A new report from the foodservice industry analysts at Horizons looks at how menus are changing in restaurants, pubs and hotels - but how do the current trends influence the best choice of restaurant or pub furniture?
Unusually, there is currently a clear distinction between pubs and other establishments that serve food, whereas often trends like the rise of American-inspired dishes, from burgers and hot dogs to mac and cheese, span the entire foodservice sector.
But in the recent data, pubs have lowered the price of starters by an eighth in the year ending summer 2016, while restaurant starter prices are up 8.1% and in hotels prices are up a hefty 15.6%.
In contrast, main course prices are up by 1.4% in pubs, whereas in restaurants they have fallen by 1.2%; as of this summer, the average main course costs £9.81 in a pub and only slightly more at £11.15 in a restaurant, showing significant convergence between the two types of establishment.
The trend indicates that some restaurants are focusing more on snacks and side orders - lighter bites that customers can grab outside of the usual mealtimes and without having to spend hours on their meal.
You have several options to support this trend in your choice of restaurant furniture, whether you choose bistro stools and tables for customers to perch while they wolf down a snack, or differentiate your interiors from that trend with luxurious, comfortable seating to encourage diners to remain for longer.
In terms of pub furniture, those are venues that have always offered a good selection of bar snacks, which perhaps goes some way to explain why starters are less significant on their main menus.
With main courses rising in value though, and a three-course meal up by 1.1% at nearly £19 per person in pubs, it's a good time to reassess your dining area - or if you don't have one, to take a fresh look at all of your pub furniture in general - and make sure you are driving the best return on investment from your premises.
From traditional bentwood furniture for pubs, to luxurious straight-backed leather dining chairs for gastropubs, there's bar furniture to suit all dining styles, allowing you to design your interiors for a close match with your menu prices and style of food.