By Charla Banks, MPP Marketing Group
With a new decade here, what's the next big thing we should be expecting in food? What are consumers looking for -- or demanding -- when it comes to choosing their favorite date-night venue, lunch time go-to, or girls-night ground zero?
The answer is: a lot. In fact, industry research indicates that the coming year for restaurants won’t be a quiet one. Here are some restaurant industry trends operators can expect this year and beyond.
The Ethnic Food Appeal
Move over meat and potatoes—diners palettes are expanding.
With the borders of the US’s and Canada’s extensive melting pot becoming increasingly blurred, the sheer volume and scope of ethnic food people are exposed to continues to grow at an incredible rate. So, of course, it’s not surprising that as the countries’ food options evolve, so do diners’ taste.
An increasing love of ethnic flavors continues to grow, and ethnic food demand is undeniably on the rise. A Mintel survey found that 57% of respondents are more open to trying to ethnic foods now than they were a few years ago.
This is due in part to changing demographics, increased exposure to different cultures, and a stronger consumer demand for more exciting, flavorful dining experiences.
This doesn’t mean that restaurants need to ditch their current staples but, depending on your restaurant’s theme, looking for some ways of including new and interesting flavor profiles can go a long way to exciting your guests’ palettes and having them begging for more.
Increase Demand for Plant-Forward Food
If we learned anything from 2019, it’s that plant-based meats and other plant protein-focused foods are here to stay. In fact, Forbes has reported plant-based eating as the single most influential trend driving the food and beverage industry in 2020.
The increasing popularity of plant-based eating by consumers of all dietary preferences has driven a major demand of readily available—and delicious—plant-based products.
How is the restaurant industry responding to this unstoppable pandemic of meat-free consumers? On-trend establishments (at least the smart ones) are incorporating cauliflower-based crusts and veggie noodles onto their menus.
And let’s not forget the incredible popularity of Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers, which have taking the fast-food industry by storm.
These plant-based alternatives have quickly become permanent and incredibly popular menu items, due to an increase in environmental and health awareness in modern diners, and meatless meat’s improved taste over previous fake-meat products.
There has never been a better time for restaurant operators to think plant-based.
The Online Ordering Takeover
We know we’ve covered this a ton over the past year, but the online ordering train isn’t slowing down anytime soon, either.
The concept of food delivery sure isn’t new. It began with old school delivery menus and progressed to online ordering sites that only specific restaurants would offer. Fast forward to today, and the process of ordering food has become easier than, well, using the microwave.
With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that online food delivery is forecasted to beef up to a massive $200 billion by 2025.
As online ordering and delivery becomes more and more convenient for consumers, restaurants will see major shifts in their business models: less dine-in traffic means less in-house service staff, and a growing demand for extra hands in the kitchen.
Sparing the added efforts of picking out clothes and navigating to restaurants, dine-out orders will continue to pour in at record numbers as customers opt to eat hand-delivered meals served right at their doorsteps.
But all of this doesn’t necessarily mean consumer demand in the restaurant industry is changing, either. Simply put, it means that “preferred” seating reservations have shifted from the V.I.P. chef’s table to the Saturday night comfort of a living room couch.
The Kids’ Menu Evolution
When adults go to a restaurant, they might order things like roasted rack of lamb or seafood risotto, right? But if young children are in tow, the kids’ options have always been limited to chicken fingers, pizza, or mac and cheese (sigh...). Well not anymore.
While the typical kids’ menu probably delights the picky eaters out there, parents who want more for their kids and their money are less than delighted.
And kids who actually likes to eat adventurously are bored out of their minds.
Luckily, many restaurant owners are parents themselves and are finally taking notice. You will see the standard children’s menu options being revamped with better ingredients and put alongside more grown-up options.
Dishes made with real, gourmet cheeses, homemade sauces, and fresh ingredients will be seen more often. It will be more common to find kids' menus that feature whole-grain superfoods like quinoa, as well as global cuisine.
The Unique Dining Experience
Modern guests are expecting more than just a good menu and appealing decor when they head out to eat. They also want interesting and unique dining experiences.
So, what makes for unique dining?
A unique dining experience goes beyond food. It brings a level of excitement and adventure to the customer that connects the meal with a thoroughly entertaining experience. It’s also one of the main reasons why pop-up restaurants have proven so successful.
From feasting in the dark at O.Noir, to interactive murder mystery dining at Mysteriously Yours, only creativity and imagination limits the possibilities this emerging trend has to offer.
So, look for ways of making dining at your restaurant unique. What experience can your venue and staff offer that your local competitors can’t? Figure that out, and you’ve made yourself a nice little niche to settle into.