It’s been another disruptive year for the restaurant industry. While the pandemic is thankfully over, its ramifications – product shortages, supply chain interruptions, and stiff competition for workers – continue. In 2022, we’ve also experienced food production challenges, stalled exports out of Ukraine, and extreme weather destroying crops. Plus, inflation is soaring, with the price of consumer goods hitting a 40-year high.
But there is some good news. Trends for 2023 look positive, with the restaurant industry prioritizing sustainability, transparency, safety, quality, and accuracy. Also promising: technology solutions will help brands of all sizes elevate their operations in the new year.
I predict the following trends for 2023:
- A bigger focus on sustainability. Shuggie’s, a climate-friendly restaurant in San Francisco, passionately prioritizes sustainability. They pride themselves on “rescuing” ingredients that would have gone to waste, including irregular or surplus produce, food byproducts, and meat offcuts, using these items for their “upcycled” menu. The National Restaurant Association predicts that zero waste, sustainability, and upcycled foods will trend in 2023, and I agree wholeheartedly. Technology will be instrumental in driving sustainability, helping us develop more sustainable ways to produce food (like vertical farming), find better ways to reduce waste, and reduce our dependence on foreign exports. In 2023, we’ll see forward-thinking restaurants boosting sustainability in creative, new ways.
- Adoption of smart tech solutions. Many restaurants implemented tech solutions out of necessity during the pandemic. In the coming year, more restaurants will feature paperless menus, touchless payment, self-service kiosks, and other tech conveniences. It will also be exciting to see brands implementing AI, machine learning, and automation to elevate the customer experience.
- Loyalty programs will grow. It costs five times as much to recruit a new customer as it does to retain an existing one. Therefore, we’ll see a growing emphasis on increasing customer loyalty. Many brands have already implemented loyalty programs – e.g., buy 10 sandwiches and get the 11th free – but now they’ll leverage technology to boost customer engagement, incentivizing customers to visit and buy. Additionally, implementing gamification strategies will make rewards even more enticing.