2021: A Year of Strategic Questions for Restaurants 

6 Min Read By Buck Sleeper

Perhaps the biggest question on restaurateurs’ minds right now is: “Do I plan for the 2021 I was expecting, or can I just go back to 2019?” After all, the news is swarming with stories about vaccines that seem to be working. We’re also seeing a troubling shift towards apathy and exhaustion that has us wondering if rules will be followed anyway—just as the third surge of COVID arrives.

Amid all this, you yourself might be asking: “Do I design for a COVID universe or do I design for the last normal?” Worry not. My colleagues and I at EPAM Continuum have been thinking of 2021 and the trends that will soon be served to us. I’ve applied that thinking to formulate some answers, and a few more strategic questions, below. 

Curbside Appeal Curbside became a thing during the pandemic. What kind of thing will it be next year? Curbside is something that the industry always needed to figure out. It's extremely convenient if you just want to quickly run in and out and…