The first weekend of June is here, which means Michigan is officially entering peak picnic, pontoon, campground, and backyard barbecue season.
Whether you're heading Up North, hanging out at the lake, or firing up the grill in the backyard, a new survey says some traditional picnic foods are gaining popularity while others are falling out of favor.
And honestly, some of these results may start an argument at your next family cookout. According to the survey, the hottest picnic food trend this summer is... olives.
Yes. Olives.
In fact, olives topped the list of foods growing in popularity, followed by flatbreads, breadsticks, hummus, chorizo, grilled halloumi cheese, salami, prosciutto, Spanish tortilla, and focaccia bread.
It sounds less like a Michigan picnic and more like something you'd find on a Mediterranean cruise.
Meanwhile, several longtime picnic favorites landed on the list of foods losing popularity.
The biggest surprise?
Potato salad made the list.
So did Spam, cocktail sausages, corned beef, sandwich spread, sliced white bread, cheap potato chips, cheddar cheese slices, mayonnaise, and potato salad.
Let's be honest. Here in Michigan, good luck showing up to a family reunion, graduation party, campground potluck, or Fourth of July cookout and announcing that potato salad is "out."
You might get escorted off the property.
The same goes for white bread, chips, and mayonnaise. These are practically food groups during a Michigan summer.
While trendy foods come and go, most Michiganders know what really belongs at a summer gathering:
Burgers on the grill
Hot dogs and brats
Potato salad
Baked beans
Corn on the cob
Chips and dip
A cooler full of cold drinks
So we're curious...
Would you rather snack on olives and focaccia, or stick with classic Michigan cookout food?
Because if potato salad is truly going out of style, nobody bothered to tell Michigan.






