In the past few years, the Indian restaurant industry has gone through many ups & downs. A large part of the industry & its labor force suffered because of COVID-19. Many traditional restaurant trends & practices, which people assumed to be fool-proof tricks to success, fell flat on its face during the pandemic.
Yet the industry coped up just as fast as it collapsed. In fact, post-pandemic, a large share of restaurant owners were young & inexperienced restaurateurs who had decided to bend the situation to their advantage and create unique USPs for their businesses to attract customers!
Take the example of the vegan & plant-based diet! The older model of restaurants failed to cater to this new food trend, but many young restaurants were happy to cater to it. There was a considerable increase in the adoption of restaurant tech, which benefited the growth of the business. The restaurant industry has now become well-equipped with profitable CRM tools & continues gaining customer loyalty by providing personalized experiences to their customers.
These are a few of many unprecedented restaurant trends which will not be going ‘out of fashion’ for years to come. And if you are a restaurant owner wondering about what’s new is happening in the industry & how can make the best of these new opportunities, then keep reading this blog!
Restaurant Trends Every Restaurateur Should Know About
Some of these trends are now so prevalent that their convenience & utility speak for themselves.
1. Online Food Delivery & At-home Dining
Over the recent years, most restaurants have pivoted towards catering to their customers through online food delivery or takeaways. While it initially seemed inconvenient & even scary, both the parties (restaurants and their customers) have gotten used to it! And now, at-home dining is so prevalent that eating outside is, ironically, all about eating your favorite meal without stepping out of your house.
The convenience of at-home dining paired with its safety has created a huge shift in demand. With the rise in technology and new third-party ordering platforms, it has become easy for restaurants to cater to this demand with ease. The competition on online delivery platforms has increased manifold, and restaurants need to come up with creative ways to improve their visibility.
Hence, the biggest restaurant trend in 2023 would likely be how to get creative with take-out food to cater to this food-at-home demand!
Restaurants have been eager to promote their brands outside their premises & create a restaurant-like dining experience for their customers at their homes! Click here to learn how you can easily do the same!
2. Rise In Cloud Kitchens
Cloud kitchen? Ghost kitchen? Virtual kitchen? Call it anything you want, but this restaurant trend has now become a million-dollar industry & is on the way to becoming a billion-dollar sector. Read it for yourself, if you don’t believe us!
Because of the difficult situation Covid-19 created, Cloud kitchens emerged as the survival method for restaurants. And now, it has become popular among passionate chefs and restaurant owners. Cloud kitchen has numerous benefits. It requires lesser labor & lesser restaurant maintenance & infrastructure cost. Restaurants that already have a defined online presence and delivery personnel can successfully grow their business by opening multiple cloud outlets running from the same dine-in kitchen.
With a rise in online delivery and better restaurant technology, cloud kitchens are here to stay!
Did you know according to a report by RedSeer, the cloud kitchen market in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12% and reach $2 billion by 2024?
Read all about India’s most successful cloud kitchens here!
3. Introducing Tasty Healthy Food
Customers have switched their eating habits & of course, restaurant trends have changed too! There is no way that words like ‘vegan-based diet’, ‘Organic food items, or ‘Plant-based diet’ hasn’t reached your ears. You can say that after cooking & eating in the comforts of their homes, the customers are looking for the same healthy restaurant menu even outside.
With increasing consumer awareness about the importance of healthy eating and living, many restaurants now focus on using fresh and organic ingredients, avoiding excessive oil and spices, and offering vegan and plant-based options. The trend also benefits the environment, as it promotes sustainable and ethical food practices. And this trend towards tasty and healthy food options is only expected to grow in popularity!
If you are just as confused as we were about these terms, don’t worry! We will help you understand everything about these new eating habits of customers & even help you create your own restaurant vegan menu!
4. Increase in Adoption of CRM Tools
It wasn’t that restaurants didn’t care about customers before. But in the previous arrangements, in most cases, the restaurants waited for customers to approach their business. Now due to the rise in competition in the industry & rise in CRM-based technology like loyalty programs, businesses are eagerly taking their businesses to their target audiences.
CRM tools are a great way to quickly segment customer information based on different factors and track, engage and reward your loyal customers. You can increase your sales, boost customer loyalty, and even conveniently collect customer feedback using CRM tools. Read our blog here to know how to use this tech smartly in your restaurant to increase profits.
Given the multiple benefits a CRM tool offers a restaurant, their adoption will only increase in the coming years!
5. Restaurant Technology
Technology has been one of the key aspects which have helped the survival of restaurants! Be it kitchen automation, software support, or robot waiters. Restaurant trends will never be bored of new technology updates!
In today’s restaurant industry, technology has become crucial for improving efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction. As a result, restaurants need to embrace automation quickly. Industry forecasts predict that more restaurants will automate their operations shortly. By embracing technology, restaurants will be better equipped to meet the demands of their customers and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving industry.
The future of restaurant food service revolves around the concept of contactless ordering and fast delivery! The use of robots as waiters in restaurants is on a rise. The robot waiters have not only become a viable way to increase profit margins but have also allowed the human staff to take over menial tasks and free them to focus on customer service and other high-value interactions. These robots take orders and serve food to the tables.
Read Advanced Restaurant Technology To Look Out For In 2023.
6. Digital Marketing Expansion
If your restaurant doesn’t have a website of its own, an active social media account & google my business account, then it’s time you get on this restaurant trend because you are missing a LOT of business!
Your restaurant website is your digital address. Trust us when we say this, more than 70% of customers Google restaurants & reviews before visiting any establishment! And so, not having a website & actively working to take customer feedback on every channel & in every way possible is a big mistake!
The number of social media users is constantly growing. This platform acts as an easy tool to reach out to a large audience of foodies via a single tap. Restaurants can use social media to advertise their brand, create personal experiences and enhance customer retention.
The pandemic spurred some fundamental changes in the way restaurants operated. However, let’s not forget that delicious food accompanied by exceptional customer service (dine-in or delivery) will always be the most important aspect of the food industry.
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The major factor between the two is
Presentation
Temperature difference
Packaging
Any Dine out restaurants has the positive effect of presentation. You eat first with the eyes. The take way does not give the same . Well further the packaging is always below standard in all the restaurant and many 5 star hotels as because of the cost factor, travelling distance and food getting cold is the other reason that we have to study in deep. Though there is many solution for all the above but now people are working on it.
Three main reason
Presentation
Packaging
Temperature
Both the kitchen is good, the basic difference are the above. We are still way behind the modern way of delivery. Well a good Chef always like his meal to eat through his eyes first as he is the major roll to play and service doesn’t have any factor to play in take way.