By: Sentry Marketing Group

November 6, 2014

2015 is right around the corner. We’ve boiled down predictions from two of the industry’s most established consulting groups to 7 essential bits of advice.

Falling temperatures, shorter days, and the end of daylight savings time tell us that winter is just around the corner, and with it the end of 2014.  This is the season when companies take a hard look at events and trends of the past year and industry specialists start to release their predictions and expectations for the coming one.  In the restaurant business, staying on top of these trends can be the difference between massive success and total failure.  To help you navigate the new year, we’ve boiled down the predictions from two of the industry’s most established consulting groups, Baum & Whiteman and Technomic, to 7 essential bits of advice:

1. Make technology your best friend.

Online ordering and reservations, tablets on tables, smartphone apps—these are already commonly used technologies in restaurants around the world.  In 2015, customers will expect more: the ability to pay with their phones and opportunities to participate in creating menus and dishes through social media are just a couple of the things Baum & Whiteman see on this side of the horizon.  On the other side?  Face-recognition technology that can tell the bartender exactly where you’re standing and location-based pre-ordering that will have your table and meal ready for you when you arrive.  And, as always, the more Instagram-ready fare you have, the more the buzz will favor you.

2. Don’t be afraid to try new things.

The trend we have seen in recent years of obscure and sometimes peculiar foods rocketing to top demand is expected to continue.  Here are some of the flavors and ingredients that have garnered attention from the experts:

• Root vegetables beyond carrots and potatoes (celery root, rutabega, parsnips, etc.) are already getting hot
• Korean and Vietnamese dishes are taking center stage
• The taste for bitter flavors in coffee, chocolate, beer and even vegetables (ahem Brussels sprouts) is on the rise
• Oysters are abundant and expected to show up everywhere
• Insects are starting to make their way into the mainstream as novel foodstuffs
• Pistachios are apparently this year’s “it” nut
• Better-than-bacon pork products are expected to push out the nation’s current bacon obsession
• Specialty items like fancy hot sauce, savory yogurt, and artisan toast (Baum & Whiteman heartily disapproves of this last) can give a restaurant an edge

3. Give your beverage menu some extra attention.

Even your 127 flavors of Coca-Cola products might not cut it this year.  Freaked out by processed sugar and corn syrup, boomers and millennials alike are looking for “fresh” and bad-stuff-free drinks in clear cups – things like organic iced teas and just-juiced juices; even handcrafted sodas with “natural cane sugar” will do the trick.  As long as they have what B&W calls a “halo of health”, an image created by words like  “natural”, “local”, “fresh”, 2015’s customers should scoop them up, and, conveniently, be willing to pay more for them than they would a traditional drink.

Drinks from the bar will need a little upgrade as well.  Gone are the days of mail-order bartending certificates.  In 2015, you want a “mixologist”, a cocktail artist who will know what to do with the herbal liqueurs that are coming back into style, which craft beer to recommend for your signature sweet-and-spicy wings, and just what to do with flavored whiskeys and spiced rums that will be rising in popularity.  Also on the cocktail menu for 2015, shareable punches mixed in large quantities for the whole group to enjoy, a kickback to the 50s and 60s.  No word yet on whether a fondu revival might be following close behind.

4. Keep your menu agile.

Between millenials’ obsession with customization and the wildfire-like spread of special dietary needs, it will be important that your menu be flexible enough to accommodate everyone from vegetarians to paleo pals.  A lot of restaurants have taken to marking items friendly to specific popular diets as “gluten free” or “vegan”, and this is a trend that seems to be well received.  In 2015, according to Technomic, trendy diets will rule the day and restaurants will need to ready to cater to them, providing clear labeling and even pick-and-choose menus that let customers build their own diet-friendly meals.

5. Take social responsibility seriously.

We hope that this is a part of your business model anyway, but in 2015, expect closer scrutiny of employee relations as well as a higher demand for things like locally-grown produce, fair treatment of farmers, and even house-purified water (to save on plastic bottles).

6. Relax a little.

Casual dining is in.  More and more folks are looking for a place where they can get high-quality food in a super-relaxed atmosphere.  Drop-in diners, food trucks, food bars—these are all acceptable and often sought-out settings for a fine meal these days and, according to all the experts, this trend is likely to continue through the coming year.  Especially with a new generation of post-millennial teens coming into their own on the dining scene, you can put away your linen napkins, turn up the music, and turn your attention to creating an original and stimulating rather than an upscale dining experience.

7. Expect competition.

Great food is not just for restaurants anymore.  High-end retailers are starting to incorporate high-end cafes and boutique dining into their storefronts.  Delivery services without storefronts are providing made-to-order quality meals and ingredient packages for cooking well in the comfort of the home or office.  There will even be competition from unexpected places like convenience stores and even vending machines as folks capitalize on trends and fill automated and low-to-no-service outlets with healthful, fresh, options.

Also noted:

Baum & Whiteman also mention a somewhat peculiar trend that is developing in some areas.  Some restaurants—and right now it is only very few—are selling dining tickets, much like an airline or a hotel might.  These are essentially prepaid, and in many cases non-refundable reservations, usually for pre-ordered meals at specific tables in popular restaurants.  According to the consulting group, while this is a method that is still very much in the testing phases, the implications are interesting.  For example, with enough data, restaurants could potentially introduce “surge” pricing like airlines use, with reservations or even meals becoming more expensive as they begin to sell out.  Baum & Whiteman warn, though, that this could backfire.  After all, the last thing a restaurant wants is for customers to start feeling about dining the way they do about airlines.

Of course, new trends emerge all the time, and every region and restaurant is different.  But we are always here to help you make sure are delivering to your customers everything they need to keep coming back.