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FOOD SERVICE TRENDS FOR 2020

Some food trends have come and gone over the years while others have
become mainstream. It looks like 2020 will be an exciting year for the food and
beverage industry, and consumers will reap the benefits with healthier, more natural
formulations that offer unique flavor profiles. While some food trends may not seem
revolutionary or new, they have continued to evolve from previous years and will
greatly influence the food industry throughout 2020.

Keeping up with foodservice trends helps you identify the shifting needs of your

customer base and stay ahead of your competition. 2019 was a year marked by
innovation and growth, and we expect that growth to be compounded upon in 2020
with a greater reliance on technology and sustainability. We’ve made a list of the
most important equipment, service, delivery, and technology trends we see emerging
in the new year.

A. Restaurant Equipment Trends

New restaurant equipment and product trends are spurred on by a demand for
greater efficiency and versatility. These are list of some of the most important trends
for 2020.

1. Space-Saving and Multi-Functional

Kitchen space is shrinking as rent

prices go up. As a result, many restaurant
owners are choosing smaller kitchen
equipment that can perform multiple functions
to optimize their space.
 2.Innovative Disposable Materials
Manufacturers continue to discover new ways to
avoid using 100% plastic in their disposable
products. The effect of single use plastic on the
environment is a hot topic that concerns any
business that serves and packages food. With new
innovative products like straws made from hay or
mineral-filled polypropylene containers, restaurant
owners can limit the amount of plastic they
purchase and distribute to customers.

3. Robotics
It may seem futuristic, but robots are finding
their way into foodservice in a variety of creative
ways. . 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.

2. Green
Growing Cabinets
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.

3. Transparent Window
Because of the rise of open kitchens, back-of-
house restaurant equipment is getting a facelift. Equipment that would normally be
out of sight is now front and center for all customers to see. Features like transparent
windows provide a view of food while it is cook, creating an immersive experience
for guests. Windows play a second role by providing greater visibility for cooks.

4. Ventless Hood Systems

As more restaurateurs choose non-
traditional locations for their businesses,
kitchen technology is advancing to
accommodate unique spaces. Ventless hood
systems will circulate air and collect the
grease produced by commercial cooking
equipment without the need for outside
venting. This allows operators to install hoods
in locations that won’t support a traditional
hood system, like food trucks or historical
buildings without duct work.

B. Service Trends
1. All-day Breakfast
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.

2. Diverse Kid’s Menu

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.
3. Allergen-Friendly Kitchens
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.

4. Zero Waste
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.

5. Food
Halls
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.

PLANT-
BASED OPTIONS

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.

HEALTHY GRAB-AND-GO STORES

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.

SEASONAL RESTAURANTS

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.

C. DELIVERY TRENDS

With the increased demand of delivery and easily accessible apps like Uber Eats and
Grubhub, delivery trends are beginning to take over ordinary delivery services. See
what's to come in the world of delivery for 2020.

ECO-FRIENDLY TAKEOUT
CONTAINERS

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.
AI DELIVERY

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.

IN-HOUSE DELIVERY

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.

ULTRA-LITE DELIVERY

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.
 DELIVERING TO PUBLIC
PLACES

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.

DELIVERY INCENTIVES

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.

D. RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

It's no secret that the smartphone has changed the way we live, as well as the
way we cook, order, and even pay for food. It seems like there's an app for everything
now, and restaurant technology is following
suit.

DIGITAL MENU BOARDS

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.

DATA MINING

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.

FOOD PICK-UP LOCKERS

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.

TAP-TO-PAY DEVICES

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.
 TRAINING TECHNOLOGY

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.

VOICE-OPERATED ORDERING KIOSKS

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.

How Can Keeping Up with Restaurant Trends

Benefit Your Business?

The best restaurants are the ones that pick up on industry trends and make
them their own. They find ways of giving people something new and exciting with a
twist to stand the test of time. Of course, not every restaurant can adopt all of the most
recent food trends. The best approach is to identify one or two trends that can easily
be translated to suit your brand. It could be as simple as offering a limited-time menu
item or as involved as rolling out a whole new concept. The most important thing is to
stay true to your vision and cook great food.
Top 8 Challenges of Food and Beverage Industry to Watch Out For

Published Date: May 13, 2020, Author: Saipriya Iyer

1. The Plastic Ban

The enforcement of the ‘plastic ban’ is

rooted in an ideology that has lasted several years
amid discussions on international platforms and
has now come to fruition. The consistent growth
pace of industrialization, of which the F&B sector
is a major arm, has had a disastrous impact on the
environment, and has led to eco-friendliness
becoming the next big mantra out there.
Knowingly or unknowingly, the excess
consumption and improper disposal of plastic has
come up as one of the major challenges faced by https://thriveglobal.com/stories/reducing-millions-of-tons-of-co2-
through-eu-single-use-plastic-ban/

food and beverage managers today.

