes, and olive oil transform into a creamy pasta sauce when baked. The original video from Finland got so popular it caused feta cheese shortages in some areas as everyone tried to recreate it at home.

Red Gravy in Colorado Springs took this viral dish from home kitchens to their menu. They use imported Greek feta and locally sourced tomatoes, baking them until the cheese gets creamy and the tomatoes burst. The dish maintains the simplicity that made it go viral - you can watch the cheese melt and mix with the tomatoes just like in the TikTok videos. Unlike home versions, they finish it with fresh basil and high-quality olive oil, plus diners can choose their preferred pasta type.

Photo Credit: instagram.com/redgravyco/

The Hot Cheetos Mozzarella Sticks trend started when TikTokers crushed up Flamin' Hot Cheetos to use as breading for mozzarella sticks. Videos showing the bright red coating and stretchy cheese pulls gained millions of views, with creators competing to make the spiciest versions.

Two Hands Fresh Corn Dog took this viral snack and added it to their menu. The mozzarella sticks are larger than typical versions, rolled twice in the Cheetos coating before frying. They serve them with ranch dressing to help with the heat. The bright red color makes them popular for social media photos, and they often sell out during peak hours.

Their version has become so popular that customers now ask for their Hot Cheetos coating on other menu items too. The food stall suggests ordering them fresh - the cheese pull effect that made them famous on TikTok works best when they're right out of the fryer.

Photo Credit: facebook.com/twohandscorndog/

The Cheeseburger Spring Rolls trend hit TikTok when creators started deconstructing burgers and wrapping them in spring roll wrappers. Videos showing the crispy exterior being cut open to reveal melted cheese and ground beef inside went viral, with viewers amazed at the fusion concept.

The Cheesecake Factory added their version of this TikTok trend to their already extensive menu. They stuff their spring rolls with seasoned ground beef, melted American cheese, and diced onions - the classic burger ingredients that made the trend popular. The rolls are fried until golden and crispy, served with a side of ketchup and special sauce for dipping. What makes their version stand out is the size - they're bigger than traditional spring rolls, making them more shareable and photo-worthy for social media posts.

Photo Credit: instagram.com/cheesecakefactory/

When sushi meets burrito sizing - that's how this TikTok food mashup took off. Videos of giant sushi rolls, wrapped in nori and filled like a burrito, caught viewers' attention with their massive size and colorful cross-sections. The trend inspired people to request "bigger rolls" at sushi restaurants and film themselves trying to eat these oversized creations in one bite.

While Sushirrito in San Francisco wasn't the first to make large sushi rolls, they became the go-to spot for this trend on the West Coast. But now you can find sushi burritos in most major cities - from dedicated sushi spots to poke bowl chains. The concept is simple: regular sushi ingredients (raw fish, rice, avocado, cucumber) but in portions that match burrito size. Most places wrap them in soy paper or nori, slicing them in half to show off the layers inside - just like in viral videos.
The trend sparked debates online about whether this counts as real sushi, but that didn't stop it from becoming a regular menu item at fusion restaurants across the country. TikTokers particularly love showing the size comparison between regular sushi rolls and these burrito-sized versions.

The Tinned Fish Board trend started on TikTok as a fancy way to serve canned seafood, inspired by Spanish and Portuguese tapas bars. Videos showed people arranging colorful tins of sardines, mackerel, and anchovies on wooden boards with crackers, pickled vegetables, and lemon wedges. The trend caught on as a low-effort but impressive-looking way to entertain.

Kippered turned this social media obsession into their specialty. The small Los Angeles bar displays their tinned fish collection like a wine list - you pick your tins, and they arrange them on boards with sourdough, butter, pickled onions, and capers. They source conservas (preserved fish) from Spain, Portugal, and the Pacific Northwest.

The spot keeps it casual - you can watch them assemble your board at the bar, just like in the TikTok videos that made this trend popular. They also sell the same tins to take home, since many customers want to recreate their boards after trying them. It has become a popular happy hour choice, with groups sharing different tins and comparing flavors.

Photo Credit: instagram.com/get_kippered/

The Flat Croissant trend gained popularity on TikTok, where users started pressing croissants flat and adding various toppings, creating a crispier version of the classic pastry.

Alexander's Patisserie, located in Mountain View and Cupertino, California, created its own version of the flat croissant. They use standard croissant dough, sprinkle it with sugar for extra caramelization, and bake it under approximately 10 pounds of pressure to achieve a flat shape and crispy texture. The result is similar to a palmiere but with a richer, buttery flavor.

At Alexander's Patisserie, customers can try different variations of flat croissants, including:

    Plain flat croissant
    Flat croissant dipped in mango or strawberry chocolate