Restaurant Trends

The restaurant industry is about to make a major change with the upcoming government law to label menus with health information and calorie counts. Any restaurant with 20 units or more will have to enforce this law, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Along with the upcoming law, restaurant-goers are already expecting full disclosure on menus. Social networking is of increasing importance with restaurant reviews. Consumers trust friends on Facebook and reviews on Yelp compared to marketing professionals. Both Technomic national market research firm and QSR Magazine state that smart phone applications are becoming essential for restaurants as well as the ability to text orders ahead of time or receive discounts.

Sullivision.com training and consulting company claims that consumers are starting to flock to food items with the name “artisan” in it because of the fresh and local aspect. Authentic foods are becoming more important than unhealthy fast food. Specifically, Southeast Asian foods and Indian foods are trending right now on menus. Technomic also predicts the rising trend in ethnic and artisan foods in addition to global cuisine. Consumers are asking for fresh food that supports the local farmers and also serves their community.

Restaurants will also be doing more spontaneous promotions instead of discounting their food. Flexibility will be another trend from fast casual to full service with opportunities to begin catering. Food trucks and seasonal pop-up restaurants are continuing as a fad. Both trend watcher Andrew Freeman & Company and Zagat claim that self-built restaurants and mom and pop shops are increasing in popularity, in addition to single-purpose restaurants such as Peanut Butter Palace