The food industry has been undergoing major changes over the past few years, and these bar & restaurant trends will continue into the future. From new food and drink offerings to new restaurant experiences, there are many things that will affect how we eat and drink. The consumers or guests need to enjoy the space in which they socialise, it must have that all-important mood. The ambience adds to the perceived value of the offering. In these trying times venues need to be the one luxury guests don’t want to go without.
We’ll look at digestible elements that will help make your venue the place to be.
The 3 essential topics are:
- The Mood of The Moment
- Lighting for Ambience.
- Visual Stories
- Food and Beverage Trends for 2023
Anyone connected with the hospitality sector knows it’s a competitive market, with so many plates to spin and oodles of challenges to overcome. Whilst we can do little to help with staffing costs we can offer some insight to help you be best placed to capitalise on every opportunity.
In addition to the menu choices themselves, the bar-restaurant itself will have to undergo some significant changes. Of course, not every change needs to be costly but they do need to be notable.
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The Mood of the Moment.
As more people see eating out as a luxury you need to make the event a treat worth paying for or alternatively cheaper than the competition. Now of course the cost of living rises may see diners choose to eat at home. A survey conducted by bid foods sets out some of the reasons why people may still wish to eat or drink out. Whilst it’s fair to say it is hard work in hospitality, there are still some gains to be made with the correct offering. Before we get into the food and drink suggestions think about some of the elements that create the right mood for diners.
Light touches
Making your venue welcoming is right up there as a must-do. Lighting is one of the most important factors within hospitality settings. No one relaxes when it feels stark, they do relax and dwell longer in rooms bathed in warm lights. Light fixtures are therefore crucial for a relaxing evening out. Lighting for the ambience or atmosphere takes a little no how. Here are some venues we feel have done a great job in creating warmth and character that’s unique to the brand and responding to the bar & restaurant trends.
Layering lighting helps to make spaces feel not only intimate but interesting. Lights and lamps bring an enlivened look and a personality that reflects the image of the eatery. Often hospitality lighting is referred to as contract lighting, however, this term generally refers to the basic styles. For leisure settings, you’ll require the latest lighting trends for the hotel bar and restaurant lighting. Lighting Company supply a vast range of lights that have a decorative signature look to show hospitality venues in the right light.
Eating.
Maintaining margins whilst offering diners value becomes key. The good news in all of this is food waste has become frowned upon. Being frugal with ingredients is to be acclaimed. Suggestions from Bidfood include using carrot tops in dishes and being creative with cheaper cuts of meat, so much as restauranteurs, you’ll already know but guests have a different mindset now. Happy with the wonky veg. This can be part of the change allotment grown or foraged food sourced locally can subsidise your regular food orders. These shifts will resonate with guests, sharing what they know of your brand.
Broaden the cultural experiences, with new flavours with world food gaining momentum. The rising stars are West African, Columbian and Kurdish flavours, according to the Bidfood survey are favoured. Looking at your food offering through the lens of your consumers helps shape which direction you should take.
Opportunities to improve vegetarian options plant-based and natural are increasingly important but a word of warning for vegetarians seems unimpressed by the vegan options. It’s viewed as a lazy establishment that opts for one dish to serve all tastes, and will always lose out on larger group bookings.
Multi-use venues
Luxury experiences go beyond the food and drink and offer the decor and visual story of the brand or venue bringing significant value. Don’t underestimate the atmosphere creating the right ambience and having happy social staff goes a long way to making your venue the talk of the town. following the bar and restaurant trends will put you right on your way.
The rise of the solo dinner. Not everyone eats with others, guests away on business, single diners and some prefer solitude whilst in the company of others for their own reasons. making space for countertop eating may be an option to capitalise on the trend. It’s inclusive, why neglect the solo diner?
