Year after year, consumer tastes and preferences keep on evolving. To re-align themselves with the ever-changing consumer preferences, restaurateurs have initiated evolving their operations, which is, of course, critical to driving sales growth and business revenue. Furthermore, the coronavirus has also had a significant impact on consumer food and menu trends. This is one of the major factors shaping the upcoming years of the restaurant industry.
With the Middle East edition of our PRIME report, we have dived deeper into the Middle East F&B sector. This article aims to highlight the major trends that the consumers are picking up and how the restaurateurs are coping with the same.
4 Major Consumer Food & Menu Trends Restaurateurs Should Not Miss
Here are some of the major consumer food and menu trends which restaurateurs must not overlook in 2022. These trends are based on the information provided by the Middle East restaurant operators which they observed from the collected customer data and their order preferences.
1. Increased Preference Towards Healthier Diet
Even though in the pre-pandemic times, people used to be health-conscious, more people than ever have started prioritising health and started following a healthier diet post-COVID-19. Part of this trend could have been triggered from the collective anxiety to boost immunity and maintain well-being when a virus is loose in the wild. As per the PRIME report, as high as 79.6 percent of restaurant operators stated that customers prefer healthier food choices. The pool is expanding further as more and more people choose natural and organic food over popular delicacies.
2. Rise Of Food Deliveries And Takeaways
As COVID-19 took its toll on the F&B industry, customers were reluctant to go out and potentially expose themselves to the virus. And this factor worked in favour of online deliveries and takeaways. Customers found it easier to get food delivered to their homes instead of going out for dining. Online food delivery thus surged on the back of changing customer preferences. Therefore, restaurants have started evolving themselves working around the whims and desires of customers shaped by the pandemic.
3. Introduction Of DIY Kits
The introduction of DIY kits was another trend that came up during the pandemic and is likely to stay. It is an interesting concept which accelerated on the back of the urge of customers to cook special delicacies of their favourite brands at their homes. The PRIME report highlights that 38.8 percent of the respondents stated that DIY kits were a prominent trend in 2021. The restaurants tapped into this trend and started providing DIY kits of their special meals to help customers experiment with their unique ingredients.
4. Vegan/Plant-Based Meals
One of the long-lasting trends is the vegan trend or “plant-based meals”. Starting post the pandemic, the trend is likely to gain more popularity in the upcoming years. A survey conducted by Deliveroo on people’s eating habits highlights that 43 percent of the people were looking for more sustainable and plant-based meals this year.
This translates to the fact that not just more people are turning vegan, even the paleo population are looking for meat alternatives. Restaurants can make the best of this trend by adding meat alternatives and more plant-based offerings to their menus.
These are the times where more than restaurants, consumers shape the future of the restaurant industry. Restaurateurs must keep an eye on what is happening in the F&B market on both – restaurants’ and consumers’ fronts, to avoid missing out on any opportunities. Plan your operations around these consumer food and menu trends to increase your sales and revenue.
Download our PRIME report (Middle East edition) to know more about the GCC F&B industry.
