PREDICTION SOURCES: Restaurant Business Online, Delivering The Digital Restaurant, Modern Restaurant Management, Lentils, Delish, NY Times, Eating Well, Institute of Food Technologists, Bake Magazine, National Restaurant Association
- Restaurants will have to recover and reboot. (a)
- They’ll need to do more with less due to supply and labor shortages. More orders, more revenue with smaller menus, store footprints, but better individual food quality.
- Restaurant workers are demanding more. (i)
- To win the competition for talent, restaurants will provide more support for workers including a focus on training, culture, and career progression.
- Restaurants will need to elevate the consumer experience. (a)
- They’ll need to offer more immersive, interactive, and memorable experiences that work harder to tie consumers to brands offline and online.
- Sustainability concerns are growing. (a)
- Increases in to-go orders have put waste in the spotlight. Sustainable packaging is essential.
- Restaurants must rethink the bar. (a)
- Low and non-alcoholic drinks are growing in popularity, as are “wellness” and “palate cleaner” drinks.
- Supply chain issues will persist for restaurants and consumers throughout 2022. (i)
- Consumers will eventually react to price hikes and that will drive a further spike in off-premise sales as consumers look to save where they can – beverages, tips, babysitters.
- The global flavor wave has arrived. (a)
- Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Dominican, Greek, West African, Asian. These cuisines, made with easily accessible ingredients, transport people to exotic places at a time when travel is desired but limited. Think flavors like hibiscus, yuzu, turmeric, kelp, gochujang and ube.
- Plant-based foods will dominate the news in 2022. (b)
- Lentils, vegan eggs, beef proxies, vegan fried chicken, vegan breakfast sandwiches, technical advancements married with strong consumer demand and wellness concerns fueled by the pandemic mean that plant based proteins are here to stay.
- New flavor and ingredient combinations are trending.
- Safe experimentations — introducing some new ingredients, flavors, or cuisines, while also drawing on the familiar, creates excitement and experience for the consumer while also anchoring them in something they already like or love. Think global street food. Pick a common platform like meatballs and rotate that item around the globe for seasonal LTOs.
- Healthy and immunity boosting foods are hot. (b)
- With health and wellness concerns foremost in consumer minds, seeds, berries, olive oil, dark chocolate, and immunity boosting snacks are all trending.
- Street food inspired dishes are trending. (b)
- Kebabs, bibimbop, gyros, arepas. Consumers are exploring variety as an escape for limited routines resulting from the pandemic.
- Technology will be key for restaurants. (i)
- Tech will increasingly be leveraged by restaurant operators to drive top and bottom line growth, particularly as more and more integrations of systems occurs.
- Sunflower butter and safer nut butters are growing in popularity. (c)
- Substitutes due to allergies are growing. Ben & Jerrys has released ice cream flavors such as Creme Brulée Cookie, and Mint Chocolate Cookie made with sunflower butter.
- Potato milk is growing in popularity. (c)
- Made from boiled potatoes, this milk picking up steam globally.
- Direct to consumer tech will power more transactions. (i)
- As restaurants seek to diversify and control more of the consumer experience, direct-to-consumer will grow in popularity among restaurant operators.
- Espresso martinis and other combinations are hot. (c)
- The 90’s trend of eclectic martinis has been reinvented and is making a strong comeback.
- 1980’s cocktails are making a comeback. (d)
- 1980’s culture is hot, in part driven by a retro craze on social platforms. Such drinks as Amaretto Sour and Long Island Iced Tea are growing in popularity.
- Nostalgia is hot. (d)
- Such items as Dunkaroos, Bagel Bites, Lunchables, Uncrustables, Cheez Balls, and fun cereals are making a big comeback as consumers crave familiarity and continuity driven by the pandemic.
- Beauty from the inside out. (e)
- Consumers are spending more time at home and in front of mirrors, driving a fixation on foods that not only make you feel better, but look better too.
- Superfood lattes are hot. (e)
People are looking for more functional foods, and when it comes to coffee they’re looking for more than just a “caffeine buzz” — but also coffee drinks that support wellness. Think turmeric latter.
More:
