© Mike Marquez
spotted hospitalit trends in times of covid-19
4 min
trendwatch
After almost a year of closed doors due to COVID-19, restaurant owners and chefs are getting creative to generate revenue. From outdoor dining to delivering their specialities at home. Doug Koob, content director at Food Inspiration USA, spotted 3 trends in the food industry that are here to stay, not only during times of COVID-19.
Maartje Hopmans Xiao Er Kong
03 Outdoor dining
02 Ghost kitchen
01 Business to consumer
trends
trend 1
Business to consumer
COVID-19 makes it impossible to dine in restaurants. That’s why growing numbers of restaurants and chefs are changing their dishes to be more suitable for delivery or take away. Nick Muncy, an executive pastry chef who used to work at Michelin-starred restaurants, lost his job due to COVID-19 and started his own pandemic project: Drooled. A pastry box filled with flavorful goods. The box is available and affordable for everyone and gives the consumer a restaurant experience at home. And he’s not the only one creating new concepts for take-away. Lots of other chefs and restaurants are selling their food and other products online to reach more potential consumers and create a form of revenue. It’s a trend that might stay but as soon as restaurants reopen, they will probably focus on the dining experience in the restaurant itself.
trend 2
Ghost kitchen
Now that eating in is no longer possible, so-called ‘ghost kitchens’ are popping up all over the U.S. These dark or ghost kitchens are built for takeaway and delivery only. Some businesses, like Zuul Market and Wow Bao, are reacting to the shifting consumer behavior of dining at home by working with other brands and kitchens. Zuul Market, the company that launched NYC's first ghost kitchen, is working with other brands in the industry to create a new multi concept ghost kitchen technology: ZuulOS. The idea is to work from one ghost kitchen and combine orders from different businesses so they can all be delivered in one drive. This way, food companies need less employees and equipment. Wow Bao is going about it differently. To prepare their food, they’re using existing kitchens of restaurants that are missing out on lots of revenue during COVID-19. That way the employees of the ‘guest’ restaurant can keep working and Wow Bao doesn’t have to build new locations. Both concepts were introduced during times of COVID-19 but will be here to stay as the popularity of take-away and delivery keeps on growing.
trend 3
Outdoor dining
Outdoor dining is getting more popular all over the United States as seating inside is not possible or makes people feel unsafe for as long as COVID-19 is here. The past months some restaurants have worked together with counties to change laws, so they can move their food and beverage experience outside the restaurant to the front porch. From former parking spots to sidewalks, you can spot the so-called Shared Spaces Platforms (SSP) everywhere. Even though the permits to change certain locations to SSP’s are temporary for now, some cities are considering keeping them permanently as they are a relatively cheap way for restaurant owners to expand the number of customers they could welcome in one day. Especially in COVID-19 times these extra numbers can really make a difference.
03 Outdoor dining
02 Ghost kitchen
01 Business to consumer
trends
4 min
Spotted hospitality trends in times of COVID-19
After almost a year of closed doors due to COVID-19, restaurant owners and chefs are getting creative to generate revenue. From outdoor dining to delivering their specialities at home. Doug Koob, content director at Food Inspiration USA, spotted 3 trends in the food industry that are here to stay, not only during times of COVID-19.
Maartje Hopmans Xiao Er Kong
trend 1
Business to consumer
COVID-19 makes it impossible to dine in restaurants. That’s why growing numbers of restaurants and chefs are changing their dishes to be more suitable for delivery or take away. Nick Muncy, an executive pastry chef who used to work at Michelin-starred restaurants, lost his job due to COVID-19 and started his own pandemic project: Drooled. A pastry box filled with flavorful goods. The box is available and affordable for everyone and gives the consumer a restaurant experience at home. And he’s not the only one creating new concepts for take-away. Lots of other chefs and restaurants are selling their food and other products online to reach more potential consumers and create a form of revenue. It’s a trend that might stay but as soon as restaurants reopen, they will probably focus on the dining experience in the restaurant itself.
trend 2
Ghost kitchen
Now that eating in is no longer possible, so-called ‘ghost kitchens’ are popping up all over the U.S. These dark or ghost kitchens are built for takeaway and delivery only. Some businesses, like Zuul Market and Wow Bao, are reacting to the shifting consumer behavior of dining at home by working with other brands and kitchens. Zuul Market, the company that launched NYC's first ghost kitchen, is working with other brands in the industry to create a new multi concept ghost kitchen technology: ZuulOS. The idea is to work from one ghost kitchen and combine orders from different businesses so they can all be delivered in one drive. This way, food companies need less employees and equipment. Wow Bao is going about it differently. To prepare their food, they’re using existing kitchens of restaurants that are missing out on lots of revenue during COVID-19. That way the employees of the ‘guest’ restaurant can keep working and Wow Bao doesn’t have to build new locations. Both concepts were introduced during times of COVID-19 but will be here to stay as the popularity of take-away and delivery keeps on growing.
trend 3
Outdoor dining
Outdoor dining is getting more popular all over the United States as seating inside is not possible or makes people feel unsafe for as long as COVID-19 is here. The past months some restaurants have worked together with counties to change laws, so they can move their food and beverage experience outside the restaurant to the front porch. From former parking spots to sidewalks, you can spot the so-called Shared Spaces Platforms (SSP) everywhere. Even though the permits to change certain locations to SSP’s are temporary for now, some cities are considering keeping them permanently as they are a relatively cheap way for restaurant owners to expand the number of customers they could welcome in one day. Especially in COVID-19 times these extra numbers can really make a difference.