2. The rise of health-

consciousness among consumers

The increasing incidences of food-

related disorders have prompted
consumers to bring about vital
changes in their diet and lifestyle,
making them more health-
conscious than ever.
asia.com/Article/2017/03/06/Thailand-s-top-three-
supplement-and-functional-food-trends-as-beauty-bubble-
begins-to-burst-Infographic
 One of the major factors that has led to increased diabetes prevalence is
obesity, linked to a major intake of sugar via processed foods and cereals. This
realization has, since the last half a decade, led to consumers shying away from
products containing artificial sweeteners and other added preservatives.

3. The rising concerns about product traceability

Traceability is one of the pivotal challenges in food and beverage industry, not
just for record management but also to fulfill the bottom line – generating revenue for
every sector. Of late, consumers have been taking increasing interest to know what
goes into their food that has led ‘ingredient labelling’ forming a major part of the
packaging process. With public trust in food supply chains reduce drastically and
awareness pertaining to glitches in the F&B supply chain since the last decade or so,
end-to-end traceability has emerged as one of the latest trends in food and beverage
industry.

https://www.packagingdigest.com/track-and-trace/update-traceability-packaged-foods-gs1-us

4. The ascent of meat-free & veganism trend

The growing concern toward

animals is ushering in a change in the
food patterns of the masses. With more
and more consumers vying for vegetarian
and vegan products, the demand for meat
and other products has observed a
significant decline, posing as one of the
major challenges in food and beverage
industry. Social platforms and online
information portals have paved the way https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2019/01/28/Meat
for animal abuse awareness, and people -alternative-trends-for-2019
prefer purchasing products with labels
such as “humane-certified” and “cage-
free”.
5. The optimum level of stringency in the regulatory landscape

While it may be construed as stating the obvious – the fact is, that the F&B
space is very stringently governed by regulations. Organizations such as the FDA,
EPA, OSHA, and FTC have been rather diligent in enforcing norms pertaining to the
launch of healthy products, regulating food labels, maintaining a clean, hygienic
environment, and the like.

6. The increasing complications of inventory management

Given the limited shelf life of food

products, inventory management has come
up to be one of the current issues in the
food industry. The perishability factor is https://www.boxstorm.com/articles/how-free-
inventory-management-software-can-help-the-food-
responsible for fact that F&B inventory is service-industry/
highly susceptible to foodborne pathogens
and more, if not stored hygienically. This
has prompted manufacturers to adopt new
software to alleviate these issues, given that
the presence of foodborne bacteria may
have a disastrous impact on the company’s
reputation.

7. The pervasive presence of e-

Commerce

An online presence is one of the major

challenges of food and beverage industry,
considering that consumers are more tech-
savvy and socially informed, thanks to the
Internet. While core industries, like
appliances, electronics, textiles, and other
domestic products have already
established their presence in the commerce domain, this sector has been relatively
slow on the upkeep.

8. The current impact & forecast aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic

The F&B sector has faced the worst brunt of the coronavirus so far. Right
from the manufacturing and supply chain and restaurant sector to food service
companies and food delivery firms, the F&B industry has been wearily coping up
with the pandemic. Countrywide lockdowns have prevented employees from working
in factories, severely impacting the supply chain. With farming and agricultural
activities taking a hit, the fear of food shortage looms large. Petrified with the
extended lockdowns, it has been observed the masses resorted to panic buying,
creating further food shortage and a major disparity between the ones who can afford
to stockpile on items and the ones who cannot.

Undeniably, the challenges faced by food and beverage managers are dime a
dozen, owing to the ridiculously fierce competition and the fact that a single change is
bound to affect the entire supply chain. Newer markets, changing consumer spending,
increasing food prices, global appetite, and advanced technology are slated to bring
about extensive changes in this sector in the next few years. Despite the consistent
challenges of food and beverage industry, it is predicted to show healthy gains in the
future. It remains to be seen how the global F&B market will fare in the forthcoming
years, driven by disposable income levels, changing lifestyles, and favorable
government reforms.