The restaurant industry has seen an increase in business in 2015, but new trends are on the rise and it is crucial not to fall behind.
As the halfway-point of 2015 is now behind us, Technomic research experts have taken note of market forces and emerging menu trends in the foodservice industry. There is no telling what is to come, but so far this year customers have been dining out at pre-recession levels. However, during the recession dining habits emerged, and even with the increase in restaurant dining, some of those trends still exist.
“Midscale dining is doing better but must keep reinventing and innovating to continue this path,” said Joe Pawlak, senior vice president at Technomic. “Fine dining has bounced back. Meanwhile, limited-service restaurants, especially fast-casual concepts, continue to bite into the casual-dining market, although there is market improvement in this sector.”
Technomic’s experts traveled to some of the nation’s noted restaurant cities and conducted first-hand research, interviews and surveys among operators, chefs and consumers. They combined their findings with qualitative data from Technomic’s Digital Resource Library and quantitative data from MenuMonitor database and Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. They pinpointed six key trends:
- Fast Casual Not Slowing Down: This segment continues to outpace all others, growing at 11%, compared to 4% among quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and 5.6% growth in casual dining.
- Build-Your-Own Keeps Building: Within the fast-casual segment, concepts built around customization are growing twice as fast as those that are not.
- Cult Status: QSRs that are doing well—Chick-fil-A and Culver’s, to name a few—have developed clearly defined niches, achieved cult-like followings and garner higher check averages.
- Subtracting the Additives: Consumers are demanding to know the back stories on ingredient sourcing and processing; operators are responding with increased menu transparency.
- Tech Becomes Necessary: Online ordering, mobile apps and table tablets fulfill two needs: appealing to Millennials’ high-tech and high-speed preferences and supplementing service in a tight labor markets.
- The New Foodie Norm: Food blogs, foodie media and foodservice everywhere mean everyone’s a culinary expert; dining needs to be an Instagram-worthy experience.