2018 Restaurant Trends to Watch – Part 2

As we wrote about in part 1 of this series, experts say many of the trends the restaurant industry saw in 2017 will continue in 2018. These include an increase in local distilleries, zero-waste cooking, more use of the local and hyper-local food supply, bowls instead of plates, and an increase in vegetarian and vegan dishes. 2018 will introduce some trends of its own including the open kitchen design, online food delivery platforms, and breakfast anytime. Here are a few more of 2018 restaurant trends we’ll be watching for.

Power Bowls

Healthy Asian foods will inspire the use of more dishes served in bowls rather than on plates. Inspired by such 2017 dishes as smoothie bowls and grain bowls, 2018 will see the growing popularity of the “Buddha bowl.” The Buddha bowl is a mix of vegan and vegetarian dishes inspired by the Buddhist philosophy and sure to be popular with Generation Z.

Zero-Waste Cooking

More and more chefs will follow a “root to leaf” approach to cooking in 2018. This means every single piece of a vegetable will be used in cooking, resulting in some pretty unique ingredients. This trend will help alleviate the problem of food wastage as well as cut down on food costs. A great example of this is carrot tops being used to make pesto.

Open Kitchen Design

As people become more interested in healthy food choices, they naturally become more interested in how their food is prepared as well. The open kitchen design allows restaurant guests to view their meal being prepared and see the quality of the produce and other ingredients being used in their dish. Many guests will find it more exciting to watch their meal being prepared than watching a TV screen. If you’re not set up for an open kitchen design, a variation on this trend is offering guests the opportunity to view your kitchen or offering special kitchen days or workshops that take place in the kitchen.

Data Analytics

Restaurant trends aren’t just about what to serve in your restaurant. Trends can also relate to how you run your business. One trend in running a restaurant business that will increase in 2018 is the use of data analytics to improve performance. Data analytics can help you in many ways, from branding and marketing to understanding how your business is impacted by events around you like holidays and weather patterns. You can use data analytics to understand customer behavior, motivate employees, and see how your restaurant compares to others in your cuisine category.

Marketing Vitals software solutions allows you to see trends in your own restaurant business so you can determine if it’s worthwhile for you to follow trends in the industry. Our team of experts from the technology and restaurant industries work together to bring you the most effective analytics on the market. Our data-mining marketing analytics software can be used to help you increase your prices, implement menu changes, and understand how your business is impacted by competitors. To learn more about Marketing Vitals software solutions, contact us today for a free demo.

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As seen previously on the Marketing Vitals Blog.