Watermelon surge: US restaurants embrace the fruit, led by the South
According to the newly published report by the National Watermelon Promotion Board and food-trends analytics company Menu Matters, 16.3 percent of restaurants in the US added watermelons to their menus in 2025.
This watermelon surge represents a 30 percent increase from the 12.5 percent reported in 2021.
The South is leading the watermelon surge, with nearly 20 percent of restaurants featuring the regional fruit. The trend is also big in the West, the Plains, the Great Lakes, and the Northeast.
Megan McKenna, Senior Director of Marketing and Foodservice at the National Watermelon Promotion Board, notes that while Southern restaurants led in the watermelon surge in menus in 2021, there was a shift toward South Central states such as Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana in 2025.
Watermelon surges are happening on menus of all kinds, but it is high-end, independent, and regional chain restaurants that are embracing it now. This marks another shift from 2021, when casual and fine-dining spots were cooling on the trend.
“Since labor and shelf life are pain points for using watermelon, elevated restaurants have the labor needed to innovate and provide the best watermelon menu items for their customers,” McKenna explains. “The use of independents shows the future is bright since most trends in foodservice start in independents and high-end restaurants with chef-driven menus, refined cooking techniques, and creative plate presentations.”
How and where are watermelons showing
Almost half of these restaurants (40 percent) are serving watermelon in drinks, especially cocktails like margaritas, as well as smoothies, boba, and juices. Most are opting for watermelon-flavored products over fresh fruit, but McKenna notes that more operators are reaching for the real thing more often than they did before.
The watermelon surge in the category falls in line with increased overall fresh juice sales in the US, which have risen as consumers seek healthier options with fewer ingredients.
A third of the surveyed establishments use the fruit as an appetizer, with the watermelon-feta salad being the most common dish featuring it both in 2021 and 2025. The fruit side is the second most coveted way to serve watermelon, followed by seafood and Mexican entrees.
“Beverage is a great gateway with many flavor directions, and at a price point consumers find approachable,” she explains. “I personally like to see examples where watermelon is the star of an app or salad. I love it when it is a big, beautiful block of watermelon, and I also like to see the evolution of the watermelon feta pairing with other cheeses like halloumi and burrata.”
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