There’s also collective dining, groups that may wish to get together for a shared experience. Some have super clubs or kitchen restaurants why not host such events? Wine pairing evenings, cultural food safaris, singles nights around a large sociable table. Host a book club, and think beyond what’s been done pre-pandemic. Work to attract a new audience by becoming an intimate event venue, and find a new way forwards. Whatever you feel about the events of this year you do know people have missed being social and value connections more than ever.
Re-configuring the space, adding counter dining, change the ambience with on-trend lighting fixtures. Lighting makes the biggest difference to ambience improving the atmosphere instantly. Opting for warmer tones of light bulbs is a must. If you haven’t configured or purchased lighting for bars or restaurants before you may wish to explore some of the more up-to-date looks here.
Drinks.
While many younger people have opted to stay clear of alcohol they do still want to have time with friends away from home, not surprising as many younger folks still live at home, in shared houses or rented accommodation. Carving social time is really important for this demographic.
Cocktails’ non-alcoholic forms and fun experiences may go some way to make an event worthy of visiting for non-drinkers and drivers alike.
Whilst older guests may prefer luxury they may seek more exotics tastes to try something they haven’t tried before.
Rums, spiced, cocktailsIf you’re a restaurant owner, publican, or designer associated with hospitality sectors these insights may help you look at what patrons need to excite and entice them to your food and drink offering.
The food and Drink Options need to excite.
The surroundings need to deliver in terms of functionality if you are going to adapt and the all-important atmosphere.
Attract and retain staff.
Restaurants will also need to make sure that their staff are trained to handle any special dietary requests, but also to promote the brand speaks with enthusiasm and make guests pleased they came out to spend hard-earned cash.
Staffing remains an issue many industries are facing. No one wants to work in hospitality, not true no one wants to work full stop. There are not enough people for the jobs. So what will make working for you more beneficial?
Here are a few tips to help attract and keep staff.
Offer flexibility, this means you may need more staff but working fewer hours. Advertise with specifics, midweek vacancies, weekend work available, and flexible work patterns to suit. Let potential candidates know what it’s like to work in a team, fun, friendly, professional rewarding. Whatever the vibe explain it.
Be the best place to work.
Appreciate the team, understand their needs, make it fun, and make them valued. So many of us have stayed in poorly paid roles because we loved working there yet, others have left a better-paid job because they didn’t feel valued. Look to find added benefits that make staff feel looked after. Regular training, recognition, discounts, wellbeing apps, timekeeping or attendance bonuses. Above all it’s listening to their ideas, sharing yours and working together to make it a nice place to be for them and guests alike.
Adapting to Change
It’s fair to say hospitality has already adapted, throughout the pandemic with so many new beginnings. It’s clear from the lighting speed the booking apps came about, delivery services made possible, as well as takeout options where there was no need. There’s an appetite to support hospitality to ensure survival. Food ordering and booking apps much needed during the pandemic have done little to make dining out an occasion for guests, basic service and little interaction seemed less of a treat. The joy of eating or drinking out needs invigorating again somewhat. Customer wants and needs have shifted but you’ve proved you are an agile bunch so some bit size changes to the way you work could be incorporated.
Giving your venue a makeover
There are many different styles you can go for if you are looking at giving your venue a makeover, looking at our bar & restaurant trends will give you some inspiration. For a full-scale makeover, you may wish to involve designers or the brewery so worth having some ideas of the cultural shifts, the potential menu and the looks that you feel may work for the proposed new look. Here are some concepts to consider.
Together alone concepts work well for hotel communal spaces which could work equally well in the restaurant and cafe locations. Together alone is where people eating or working solo can be in the company of others. More and more office workers who no longer go to the office prefer to work with other people around them, and to this end, they’ll spend more time in cafes.
Open patricians work well. Zone area’s with differing lighting and mark out sections with decor.
The Ivy in Exeter has lots of posts online showing how decadent the loos are. Visual excitement goes a long way to impress and this already makes guests feel excited and instantly they feel everything to live up to the look.
Visuals, graphics and storyboards help get the brand message to guests quickly. Some quirky moments, Instagram worthy photo opportunities work really well.
