The food trends to consider in 2023 to take your restaurant to the next level

What are consumers expecting from me? What are my diners looking for? These are some questions that might have already occurred to you at some point. Each year, consumer expectations vary due to the changes in the economic, social, and political context that constantly evolve.  

To help you discover and understand what consumers will be expecting from you, we partnered up with Nelly Rodi to bring you the trends to come in the food & restaurant industry for 2023:

1- Looking to reconnect: The willingness to reintegrate old know-how and belief that customs are worth being saved

Learning from the past becomes a motto for next year's trends. In this world with plenty of challenges, individuals are willing to reconnect with people and inheritance is transferred via food. 

💡 Some trends your restaurant can explore

• The return of indigenous cuisine & primal-fire cooking: to retake ancient traditions, flavours, and techniques into your kitchen and offer your diners a unique experience. Braise in Paris, or Brat in London are taking back primal-fire cooking techniques to offer their diners a different experience based on the most primitive traditions. 

• Home table & auberge:  where diners no longer reserve their table but their chair to share and connect with other people. Also, unusual locations or different vibes such as a restaurant in a hidden house in town or an auberge as a place to escape will become more and more popular. Nhome, a restaurant in Paris, is one of the examples of a restaurant with the philosophy: “Book your chair, not a table”. 

• Supportive cuisine: involving migrant communities in restaurants and associations will allow us to understand and highlight different cultures. This could be a great opportunity for your restaurant to integrate diverse flavours while helping migrant communities with a professional opportunity.  Imad’s Syrian Kitchen in London is a perfect example of this trend. 

Grandma’s know-how is the main attraction for diners to taste the most traditional cuisine. Gastronomy is one of the main representations of a culture and people are more willing than ever to explore and try all of them.

2- Looking to share: The stories beyond the food become important for diners that want to know who is behind these creations

💡 Some trends your restaurant can explore

After a year or two of imposed social distancing, people are more than ready for human contact and willing to share, discover and experiment. Now it’s time to share and be opened through de-complexed tables, farm storytelling, sharing, and wild interest. 

• Chefs with stories: Stories about the chefs and dishes are more important for diners. Removing high gastronomy complexes and turning it into a fun experience to be lived as a groupie is key.

• Restaurants with open spaces: To create an atmosphere for people to meet and talk. We will see a return of the banquet of picnics, with chefs sharing small dishes and new restaurants where people won't be pushed into a seven-course tasting menu, and there will be simple, chef-free dishes to suit the hunger level of the diner. 

• Caring for the producers: There’s an increasing interest to know who the producers are and to meet and learn about their work and daily life. For example, putting information about the producers in your menus will help to provide more information to your diners to understand where the food comes from. 

• Crave of reality: On social networks, people are looking for sincerity, realism, genuineness, and legitimacy. Make sure that you build a solid, honest, and real social media strategy to let everyone know about your restaurant. 

3- Looking to disrupt: Provocation in the plates, in the models, and in new hybridisation 

Now we have consumers who want to have everything immediately and always stay connected.

💡 Some trends your restaurant can explore

• TikTok: Users explore new restaurants and dishes through TikTok. In fact, 5 in 10 millennials have ordered food or visited a restaurant after seeing it on TikTok*. Make sure that you become an expert in this platform and that your restaurant has an appealing and entertaining presence on it. 

• Designer table set & artistic mindset: How the dish looks and the presentation of the table are more important than ever to attract new diners and to provide them with both a delicious and visually appealing dining experience. 

4- Looking to perform: The kitchen has the spotlight as increasing interest in health science, unbelievable experiences, and precision service.

More aware than ever of the repercussions of climate change, people are looking for effective solutions for their health and for the environment: food is not just food, they want to seek the origin of the ingredients. This is translated into the appearance of the food too. Even though some consumers are looking for the aesthetics of food, another part is craving for reality. 

💡 Some trends your restaurant can explore

• Real aesthetics: In a world where there are hundreds of filters available, it’s important to take great pictures that are natural and realistic. 

• Think outside the box: Some people are also seeking out-of-the-box places and meals to eat. Why not provide original and wildly contrasting experiences to diners to make your restaurant stand out from the rest?  

• Metabolism focus: People are willing to know what’s good or bad for their metabolism. Detailed information on ingredients, allergens, and diets on your menu will improve the experience for your diners. 

• New usages: New ways of using ingredients, new fermentations, new technologies, and new solutions are found every day to reduce the food industry's environmental impact. 

With the ideas of these 4 Food and lifestyle Trends insights, you’re now ready to take your restaurant to the next level in 2023.  Be real, explain stories through your food, and don’t be afraid to innovate and explore new things. Make the most of 2023 Food Trends to acquire new diners and boost your customer satisfaction! 🤩 

* Source MGH