Top Foodservice Trends 2020

It may seem futuristic, but robots are finding their way into foodservice in a variety of creative ways. You can now buy a $6 burger made by the first all-in-one burger machine at the Creator restaurant in San Francisco. One of the benefits of using robots in the kitchen is that repetitive or high-risk tasks can be allotted to machines. Human staff members have more time to perform creative tasks, and the labor savings can be passed onto the customer.

Now kitchens in restaurants, schools, and healthcare facilities can produce fresh, organic micro greens without the need for a local garden. Green growing cabinets are designed to hold growing trays and regulate lighting, water, and humidity to produce the best tasting organic greens and herbs. The risk of losing a harvest due to drought is eliminated, giving kitchens an unending supply of local micro greens.

Instead of sticking to the same old rules about when breakfast should be served, restaurants are giving customers the option to order their favorite breakfast foods any time of day. Breakfast is in demand, and operators are finding that an all-day breakfast menu is increasing their sales.

The collective taste buds of consumers are becoming more sophisticated, so why shouldn’t that cross over into kids menus? Parents want healthy meals for their kids, but they also want a kids menu that features creative dishes with new flavors. The standard meal of chicken nuggets and fries is being replaced with plant-based proteins, fresh, organic vegetables, and complex carbs like quinoa.

The availability of allergen-safe kitchen products is allowing cooks to designate completely allergen-free work spaces and storage solutions. With the growing awareness around the Big 8 allergens and a push towards inclusivity of all diets, we expect to see more restaurants declaring the allergens in their dishes or creating separate allergen-free menus.

Climate change and environmental issues are becoming a major selling point for customers, and restaurants typically produce a lot of trash and recycling. To keep up with the trend, some establishments are choosing to create a zero waste kitchen by dropping disposables and coming up with innovative ways to use all parts of their food.

Aspiring restaurateurs are catching on to the fact they don’t need to sink all their startup funds into a brick and mortar location. Food halls are communal dining spaces where operators can rent a booth to test out their restaurant concept. Many food halls feature a list of rotating vendors that showcase the best cuisine in the area.

The demand for plant-based options is on the rise, and restaurant owners are realizing that even omnivores want to see a greater variety of healthy, sustainable choices when they look at the menu. This has become easier than ever with the availability of non-dairy milks and plant-based proteins like Beyond Meat and the Impossible Burger.

The unhealthy reputation of pre-packaged convenience foods has changed thanks to the increasing demand for premium grab-and-go options. Not just for convenience stores, healthy grab-and-go foods can boost sales in coffee shops and fast casual stores as well.

Instead of updating the menu with a small list of seasonal specials, some restaurants are choosing to base their entire concept on the seasonal availability of ingredients. Restaurants like True Food Kitchen, a national chain, feature an ever-rotating menu of seasonal dishes.

With the world-wide push to be more environmentally friendly, many restaurants are ditching the foam containers to provide a healthier and safer container for their customers. Most eco-friendly takeout containers are 100% biodegradable.

In a world that can be automated, engineers have taken food delivery to another level. Between delivery robots and drones, less people are needed to deliver orders and food is getting to its destination much faster. Automation is opening new doors to the delivery options restaurants have.

Many restaurants have taken the delivery of their food into their own hands. Businesses like Panera have gone the extra mile to create their own in-house delivery staff instead of hiring third-party delivery men and women to transport orders. This is saving businesses money and eliminating the fees they would have to pay out to third-party services.

More and more businesses are straying away from traditional car delivery services and using other means of transportation for delivery. Manufacturers have to adapt by creating ultra-lite delivery equipment for their delivery people who are taking more orders with them or are riding bikes or scooters to navigate the city.

No longer do you need a business or residential address for delivery. Have your food delivered to you wherever you are; a park bench, an intersection, or a picnic table at the pavilion of your favorite hiking trail. With the advancement in location technology, delivery people can bring you your delivery order to any public place.

With many third-party food delivery businesses competing for the same customer base, these businesses are working on creative marketing tactics to gain more customers. Many companies are offering delivery incentives like money off orders or reward points when you order with them. These incentives are easily attracting new customers, while also saving them a few dollars.

Digital menu boards allow business owners and managers to change their menu regularly to accommodate specials and additions. They also allow restaurant operators to adjust prices for different times of day or seasons. For example, you can set lower prices during slow periods to entice customers to visit and use higher prices during busy periods to boost profits.

Restaurant owners have more data mining resources available to them now to track customer related trends. There are several programs and websites that can show business owners at what stage online carts are being abandoned, how often customers are ordering, if customers are leaving reviews, and more. Owners can then tailor their marketing strategies around this data.

Pick-up cabinets are making it easier for customers to order online and swing by a restaurant to pick up their food at their convenience. When customers place their order, they’ll receive a code to open a heated or ambient-temperature locker from which they can retrieve their food order. This frees up staff members to serve customers who are dining in.

More customers are choosing to sync up credit cards to their phones rather than carrying around bulky wallets, increasing the demand for tap-to-pay options. Tap-to-pay devices allow servers to provide customers with the check instantly and permit customers to pay for their food right at the table. When the meal is over, customers can conveniently pay with their phones and be on their way, turning over tables more quickly.

Virtual reality (VR) technologies have increased in popularity among restaurant and business owners as a tool to train their staff. Many restaurant chains are developing simulated training scenarios with VR headsets to immerse their new employees in the experience of a busy shift and better prepare them to work on the food line.

In order to free up staff and improve the flow of drive-through lines, fast food establishments are installing voice-operated ordering kiosks. These kiosks use AI and voice recognition to take orders and alter them according to the customer’s request. It then sends the order to the kitchen for the staff to prepare.