5 Trends In The Restaurant Industry Every Manager Needs To Know

If you are running a restaurant in 2019, a bar or a bistro, then you do need to consider the latest trends and what is in style right now. It’s important that you understand what customers want to see when they walk through the door of your business and that you are ready to blow them away. You should consider this when managing every aspect of your business model from the way your restaurant looks to how it operates and indeed the goals of your company. Ultimately the goals of your business you should reflect those of the modern customer. We’re going to explore what this means, why it’s important and how to achieve it. So, here are five trends that you need to be aware of in the restaurant industry right now.

Marble

You should think about the different furniture that you can add to your restaurant or bar to ensure that it looks absolutely incredible. A popular option this year is definitely going to be marble countertops. If you haven’t used marble countertops before in your restaurant, then you should definitely consider this possibility. These look gorgeous and will provide a stunning new aesthetic to your business environment. You will also be delighted to find that this material does provide some practical benefits too. For instance, it’s remarkably easy to clean which is fantastic news if you are eager to ensure that your restaurant is quick to maintain.

You might think that marble countertops are far beyond your potential budget for your restaurant renovation. However, we wouldn’t be so sure because companies like Hill Cross Furniture can provide these items for less than you would perhaps imagine. That’s great news if you are working with a potentially tight or limited budget. It is important to keep your budget in mind when you make changes like this and work to keep up with the latest trends. However, you also need to think about the potential ROI. A high ROI can make an expensive renovation worth the effort and indeed the cost.

Magnificent Tech

You probably don’t think that tech has a place in your restaurant redesign but if you look at the latest trends on the market, you couldn’t be more wrong. One option to keep in mind would certainly be mobile and online ordering. These days, customers are becoming more reliant on the idea that they can order what they want before they reach the restaurant. Or potentially, that they will be able to select it on their phones when they get there. This is another way that you can lower the amount of time your waiters need to spend on orders and free them up for other jobs around the restaurant. It also makes your restaurant more accessible and easier for those people who may not be particularly comfortable in making orders.

Style And Themes

When you are thinking about redesigning and refocusing your restaurant, you should definitely consider setting up and following a particular theme or design concept. This is a great way to ensure your restaurant does stand out on the market and attracts the level of interest that you want. It helps guarantee that you have a USP and a reason for customers to choose your business over others. Theming can be quite extravagant and indeed remarkable for restaurants these days. What customers are looking for is less an evening out and more an immersive experience. For instance, have you heard of hidden bars? This is a popular business concept where the business is a ‘secret’ that customers must discover. Of course, marketing is still involved but as you might have guessed the focus is on guerilla promotion tactics.

The Buffet Is Back

Yes, we are certainly in the year of the buffet with many restaurants once again favouring this style of set up. There are practical benefits to consider here that may make this worth it. For instance, with a buffet, you won’t need as many serving staff as you would a typical restaurant. Lower levels of staff will ultimately mean lower costs for you. But customers and clients will also love this type of set up. It provides them with more freedom and for the modern customer, delivers an excellent level of value too. You’ll find that the more value you provide with your service, the greater your reviews are.

You might think that your restaurant doesn’t match the buffet model particularly well. Don’t be so sure though because plenty of restaurants can fit this type of set up and it will work beautifully. If not, you can always think about shaking up your menu and reinventing your restaurant while being careful not to lose an existing customer base.

A Conscientious Consumer

This year is certainly the time when you should be thinking about being more aware of sustainable goals in the modern world. Customers certainly care about this now more than ever. Just look at the outcry over plastic straws that hit the industry in 2018. Customers now favour the modern paper or metal straws and businesses are quickly rising to this challenge and indeed, this need. You should be exploring what the next trend will be and it’s certainly true to say a lot more customers are embracing the vegan lifestyle.

So, your restaurant should be ready to cater to this demand. Remember, there’s a difference between providing an alternative and setting your business up to ensure that you can offer vegan customers a great menu that has involved a lot of thought and effort.

We hope this helps you understand some of the important trends in the restaurant industry and how they could impact how you run and manage your own business. Ultimately, it’s important to know how your customer is thinking and what they want to see from your business. If you don’t deliver it, you can bet, they will find another business that will. Before long, you could be quickly forgotten on the market. However, if you instead make sure that you are keeping a check on the latest trends and living up to them, you can avoid this completely.