As the New Year gets underway, operators and chefs alike are working their way through the latest food, drink and dining trends. While some trends will be a flash in the pan, others are likely to stick around for the year, evolving and gaining ground as the months pass. In this month’s Category Focus article, we reveal our guide to the most prominent trends affecting the hospitality sector this year – from the good, bad and the outright crazy.

A New Technological Era

Primarily driven by the pandemic to manage customer bookings and adhere to social distancing regulations, the widespread introduction of technology is picking up pace. Digitisation in hospitality has been lagging behind other sectors, however staff shortages and an increase in food costs are driving operators to automate manual tasks and introduce innovative loyalty programs.

“Using white-labelling software such as Dynamify or the EPoS system, operators can leverage these benefits to the fullest extent by providing customers with ‘rewards’ and ‘giveaways’ that are unique to them. These promotions provide businesses with an opportunity to interact with customers and enhance their experience. This is an important factor when a customer is evaluating whether to return to a restaurant” says Maxwell Harding, Founder and CEO of Dynamify.

“As customers’ expectations evolve and demand for quick, convenient and time-saving transactions grows, we’ll likely see more operators go fully digital in 2023. Furthermore, as disruptions to the supply chain continue, inventory management will remain vital to businesses, but gradually give way to ‘information transparency’. To comply with Natasha’s Law, these transparencies include allergen information, nutrition/calorie content as calorie labelling legislation is being implemented, and carbon footprint, as conscious consumerism facilitates this process.”

Cut Price Connoisseurs

With the soaring cost of living continuing to bite, consumers will be seeking ways to treat themselves without breaking the bank. “To achieve this, industry terms like ‘nose-to-tail’ and ‘zero waste’ will evolve from buzzwords and ‘concepts’ to economic realities as restaurants seek to keep costs down” state the team at Resy in their publication: The Future of Dining Out. As alternative cuts of meat are sourced, we expect to see a surge of innovation and creativity that will keep average menu prices down.

Cross-Cultural Curiosity

Global conflict and international events are driving individuals across borders and out of their homeland. As refugees and new generations of immigrants settle in and establish themselves by setting up restaurants, they bring with them a wealth of international flavours and customs. Individuals from Poland, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Africa and Syria are only a few of the myriad of immigrants developing communities nationwide, treating an eager consumer group to exotic and unusual culinary delights.

“I think African culture is going to grow and grow in the UK. The music scene is booming worldwide and food always follows music. I think there will be a massive wave of Africa restaurants and vibrant, punchy African-influenced dishes. Similar to the Caribbean, expect slow cooked meats, yams and pounded food,” says Collin Brown, Executive Chef, Turtle Bay. 

International influences are not only applicable to savoury dishes, they can be translated into sweets and cakes too. “The word ‘Exotic’ has reportedly risen by over 10% in social media discussions over the past year, hence why caterers should be looking to incorporate global flavours into their bakes. For example, a caterer that wants to create a more exotic cake could look to add Drink Me Chai’s ‘Spiced Chai Latte’ blend into the batter,” notes Michelle Younger, Marketing Manager at Aimia Foods.

Menus containing unusual or new dishes from around the world will have strong appeal to a younger audience who are increasingly experimental with food, many of whom are changing their social habits – ditching nightclubs to spend more time in restaurants. “At Bloc we have seen a 10% decrease in nightclub check-ins and a 15% increase in restaurant check-ins from 18–21-year-olds. I think this trend will continue well into 2023 and the most successful restaurants will be the ones that create their menu and marketing plans with this in mind,” comments Joshua Wood, CEO and Founder of Bloc. Chefs who lead with their ‘whole selves’ will thrive with this trend, combining the flavours of global cuisine with food stories that inspire and delight diners.

Going Solo

As consumers explore and practise self-care, dining alone to get some much-needed thinking or down time is becoming increasingly popular. “Nearly one in three report they have dined alone, citing preferring their own company and wanting to eat on their own timings as reasons for ditching other diners” report Resy. Making the most of counter dining tables, window bars and smaller booth tables will enable operators to maximise their appeal to solo diners.

Diverse Dietary Demands

The gut health trend of 2022 continues to evolve as consumers become more aware of food intolerances and allergies. This not only highlights the increasing importance of Natasha’s Law, it also adds pressure on operators to navigate and cater for a highly complex consumer market. “As expected, the ‘dietary range’ (Gluten free, dairy free, vegan, no refined sugar) continues to represent a growing part of the cake market and we expect this to feature heavily across the catering industry in 2023. At Sponge we’ve seen many requests from customers asking for cakes to suit diverse dietary requirements,” notes Richard Fowler, Head of Sponge.

A Biodegradable Boom

The environmentally conscious consumer has long been a growing target market, underpinned by legislation that limits or prohibits single use plastics and supports increased recycling. This is set to continue, but also expect to see biodegradable packaging and zero packaging come to the fore. From hotel amenities to catering supplies, compostable and biodegradable products will be the next hot sustainability topic. “I think 2023 will see more use of biodegradable items, such as edible glassware potentially and having a lot less wastage when it comes to creating, making & prepping for drinks, including bottles of spirits & wines, straws, labels – everything!” comments Kristian Smith, Bar Manager at PocketSquare.

TikTok influencers are leading the charge with this trend, videos containing ideas for upcycling by-products such as oat, soy and almond pulp into flour are inspiring brands to take these innovative solutions mainstream.

TRENDS TO WATCH

Swicy Food: A collision between sweet and spicy flavours in a single dish such as chilli and chocolate or hot honey chicken. Much of this influence comes from South Korean food.

Butter Boards: The latest TikTok sensation consisting of a charcuterie board with a butter base topped with anything from dates and tomatoes to lemon zest and walnuts. Think pimped up accoutrements to bread before a meal. Our advice is to use high quality salted butter for the best flavour and pair it with French bread, challah or crostini.

Ube: A purple yam from the Philippines, it is a seasonal ingredient that works in both sweet and savoury dishes.

Dates: Not a new ingredient to us, but they are going to increase in popularity so expect to see date syrup, paste and dehydrated dates appear in new recipes going forward from ketchup to overnight oats.

Yaupon: A caffeine-producing holly bush grown in Southeastern U.S. the leaves are used to make herbal tea – keep an eye out for it appearing on drinks and bar menus.

Plus Sweet: A different take on sweetness, balancing it with other flavours including savoury, smoky and heat. Achieve this trend with ease using blends such as McCormick’s Vanilla, Lime & Thyme which is perfect for layered sweet/spicy grilled shrimp tacos.