This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Fast food and casual dining are currently seeing higher traffic. With dining out becoming more of an occasional treat, it's very important that guests have a great experience – whether that's at an upmarket restaurant or a fast food outlet. When they do eat out, they're often choosing cheaper options.
Successfully navigating fluctuating food costs, especially with volatile ingredients like eggs, requires a multi-faceted approach, Mike Stasko Jr., What are the best practices for dealing with food costs for recipes when necessary items are fluctuating in price? What are the best ways to ensure food safety when sourcing eggs?
As digital transactions become ubiquitous, businesses across all sectors are embracing innovations that reshape the way they interact with customers. In 2025, the restaurant industry will continue to adapt to these payment innovations, with a focus on eliminating cash transactions and prioritizing seamless, digital payment methods.
This is an innovation that consumers appreciate: 42 percent of diners have already used kiosks , and one in every three people say they would like restaurants to have more kiosks available. Thanks to these technologies, tasks such as orderingfood and paying bills can take place on a self-service basis.
Steady Online Ordering Brings Food Waste, Donations to the Forefront of Priorities Orderingfood online increases restaurant sales, but it also can potentially increase wasted food if proactive measures aren’t taken – for both the business and consumers at home.
Extraordinary times always seem to lead to extraordinary innovations, and the restaurant industry is currently in the midst of perhaps the greatest time of upheaval, ever. A large part of their success are the innovations that are reinventing their restaurants to accommodate a changed consumer base. Simple online ordering.
“Through expansive experiences that inspire our guests paired with the ambiance of the space and the food on the plate, we’re setting new standards for the industry and creating truly spectacular moments for all who enter our restaurants and bars.” That’s where the NEXT Flavor Report comes in.
The QSR industry is heading into 2025 at a crossroads of innovation and expectation. At the same time, a rise in fast-food prices driven by inflation is reshaping consumer behavior, with many customers now treating fast food as a splurge rather than a convenience. Menu innovation has become a key way to deliver value.
For example, Chick-fil-A ihas used drone footage and cameras to optimize speed and accuracy at their drive-thru and Tang expects more innovation from the brand. "If Rising minimum wage and higher food/operational costs are an unsustainable recipe. Drive-thru ordering and pickup was created for speed and convenience.
Minimizing Menu Price Increases : Just because diners are still eating out and ordering in, does not mean they are happy about higher menu prices. Optimize Supply Chains : Use AI inventory tools to reduce food waste and ensure your supply chain is as efficient as possible. The key is to keep these promotions short to avoid menu bloat.
Yet even then, operators were innovating—often quietly and creatively. Over the last two decades, I’ve worked alongside operators in just about every hospitality setting—independent cafés, high-end dining rooms, food halls, and regional chains. Real-time insights? Virtually nonexistent.
As we step into 2025, the restaurant, bar, and hospitality industries are experiencing transformative shifts driven by evolving consumer preferences, technological innovation, and economic dynamics. As we navigate these changes, one theme stands out: innovation.
Train food, Ive come to learn, is its own distinct and expansive category. I often bring my own food on long train rides: okra stew and crab rice, or perhaps my dads spaghetti and meatballs, as well as fruits and cakes, all packed in my trusted backpack cooler, along with an electric travel Crock-Pot that has saved me on many Amtrak trips.
Restaurants are already experimenting with using AI to handle drive through orders to allow human employees to focus on customer interactions in the restaurant. I think smart, AI-enabled platforms will turn data into intelligence around visit frequency, ordering, traffic patterns and more.
In order to achieve long-term success and build essential brand credibility, restaurants must cultivate meaningful experiences and relationships to help drive growth and expansion. National food holidays, once everyday occurrences on the culinary calendar, have evolved into marketing goldmines for restaurants.
The initial inclination is to shift resources away from communications efforts, but restaurants should not abandon the innovative marketing strategies they have developed and executed during the shutdown to survive. Loyalty club members earn points for dollars spent and receive free food when they reach a milestone number of points.
These systems can understand various accents and dialects, process orders accurately, and even upsell menu items based on customer preferences. Inside restaurants, AI is powering self-ordering kiosks and chatbots, streamlining the ordering process and reducing human error.
” Restaurants should focus on tech that adds real value, not just innovation for innovation’s sake, Fink noted. “Additionally, restaurants across all categories can leverage AI for personalized deals, using consumer data to offer tailored discounts and menu recommendations that drive repeat visits.”
A Dilemma of “Super Size” Proportions Amid rising food prices and shifting consumer preferences, the restaurant industry is facing a dilemma of “super size” proportions. Red Robin climbs 3 percent to 78 thanks in large part to its focus on menu and food. Still, the food and service metrics are quite high.
By mid-2024, 82 percent of food and beverage operators were still actively recruiting, with chefs and cooks comprising 30 percent of open roles. Economic shifts including inflation-driven cost increases in food, utilities and supplies; regulatory changes and climate-related disruptions will continue to challenge restaurant operators.
The prominence of food delivery and service robots has increased in the overall restaurant industry. In order to deal with these uncertainties, the top players had to work on bringing in technological advancements to survive and recover from the losses caused by the pandemic. Rise of Service Robots- A New Era of Human-Like Services.
This will also allow the operator to concentrate on the operational and menu aspects, ensuring that both customer service and menu innovation remain exceptional and continuously evolving. People are looking for authenticity and transparency, so highlighting where your ingredients come from or how food is made can go a long way.
