4 trends shaping the dining experience

The new white paper, titled New concepts in Foodservice: Best of 2018 explores four foodservice industry trends impacting consumers’ expectations regarding the dining experience.

Clean and green living

As health and ethical trends become increasingly important for consumers, foodservice players are embracing localisation, the shortening of distances between the source of an ingredient and the restaurant. Some restaurants take this even further by 'hyper-localising' the supply chain with urban farming because of environmental benefits and the perception of fresher food.

Individualised eating experiences

Restaurants are offering more tailored dining experiences to a variety of consumer types such as solo diners with the increasing popularity of single-portion meals in metropolitan cities where consumers cook less and eat out more. Meals designed specifically for individual portions also help reduce food waste and are particularly attractive to consumers with dietary control and calorie counting concerns.

Increasing engagement through gamification

Gamification is an emerging digital strategy for restaurants looking to engage with consumers in and out of the restaurant by integrating games or challenges into the dining experience, creating a deeper connection between the consumer and brand. This level of engagement can push a brand to the forefront of the consumer’s mind and can incentivise them to return for future visits.

Connecting with the busy consumer

Time-crunched consumers need more convenient dining options and new innovative technologies are allowing restaurants to meet this growing demand for convenience. Consumers want frictionless meal options and higher quality meals delivered to their homes or on-the-go. Third-party players and digital-friendly formats are catering to the busy consumer, but expectations are higher than ever.

Stephen Dutton, senior foodservice analyst at Euromonitor International explains, “Global foodservice is expected to increase by an additional $359 billion over the next five years. The battle to earn part of this additional revenue is more difficult than ever as consumer expectations are higher, placing more pressure on foodservice operators to incorporate quality into every inch of the experience or risk losing out to more daring concepts.”