TSA Solutions, the global leader in upsell solutions for the hospitality industry, is organizing a new roundtable discussion focused on the restaurant industry, "Future Trends in Restaurants," as part of the Tourism Shock Plan initiative, promoted by the Tourism Marketing and Experiential Branding Agency Inturea. The discussion will take place this Thursday, March 11th, at 5:00 PM. We'll be joined by:
Patxo de Toro, director of gastronomy at Grupo Sagardi; Eduardo Serrano, consultant and president of AIDABE; Eva Sierra Carballo, director of Catering Spain; and Alessio di Gaetano, director of Revenue Management Performance at NH Group and co-founder of DynamEat. The panel will be moderated by Pablo Torres, performance consultant at TSA Solutions.
Palma de Mallorca, March 8, 2021 – The restaurant sector has been directly affected by the pandemic we are experiencing, demonstrating in each of its phases an unsurpassed capacity to adapt and reinvent itself – masks, mandatory distance meters, opening of terraces to 30% or 50% occupancy, ozone machines, QR codes, screens – It is clear that we have added new variants to our gastronomic experiences, now, have these new elements come to stay in the sector?
It's good to debate and ask ourselves if the consumption model is going to change, what the end consumer will place greater importance on, what trends are here to stay, and what businesses will have to change course and reinvent themselves. But can we really imagine a society without sharing the same plate or drinking from the same glass when tasting a wine?
In this roundtable, we want to discuss all these issues, updating our listeners on the restaurant industry, new trends, and practical methods that are being used and are useful, with the help of professionals on the front lines of the pandemic, which, at times, feels like a true science fiction movie.
RESTAURANT TRENDS FOR 2021
Despite the current situation, it has become clear that we need to continue enjoying the small pleasures of our culture: gastronomy. Blessed are bars and restaurants in all their forms!
That's why we want to talk about the trends that are essential to continue with the new normal in the restaurant industry and that are necessary to continue running your business.
The first and most well-known is delivery or takeaway. Thanks to these two options, we've been able to travel to that place where we love to savor a good lunch or even become the chefs of that dish we love so much, through brief instructions so that all the ingredients are perfectly cooked when you sit down at the table. This trend has been around for a while but has grown exponentially with the pandemic. So much so that there's talk of virtual restaurants or dark kitchens giving life to new models. It could be better understood as a restaurant that handles takeaway orders without its own dining room.
As a result of the above, the digitalization of businesses is becoming increasingly necessary, and consequently, the ability to offer the opportunity to make online reservations is becoming increasingly important. Having a strong presence and communication on social media, a website tailored to your audience, and a digital menu are the bare minimum. Nowadays, it's not enough to have a perfect location; you also need to have visibility in the digital world, otherwise, you're dead. The goal: to make things as easy as possible for your customers.
Home automation and reducing physical contact may be relevant for some of our customers. We can talk about the possibility of customers choosing their meal from the digital menu in the restaurant itself, with the order going directly from the diner to the kitchen without having to go through a waiter. Or things as simple as motion detectors that turn on the light, generating a sense of comfort and security for customers by avoiding, for example, having to flip a light switch.
As a result, space plays a very important role. Demand for outdoor and terrace seating is growing. This has led many establishments to create varied indoor and outdoor seating, thus offering more table options to suit their customers. It's important to emphasize the need to avoid crowding and to incorporate different dining hours into these spaces, even extending hours if necessary.
DO THESE TRENDS SERVE ALL GASTRONOMIC LEVELS?
However, is this new service delivery model equally profitable for all establishments in the restaurant sector?
For those businesses focused on fast food or casual dining, it has been proven that they can continue operating because most already had delivery options or a digital presence. Others, on the other hand, have implemented new technological methods they didn't have in order to continue offering their services and have even started working on new business models. Reinvent yourself or die!
In contrast to this scenario, fine dining or haute cuisine, even as they adapt to the new normal, find financial stability more difficult. The disadvantage of these types of restaurants isn't whether they comply with COVID-19 measures, but rather whether they will be able to survive as they did before.
Sooner or later, we'll return to the way things were, but some things are here to stay. Therefore, it's important to maintain quality standards in the restaurant and service sector at all levels of the gastronomy industry, so that customers can continue to enjoy a safe dining experience, regardless of their location.
