How State Fairs Can Help Fuel Your Next Big Menu Idea

Complex, indulgent and unexpected flavors popped up all over this year’s state fairs. For example, Iowa offered up a Butcher’s Donut—a fried donut stuffed with bacon, ground beef and sausage, dipped in house-made barbecue glaze, drizzled with queso and served over tortilla chips. Packing an array of flavors, both savory and sweet, into one dish can pique customers’ interest and hit multiple cravings at once. 

In restaurants, this concept can translate as a Donut Breakfast Sandwich. Take an open-sliced glazed donut and layer on scrambled eggs, Jimmy Dean® Fully Cooked Pork Sausage Patties and Jimmy Dean® Fully Cooked Bacon Strips. The pairing draws together savory and sweet in a delicious way. 

Another option that pairs savory and sweet is a Crispy Chicken Smore—a golden, crispy chicken filet topped with rich chocolate mole sauce and brûléed marshmallow fluff, stacked onto a soft, toasted brioche bun. Bring the state fair to the table!

Street foods and globally inspired options also had a moment at this year’s fairs. In Wisconsin, fair-goers could try Brat Rangoon—ground bratwurst and cream cheese filling stuffed in a wonton wrapper, deep fried and topped with a sweet and savory drizzle. Mashups like these that combine regional ingredients with global inspiration preparations can intrigue diners who are looking for something new and exciting. 

Adding a menu item that incorporates these ideas is easy—the Elote Dog features a Ball Park® Angus Beef Frank and elote—creamy Mexican street corn salad—and is topped with spicy hot sauce, crumbled cotija cheese and fresh cilantro.

Familiar favorite foods, like pizza and Nashville hot chicken, got an update at state fairs this year. At Tennessee’s state fair, attendees could enjoy Bacon Cheddar Pizza on a Stick. 

Similar to a calzone, this dish features pizza dough stuffed with cheddar cheese and bacon pieces, deep fried and served with a side of marinara sauce. Try something similar in your restaurant—serve a Pepperoni Pizza Burger that’s cheesy, meaty and delicious. 

Also at Tennessee’s state fair, visitors could try Nashville Hot Chicken Fries—crispy fried chicken tenders, tossed in a spicy Nashville Hot glaze, paired with dill pickle slices and served atop a bed of crinkle cut fries and drizzled with creamy ranch dressing. This fair item gave attendees a new way to enjoy a spicy favorite. 

Think your customers would love something like that? Serve up Southern Hot Honey Chicken and Hashbrowns. This dish features a crispy bed of waffle-cut hashbrowns, topped with lightly breaded chicken bites and drizzled with fiery Nashville hot honey sauce and finished with tangy pico de gallo pickle relish—it’s the perfect sweet-heat-meets-Southern-Soul meal.

From dill-pickle iced tea in Minnesota to the Pickledilla Pork Taco (featuring a Pickledilla shell with homemade barbecue pork, topped with cilantro lime sauce and a choice of slaw or pico de gallo) in Tennessee, briny brightness continues to trend across menus—both restaurant and state fair alike. In Wisconsin, state fair attendees could also try the Dill Dawg Dorito Bombs—a juicy hot dog stuffed inside a pickle, dipped in cornbread batter—and Iowa offered fresh lemonade shakeups with a splash of pickle juice and two pickle slices.

For restaurants, adding pickles is easy—try the Big Pickle Wrap, which features lightly breaded honey chicken tenderloins with applewood smoked bacon, Pepper Jack cheese, fresh shredded lettuce and dill “pickle” de gallo, all wrapped in a large flour tortilla. 

Or, try the Big Pickle Burger, which features two grilled beef burgers topped with hickory-smoked thick-sliced bacon, colby Jack cheese, pickle de gallo and crispy fried pickles, all drizzled with zesty ranch dressing and served on a brioche bun.