A burger has held the crown as the top food ordered at U.S. restaurants for decades, but this year, that may well be a plant-based burger, according to the latest edition of The NPD Group’s “Eating Patterns in America," which is an annual compilation of the company’s daily tracking of U.S. consumption behavior.

U.S. consumers may appear to be creatures of habit in their eating patterns, but the foods they eat today have a modern twist that is influenced by a host of factors like ethnicity, age/generational group and health/social consciousness.

David Portalatin, NPD Food Industry advisor and author of the report, said, “For 34 years, The NPD Group has been tracking eating patterns in America, and from a top-line view, many of the same foods are being consumed today as they were three decades ago, but go a little deeper, and you see that all aspects of our eating patterns — the who, what, when, where, how and why — are changing.” 

Here are some quick takes from this year’s "Eating Patterns in America":

“This past year, we’ve seen emerging new eating trends that will impact both the food and beverage and restaurant industries in the years to come,” Portalatin said. “Food manufacturers and restaurant operators will need to understand how these trends will impact their businesses in order to stay ahead of the curve.”