Hot sunny days, warm evenings, and bustling patios — make the most of this glorious season with a menu refresh
By Carolyn Camilleri
Canadians certainly know how to make summer count by packing in as much fun and socializing as they can — and that often means dining out. This is the season for BBQ, patios, sharing plates, tall refreshing summer drinks and a time to introduce new menu ideas to help celebrate our common culture.
Here are some great menu suggestions:
Duck it up
Make those gatherings even more special by upscaling your menu with duck from King Cole Ducks.
“Duck satisfies a number of different opportunities within menus,” says Craig Thompson, president of The Tangerine Group and part of the King Cole Ducks team for about 30 years. “Our theme at this year’s Restaurants Canada show was ‘just add duck,’ and what we were getting at with that is that you can take a traditional food like tacos and make them with pulled duck meat. You can add smoked duck breast to a salad.”
King Cole Ducks carries a whole range of duck products that fit whether it’s brunch, lunch, dinner, or appetizers.
“It’s a very versatile product that fits very nicely with outdoor dining or even just the whole summer vibe,” he says. “It’s an upbeat, upscale protein.”
In the past, some restaurants were hesitant to put duck on a mainstream menu — it was considered fine dining only. One of the items that can really shift that hesitancy is duck spiedini — skewers of tender, juicy duck breast, ready to grill and perfect as a sharable appetizer, salad, or entrée. Or try duck wings as a limited time offer (LTO).
“An LTO is an easy way to sample your audience and give them something exciting and new, gauge the reaction,” he says.
One of the most popular King Cole Ducks products is the confit duck leg, which is fully cooked using the traditional French method. Chefs love it, says Thompson.
“It’s an absolutely beautiful product because it is fully cooked — it’s impossible to mess up — and yet when you eat it, you’d swear it was just freshly created. The flavour — it’s infallible and it’s so rich, so tender and juicy. It’s become a very popular product.”
While you can serve the confit leg as a main course entrée, some chefs pull the meat off the leg and use it in a variety of ways — salads, flatbreads, pizzas, eggs benedict.
“The only limitation is your own imagination,” says Thompson.
King Cole Ducks’ fully cooked products are ideal for busy kitchens, cutting way down on prep time.
“Being able to offer a high end product that’s really versatile and really easy to prepare for your staff — those are big factors,” he says.
Adding to the appeal, King Cole Ducks has a great Canadian story.
“King Cole Ducks is now a fourth generation family farming operation and they’ve weathered a lot of storms to be here today,” says Thompson. “They’ve maintained the integrity of old-fashioned Canadian farming — and integrity is a key word.”
King Cole Ducks is renowned for leadership and stewardship in animal care, as well as for environmental responsibility.
“King Cole is really Canadian in terms of its roots and the TLC that the family has always injected into their business,” says Thompson.
Around the globe and on the grill with Canadian beef
Nothing says summer like live-fire cooking and grilling — it’s always a major focus on summer menus.
“Whether it’s charcoal grills, wood-fired cooking, or plancha-style searing, chefs are leaning into techniques that highlight the natural flavour of beef,” says Sandesh Rodrigo, foodservice manager, channel marketing at Canada Beef. “Over the past year, we’ve also seen more innovative independent restaurants adopt hibachi-style or parrilla grills, while seasonal operators and patios increasingly feature wood-fired barbecues as part of their summer offering.”
Many Canadian beef cuts respond particularly well to quick marinades and high-heat cooking.
“Cuts like flank and skirt steaks absorb flavour easily and cook quickly, making them ideal for grilling and slicing across the grain for dishes such as tacos, steak salads, bowls, and wraps,” he says. “We could also see more chefs cook whole muscles over live fire and carve them for service, particularly cuts like bottom sirloin tri-tip and clod/petite tender. It’s a format that works well for share plates, steak sandwiches, and composed summer dishes while delivering strong flavour and visual appeal.”
In terms of flavour, think bold and global — Latin America, Middle East, and Southeast Asia, as well as cross-cultural fusions such as French-Asian, Latin-Asian, and Indo-Canadian flavour combinations. Sauces and seasonings like chimichurri, shawarma-style spice blends, gochujang marinades, and fresh herb-forward sauces pair naturally with grilled beef.
Ethnicity is also influencing steak presentations, such as picanha and gaucho-style steaks, as chefs draw inspiration from South American grilling traditions.
“Beyond steaks, many chefs are reimagining familiar cuts like short ribs, chuck, and ground beef in ways that feel fresh and suited to summer dining,” says Rodrigo, listing reverse-seared short rib sandwiches with Asian-inspired flavours, mint-forward beef curries, grilled beef kababs in kathi rolls, and globally inspired burgers.
While premium middle meats continue to play an important role, value continues to influence decisions.
“Last summer, we saw a growing interest among operators in value-driven beef cuts that deliver strong flavour while supporting menu profitability, and we expect that focus to continue into summer 2026,” says Rodrigo.
That means looking beyond traditional middle meats and exploring those flavourful alternative cuts that perform well on the grill while offering good value for operators. He suggests flank, outside and inside skirt, bottom sirloin tri-tip derived steaks, as well as chuck roll — all excellent options that deliver robust beef flavour and adapt well to globally-inspired dishes and shareable summer plates.
“Dining in Canada is evolving alongside the country’s demographics. Our cities are becoming more culturally diverse, and that diversity is showing up on menus as chefs draw inspiration from the flavours and techniques that represent the industry’s diversity. It’s exciting to see how global flavour traditions influence the way beef is prepared and presented,” says Rodrigo. “At the same time, diners are looking for value, variety, and memorable dining experiences, which is encouraging chefs to explore flavourful alternative globally inspired experiences that continue to stand out.”
Lastly, tell people where your beef comes from — highlighting beef raised by Canadian farmers and ranchers continues to resonate on menus.
Go all Canadian with Chicken
No matter the season, chicken is a key protein on any menu and the starting point for so very many dishes. Every chef has a repertoire of chicken recipes that can be modified to accommodate new flavour trends and cooking styles — because diners love it.
“Chicken is Canada’s most popular meat protein, valued for its versatility, quality, and affordability across a wide range of cuisines and dining occasions,” says Chris Hofley, communications officer Chicken Farmers of Canada.
So how do you draw more diners to your chicken offerings? Go all Canadian and tell people about it.
“Canadian diners care about where their food comes from, and research consistently shows they prefer chicken raised in Canada,” says Hofley. “They value knowing their chicken was produced under strict national standards for food safety and animal care, and that it supports Canadian farmers and rural communities.”
It starts with how chicken is raised.
“Canadian chicken is raised on family farms across the country under a supply management system designed to meet demand and deliver consistent quality while maintaining high standards for food safety, animal care, and sustainability,” says Hofley. “Chicken farmers follow strict national programs that cover everything from on-farm food safety and biosecurity to animal care, with regular audits to ensure these standards are met.”
Supply management in Canada plays a critical role, he adds, allowing production to closely match domestic demand.
“The result is a stable, transparent system that supports Canadian farm families while ensuring restaurants and consumers have access to a reliable supply of high-quality chicken raised right here at home,” he says.
Chicken Farmers of Canada are always looking to engage in strategic partnerships with restaurants that deal with Canadian chicken.
“These partnerships come in many forms, be it through the logo placements of our Raised by a Canadian Farmer brand on menus, websites as well as co-branded campaigns,” says Hofley. “The brand highlights the values of the nationally mandated programs and signals strong consumer trust in the chicken meat sector as well as in the partnering restaurant.”
With Canadian chicken as your starting point, your chicken recipe can be a globally and creatively diverse as you want to take it this summer.
