The restaurant industry has undergone seismic shifts in recent years with the COVID-19 pandemic acting as a catalyst for accelerated change. Even before the pandemic, the traditional restaurant business model was under scrutiny, prompting industry experts to ponder what the future of dining would look like. In this quest for answers, one thing remains clear: restaurants must adapt to the evolving tastes and preferences of the diners to thrive in the years to come.
A panel of hospitality experts recently convened to discuss this very topic at Roots 2023: Regenerate, shedding light on the evolving landscape of the restaurant industry. The panelists were Maeve Webster, Bret Thorn, and Mike Kostyo—being moderated by Angela Moore of Warner Bros. Discovery—and they shared their insights into the future of dining and who the next generation diner truly is.
Restaurant Trends: The Changing Face of Dining
The future of dining is not one-size-fits-all; it encompasses a diverse range of dining experiences from high-end fine dining establishments to fast-casual eateries with the panel underscoring that true hospitality can play a key role across dining establishment types. The heart of the restaurant industry lies in its patrons, and understanding the diner is paramount. This demographic transcends traditional age boundaries, encompassing a wide range of preferences and values.
Here’s more about what the panel members had to say at Roots 2023 about restaurant industry trends and more.
Bret Thorn
Bret Thorn is the senior food and beverage editor for Nation’s Restaurant News where he monitors and reports on trends. When asked about broad restaurant trends, he talked about West African food taking root with its flavors and influences percolating in robust, hearty, and deliciously warm ways. Another one of the restaurant trends discussed: the attention being paid to sensorily sensitive people by giving them opportunities to enjoy a meal in an environment that’s more comfortable for them.
He also noted how COVID has led to the simplification of dishes. During the pandemic, when chefs didn’t necessarily have all of the ingredients that they’d normally use in a dish, they streamlined the ingredient list—and, sometimes, even the techniques they used—and this practice has remained to a degree.
When asked about using QR codes, Bret believes that this technology can work well when a diner is looking for order accuracy and speed but may not work as well when what’s desired is a relaxing evening with friends. He also believes that hospitality can take place in the most unexpected of places.
He recalls a late-at-night visit to a Taco Bell restaurant that showed how a worker could transform the experience in which technology could be perceived as a negative. The workers were so busy managing online orders that they weren’t paying attention to him as an in-person guest. One cook, though, looked over at him to reassure him that the food was being cooked with love.
Bret also discussed his preference for how cocktails without alcohol were named: spirit-free cocktails. Although something like “no-alcohol drinks” may be a more clear description—particularly to diners who aren’t familiar with the meaning of “spirits” in this context—he likes the connotation connected to the term “free.”
Mike Kostyo
Mike Kostyo is a data expert at Datassential and, at Roots, he provided plenty of data-rich information, including to describe how the COVID pandemic has changed the restaurant landscape. This has included the need to justify value provided as the prices have needed to increase—and, unfortunately for the restaurant industry, 54 percent of diners in a recent survey believe that, as prices have increased, the quality of hospitality has actually gone down.
Mike believes that the culinary industry as a whole will need to work on enhancing hospitality. That’s because diners tend to take one bad experience and then generalize it into believing that this is typical for dining out.
As for QR codes, he doesn’t love them—but many diners (63 percent of them) do. Mike does acknowledge the benefits of them when used well, including when the technology allows for useful services like language translation. As the industry continues to adopt technology that helps the restaurants and those who manage them, there’s a missing piece, though—and that’s showing consumers why it’s beneficial to them. So, Mike encourages more messaging about the value of restaurant technology for diners.
Although it may be too early to draw definitive conclusions about what members of the Alpha Generation (born in 2010 on) may want in restaurants, they’re often born to Millennial parents who want them to have a diverse selection of healthier foods.
Mike considers a menu to be a middleman that shares information from the restaurant to the diner, and research shows that many places are doing a poor job of crafting menus. What diners want most in a menu is clarity with pictures of dishes helping in that regard.
As quick additional comments: studies show that consumers love the refill—whether that’s water or condiments—as a sign of receiving personal attention. They also appreciate new dishes and approaches that are combined with the familiar.
Maeve Webster
Maeve Webster of Menu Matters is an experienced culinary consultant and restaurant industry trend spotter. She has observed that, post-COVID, restaurants have really needed to look inward to determine what makes sense—meaning, with staffing, supply chain issues, pricing, and more.
Solutions that have been attempted, such as ghost kitchens, may have solved issues for the kitchens themselves but not necessarily for consumers. Economic models that once worked aren’t as successful any more because of significant psychological changes that took place in consumers during the pandemic. For example, although diners are willing to pay more for services if they’re important, they may not be as willing to do so with commodity-like experiences.
Cuisine-wise, she noted a rise in Japanese and Scandinavian ones, which actually have components in common that can complement one another well.
Maeve believes that tech is not a draw if it doesn’t help with the hospitality experience. Younger generations are used to being surrounded by tech, so it isn’t perceived as a bonus while people over sixty-five may not want to transition to tech. Paper menus, in fact, are making a comeback and should always be available as an alternative to tech options.
Post-COVID, menus have contracted in ways that Maeve thinks are permanent. Restaurants are focusing more on their core competencies: what they do well and what consistently sells. She encourages restaurants and chefs to feel comfortable walking away from trends that don’t make sense for their brand and to avoid trend chasing. What’s most important is the emotional experience of being respected and well cared for.
If restaurants do want to examine trends, they should look at what’s lying beneath them rather than the specifics of the trends themselves. This could be connected to flavor, a format, or the experience.
The Next Generation Diner
Diners are largely comfortable with and accepting of restaurant industry trends as long as they can perceive the benefits and as long as it provides them with an authentic dining experience. What they expect can vary, depending upon the type of dining. With more casual dining experiences, accuracy and speed may be more important than the experience that’s desired with an upscale restaurant.
Shaping the Future: Restaurant Industry Trends
As the restaurant industry continues to evolve, it is essential for businesses to remain agile and responsive to the changing needs of the next generation diner. Embracing simplicity when something more complex isn’t necessary, involving the community in menu development, and balancing technology with human touch are some of the strategies that may help to define the future of dining establishments. To succeed in this evolving industry, restaurants must prioritize innovation, adaptability, and a deep understanding of their diverse customer base. By doing so, they can not only survive but also thrive in the exciting times ahead.