Each year brings new trends and ideas, and the eating out industry is no different. In 2017 we saw trends that fitted around the large movement towards healthy eating. Restaurants put a greater emphasis on vegan cooking and using locally sourced, sustainable products.
With 2018 now upon us, we look to a year of new trends and followings. Here, we take a look at what trends to expect in the eating out industry in 2018.
Recommendations
Having members of staff that are able to provide customers with good recommendations based on their likes and dislikes are more likely to build a meaningful rapport with them – encouraging repeat custom.
Technology can help staff to easily offer suggestions from the menu that are dependent on the customer’s mood, diet, allergies or reason for visiting.
Table for one?
Waitrose’s food and drink report 2017-18 found that 78 per cent of consumers believe going to eat in a pub or restaurant alone was now more socially acceptable than it was five years ago.
The top reasons for more people dining alone were the belief that it was no longer a taboo (75 per cent) and that restaurants had become more ‘single-person-friendly’ (46 per cent). With more people likely to venture out alone in 2018, restaurants need to encourage an environment where lone-diners feel comfortable.
The fourth meal
Traditionally speaking, restaurants can cater for three meals each day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, more and more people are now trying to squeeze brunch in as their fourth meal.
The number of Brits going out to eat brunch has increased and it’s up to restaurants to make the most of the market.
Click and collect
Click and collect is set to benefit both the customer and operator. By ordering food ahead of arrival, it means that the customer doesn’t have to wait in queues and the operator can serve more people as there is less waiting time.
The process will be particularly popular with millennials. To get it right, restaurants will need reconfiguring and staff will need to be trained in using the new technology.
New restaurant furniture for 2018
It’s not just the food and hospitality trends that your restaurant needs to follow. The New Year can be the perfect time to refurbish your interior to give it a new lease of life. If your restaurant furniture is in need of a reboot, browse our selection of restaurant furniture or call our team on 0116 2989 897 for advice.