In recent years, the food service industry has undergone a rapid transformation of automation and increased technology usage. This has led to many perks for consumers, such as reduced wait times, contactless ordering, and more personalized offers and rewards. Perkins American Food Co. percent from 2025 to 2033 and reach US$ 345.6
From smarter ordering systems to food that travels better, here’s what pizzeria owners can expect in the year ahead. On the customer side, AI is beginning to play a more significant role in online ordering. This not only frees up labor but also reduces order errors.
By Bailey Ramsey, Contributor Food waste is a critical issue in the restaurant industry. To put this in perspective, restaurants waste anywhere between 4% to 10% of the food they purchase. Predicting Customer Demand Accurately One of the leading causes of food waste in restaurants is overproduction.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to fluctuations in domestic producer prices, particularly in the food sector , according to the U.S. Combine the rising prices of food with the drive to be more sustainable, and we have reached the point where we need to reduce, reuse, and shop local. Rather than waste food, we can redistribute it.
A third of diners said their favorite restaurant changed in the past 12 months, with “better food” (46 percent) and “better value” (40 percent) cited as the leading reasons, according to Tillster’s 2025 Phygital Index Report. The survey of 1,500 U.S. The survey of 1,500 U.S.-based
As we close out 2022, food production is at risk. We’re still facing product shortages, exacerbated by ongoing supply chain interruptions and the Russian-Ukrainian war stalling food shipments – including 9.5 Inflation is causing food prices – and food insecurity – to soar. . Focus on Sustainable Food Production.
Plant-based foods have hit restaurants worldwide and they are coming up with a wide range of options. Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, for instance, have made a wide array of similar-looking food products available, and diners have responded favorably. Some other restaurants going with the vegan flow are.
Restaurant operators need to embrace menu and technological innovations in order to meet guest expectations this holiday season, according to the Fall/Winter Trend report: a report produced by Provoke Insights in collaboration with Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine. "Our
We were ill-prepared for the COVID pandemic that devastated the food industry with supply chain disruptions, product and labor shortages, and soaring inflation. The biggest learning from COVID is that food businesses must be prepared for any crisis – and ensure their suppliers all along the supply chain are also prepared and resilient.
Independent restaurants have always been cornerstones of community, providing anything from comfort foods to places to unwind, but despite their vital role in society, adapting to the challenges continues to be a struggle. Faster service and a reduced strain on staff–a game changer for restaurants operating with lean teams.
More than eight in ten restaurant operators expect 2025 sales to meet or exceed 2024 levels, but rising competition will require differentiation through experience, service, and innovation, according to The National Restaurant Association’s 2025 State of the Restaurant Industry report. Consumers have pent-up demand for restaurant meals.
While the company has products specifically designed for each vertical, such as appointments, eCommerce, online ordering and reservation management, its uniqueness lies in offering high-powered capabilities that every business needs. Tastewise, an AI-powered food intelligence solution, launched in the UK. ” Tastewise Data. .
Luckily, modern technology has introduced several innovations that streamline the restaurant relocation process, making it more efficient, cost-effective, and manageable. In this article, we’ll explore the key tech innovations that are simplifying restaurant relocation and helping owners make a seamless transition to their new space.
Joe Kahn, founder and chief innovation officer of the Columbus, Ohio-based chain, felt that guests were ready for more flavor excitement and better-quality ingredients. “I Joe was like a mad scientist in the innovation lab,” added Sarah Kear, CMO of 52-location Condado Tacos. “We The new, improved margaritas rolled out June 10.
Dark kitchens or virtual kitchens––real places staffed with non-ectoplasmic people—bring efficiencies to running a restaurant by providing off-site commissary services for delivery orders. Without these pricey anchors dragging down your profitability, you just might be able to focus on making food, and not making rent.
Integrating IoT devices and connectivity drives efficiency, enhances food safety, mitigates risks, increases transparency, reduces waste, and provides many other benefits for restaurants. The numerous, significant benefits of using IoT in the restaurant industry include: Enhancing food safety. Optimizing shelf life and reducing waste.
In just three weeks, they created a native solution that allowed Clover restaurant merchants to enable online ordering for delivery or curbside pickup. This digital innovation has been helpful for small business, with roughly 20 percent of all transaction volume for Clover restaurants running through online ordering.
We like to say waffles “drip with success” for food service operators, and it's because of four key factors: profitability, versatility, consumer experience and operational efficiency. Also, with its versatility across day parts, operators don’t have to bring in additional SKUs for new menu innovations.
Hart joins food-and-games investment company Emerging The Chicago-based company is behind Puttshack, F1 Arcade, Flight Club and the upcoming Poolhouse. The growth capital firm behind the food-and-games brands Puttshack, F1 Arcade and Flight Club has added more restaurant industry firepower to its leadership team. Photo: Shutterstock.
While price may be one of the drivers of the visit, the restaurant staff must deliver on the experience expected, from taste to food variety and quality, and good service. Restaurants will need to maintain a strong innovation pipeline and focus their communications on value, taste, experience, and convenience.
They are top spots for the best food in France. Even rural cafés in distant locales have adopted the bistro blueprint: hearty food served in a welcoming space. Simple, rustic dishes like coq au vin, cassoulet, and steak frites are everyday staples, offering diners a taste of the comfort food generations have loved.
Restaurants are going digital, with innovations like contactless ordering, reservation apps, and personalized marketing driven by data. It’s a new era of dining, where your favorite spot knows not only your name but also your order. But simplicity doesn’t mean it can’t be innovative. And who knows?
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 49,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content