Restaurant Trends 2022

SNEAK PEEK OF OUR NEW GUIDE

This past year has been a rollercoaster ride for the restaurant industry. There were several challenges restaurateurs were hit with that forced them to take immediate action.

In today’s world, every single day brings a little bit of uncertainty, so looking ahead to the entire year can be intimidating. To guide you through these unpredictable times, we’ve created the ultimate guide that includes the latest emerging trends of 2022.

This guide includes extensive insight into emerging trends that we expect to evolve going into the new year. We’ve provided in-depth tips and strategies from culinary experts and market analysts to overcome any challenge you might face.

Here’s a sneak peek of some of the top trends we expect to see:

Supply Chain Issues and Menu Management

The labor shortage affects the number of willing workers, affecting menu prices and the supply chain. The labor shortage has also significantly impacted the trucking and shipping industries. Finding drivers has been a challenge for suppliers, leaving restaurants without the necessary food and supplies they need.

Supply chain issues are causing an increase in menu prices. Food manufacturers and producers are paying higher wages to retain their workforce, leading to higher customer costs. Since prices of ingredients and labor have increased, it’s shown that 65% of operators’ profit margins have shrunk in the previous three months.

Equipment shortages have become an increasingly challenging situation for restaurants. They can cause restaurants to delay opening and have slowed down customer traffic due to slower cook times. Without the right equipment, restaurants cannot serve guests as promptly as possible.

Operators will be forced to find alternative menu options if food shortages persist. With the equipment shortage, restaurant operators will have to do more with less and use technology to keep their operations profitable.

In the meantime, practicing inventory management is key to getting through these shortages. One of the most beneficial ways to improve your inventory strategy is by implementing a mobile restaurant solution.

A mobile restaurant solution allows your servers to monitor what’s in stock and what’s running low, keeping them updated in real-time to all menu changes. With an all-in-one menu integration, the solution is connected directly to your POS in the restaurant, so all menu, pricing, and item availability data are entirely automated. This type of system helps control costs and maximize profits.

Automated menu management systems streamline operations for your restaurant. Managers can focus on the service rather than accounting for inventory. It saves time for servers, so they aren’t running back and forth to receive inventory information.

Reusable and Recyclable Packaging

An emerging trend we will see for the restaurant industry in 2022 is reusing and recycling packaging. Implementing sustainable efforts like these benefits the environment, spreads awareness, and lets your customers know your values go beyond great food and service.

Using the same containers, in the same form, over and over again ideally eases the demand for virgin materials, reduces the energy needed to spit out thousands of new plastic bottles or cardboard boxes, and prevents heaps of trash from ending up in landfills or oceans.

Not only does this benefit the environment, but business as well. Many customers prefer sustainable packaging at restaurants. About 67% of consumers consider it essential that the products they buy are in recyclable packaging, and the same percentage consider themselves environmentally aware.

Sustainable packaging maintains food quality and retains temperature. These sustainable efforts affect consumers’ buying behavior and whether or not they are willing to dine-in at your restaurant.

Self-Service Kiosks

Self-service kiosks are among the emerging technology trends popping up at many quick-service and fast-casual restaurants. These touch-screen machines speed up the process of ordering in-store without having to wait in long lines.

Kiosks increase the average order size. According to an e-book by Stratix, the average check from a guest using a self-service kiosk is 15-30% higher than an order placed at the counter. This is strongly related to how kiosks automatically upsell – something your staff may forget to do.

Self-service kiosks increase revenue because of their effect on customer satisfaction. Kiosks positively impact customers’ moods, and touch screens can create a unique dining experience and imbue positive feelings in customers.

Installing a self-service kiosk can boost sales by 5-6% during the first year of its implementation. And the prediction is that the global kiosk market will reach $30.8 billion by 2024.

Robotics

In response to the labor shortage, robotics have appeared due to the limited number of employees working. Restaurants and hotels can benefit from these robots, which are automatic, intelligent, and contactless.

Here is a look at some of the advantages robots offer: