The first half of the year has passed. The Covid-19 crisis has begun to ease somewhat. The past situation is a signal for consumers to pay more attention to their health and well-being, especially their food selection, which is important for physical, mental, and emotional health. In addition, consumers' food purchasing behavior has also changed in other ways. Let's #summarize interesting restaurant trends in the second half of the year, in case we can apply them to our restaurants for the rest of 2022.
1. The number of dishes on the menu has been reduced, allowing the restaurant to focus on the quality of the food that will be made better, making it easier for customers to choose their dishes, and reducing the cost of raw materials. Unused ingredients can be cut out, and labor costs can also be reduced.
2. Many restaurants are choosing to offer #smaller-plate menus at lower prices, which will encourage customers to order more and more food, especially those with limited funds. Smaller menus allow customers to order more dishes per order, giving them a wider variety of food.
3. Opening restaurants as Ghost kitchens and selling through App delivery We will start to see more and more people opening restaurants without a storefront, especially in an era where ordering food through food delivery apps is easy for customers. Restaurants themselves do not have to bear the burden of renting a storefront. They can use the kitchen at home or accommodation to cook and sell. Opening a store on an app or social media is not as difficult as before.
4. Farm-to-table concept - If the restaurant has space to grow its own ingredients or makes deals with local farmers, try using home-grown or direct-deal ingredients as the main ingredients in every dish of the restaurant. This allows customers to receive healthy, fresh, tasty food that is specially selected from the restaurant's farm. In a way, this is a form of CSR marketing to promote the sustainability of local farmers.
5. Restaurants are starting to focus on #improving the quality of their food and adding #vegan menu items. As the number of consumers who are turning to vegetarianism increases and the focus is more on plant-based foods, the development of plant-based foods that can replace meat will also increase. Therefore, we will see more Plant Based foods in the future.
6. Food trucks have grown rapidly in the past year and there will definitely be more entrepreneurs turning to selling food in the form of food trucks in the near future. But the business opportunity is still high because this is the period when people start to live outside their homes after being locked down for a long time. Festivals, music events, and fun parties will be organized more often. These events always need Food Trucks to join the event. In addition, gas stations, department stores, and supermarkets have started to arrange areas for Food Trucks to park and sell in the parking lots of many malls.
How should restaurants prepare?
1. The number of dishes on the menu has been reduced, allowing the restaurant to focus on the quality of the food that will be made better, making it easier for customers to choose their dishes, and reducing the cost of raw materials. Unused ingredients can be cut out, and labor costs can also be reduced.
2. Many restaurants are choosing to offer #smaller-plate menus at lower prices, which will encourage customers to order more and more food, especially those with limited funds. Smaller menus allow customers to order more dishes per order, giving them a wider variety of food.
3. Opening restaurants as Ghost kitchens and selling through App delivery We will start to see more and more people opening restaurants without a storefront, especially in an era where ordering food through food delivery apps is easy for customers. Restaurants themselves do not have to bear the burden of renting a storefront. They can use the kitchen at home or accommodation to cook and sell. Opening a store on an app or social media is not as difficult as before.
4. Farm-to-table concept - If the restaurant has space to grow its own ingredients or makes deals with local farmers, try using home-grown or direct-deal ingredients as the main ingredients in every dish of the restaurant. This allows customers to receive healthy, fresh, tasty food that is specially selected from the restaurant's farm. In a way, this is a form of CSR marketing to promote the sustainability of local farmers.
5. Restaurants are starting to focus on #improving the quality of their food and adding #vegan menu items. As the number of consumers who are turning to vegetarianism increases and the focus is more on plant-based foods, the development of plant-based foods that can replace meat will also increase. Therefore, we will see more Plant Based foods in the future.
6. Food trucks have grown rapidly in the past year and there will definitely be more entrepreneurs turning to selling food in the form of food trucks in the near future. But the business opportunity is still high because this is the period when people start to live outside their homes after being locked down for a long time. Festivals, music events, and fun parties will be organized more often. These events always need Food Trucks to join the event. In addition, gas stations, department stores, and supermarkets have started to arrange areas for Food Trucks to park and sell in the parking lots of many malls.
How should restaurants prepare?
- Restaurants need to do more homework, understand where their food and ingredients come from, as customers are increasingly concerned about environmental sustainability, human rights, and not torturing animals even when they are used for food. The food production process also needs to be environmentally friendly.
- Food and drinks with original flavors because there are quite a few people who yearn for the tastes of the past from eating familiar, original-flavored food that they haven't eaten in a long time. If restaurants can study recipes and make food that is as close to the original flavor as possible, it will help meet the needs of customers. Don't forget that food and mood are inseparable.
- Dining out can be a more enjoyable experience for customers. Restaurants can spice things up by creating themed menus, holding cooking workshops, and decorating their premises to attract more customers after people have been staying at home for so long.
- Try creating a menu with new flavors. It will add fun and difference between familiar and unknown flavors. It will prevent customers from getting bored and can create a good identity for the shop.
