[Actualisé le 22 aout 2024]
Où va la restauration ? Quelles sont les tendances qui vont révolutionner le secteur ? Pour vous aider à y voir plus clair, on a consulté nos experts en la matière pour vous livrer les nouveautés qui devraient animer le secteur pour l’année qui vient. Franchises, nouveaux concepts de restauration, plats, digitalisation, modes de consommation… Découvrez les 13 principales tendances de la restauration en 2024 !
[.is--yellow-highlight]Comment Hey Pongo permet de booster la fréquentation d’un réseau de restaurants[.is--yellow-highlight]
Unfortunately, we're starting with an itchy subject... Under the impact of inflation, customer budgets are tightening. Customers are expected to watch their spending in 2024, while the average shopping basket has already fallen by €2 in 2023.
Which restaurants are most affected? As you'd expect, it's the gourmet and sit-down restaurants in general. The downside of this trend is that luncheon vouchers can no longer be used for shopping, shifting the windfall to lunch and dinner outings.
As digitalization becomes more accessible, restaurateurs are realizing that they have gold in their hands. Yes, we're talking about customer data! It enables them to offer a unique customer loyalty and experience. It's an enormous challenge if they are to compete on equal terms with the giants of the sector, such as delivery platforms and major retailers.
Until recently, independent retailers didn't really have the means to collect and make the most of customer data. Now it's possible thanks to simple tools: tablets and other kiosks, accessible to small retailers. They entice customers to join your database in exchange for well-calibrated rewards, enabling you to launch tailor-made marketing actions - without spending too much time on it.
At a time when the medium-term outlook for restaurateurs is bleak (+112% insolvencies by 2022), the good results of franchises stand out even more. In a context of survival, it will be all the more reassuring to replicate a successful restaurant concept, with a turnkey profitability plan, and economies of scale on tools, marketing, etc....
There were 314 restaurant franchise networks in 2022, a figure that will jump again in 2023 and 2024. Among the fastest-growing franchises, which are expected to multiply their number of units, are many Hey Pongo customers: Papa's Burgers, Pitaya, Fresh Burritos, Crep'Eat, Spok, etc...
More and more franchises, and more and more diversified: the format will allow all kinds of innovations, thanks in particular to the micro-franchise status and its streamlined, accessible contracts.
Au contraire des franchises, les dark kitchen dans leur ensemble n’ont pas particulièrement bien encaissé la crise et l’inflation. Même si beaucoup ont tiré leur épingle du jeu, ils sont loin de la croissance exponentielle qu’on leur promettait à l’époque du covid. Les investisseurs avaient alors misé sur cette forme de restauration qui devait grignoter la part des restaurants traditionnels.
3 ans après, le constat est mitigé. Beaucoup de dark kitchen sont toujours en recherche de rentabilité et doivent faire évoluer leur modèle. L’inflation les a beaucoup impactés, faisant fléchir la demande, mais ce sont les coûts de la livraison qui pèsent dans l’équation (jusqu’à 30% pour Uber Eats.
Conséquence, beaucoup de dark kitchen opèrent en 2024 une mue de leur business model. C’est le cas de plusieurs gros acteurs français, comme Taster ou Clone. Ce dernier, anciennement appelé Not So Dark, passe de la gestion directe à la tertiarisation de son modèle, afin de permettre à des restaurateurs de diversifier leurs revenus.
The revival of the old-fashioned restaurant will be one of the dining trends of 2024. The times are making new things out of old: brasseries are cooler than ever. Restaurateurs are making a comeback with granny's cooking, homemade food, retro decor and a friendly atmosphere.
This trend celebrates French excellence, while dusting off the genre. The nouvelle vague group has been feeling the trend since 2019, with Brasserie Dubillot, followed by Brasserie Bellanger. The trend is now well underway, and bouillon-style restaurants (or bouchons lyonnais) should benefit from it all year round.
The law has been passed and will be implemented by 2025. The "Fait Maison" label is likely to be the big winner in 2024, as restaurants will be doing everything they can to comply. The details have yet to be confirmed, but one thing is certain: the "fait maison" label will be much more closely supervised, visible and promoted.
The form of the label itself has not been announced: logo, asterisk, seal... In any case, from 2024, more and more restaurants could comply with the homemade standards to be able to promote the label in 2025.
Here's an underlying trend: restaurant brands are becoming increasingly liquid, and can take on many forms without losing their coherence.
Gone are the concepts that span the decades without alteration: Flunch, Courtepaille or Buffalo Grill belong to a bygone world. More and more, restaurants, whether independent or franchised, are ready to adapt to avoid death.
In 2024, we should see more and more brands reinventing themselves, whether for :
Veganism is more than just a trend, it's a groundswell of support from a growing number of people. Environmental awareness, healthy eating, reaction to animal mistreatment: whatever the reason, 40% of French people want to consume more vegan products.
Among the food trends of 2024, the vegan scene is set to be more dynamic than ever. Among its developments, we could see more and more vegan fast foods, a restaurant concept that's taking off, and vegan desserts that have nothing to envy their milky versions. Without going too far, 2024 should see more and more dishes featuring mushrooms, algae and fermented foods.
Fermented foods should be a food trend in their own right by 2024. Well, we're not talking about those that have long been part of French gastronomy (bread, sauerkraut, beer, cheese...).
But more easily digested examples: miso, kefir, kombucha, tempeh, kimchi, tofu... With their probiotics, they're part of the healthy trend that's bringing "good bacteria" back into fashion.
By 2024, the number of 100% halal chains is increasing. More and more will join the big chains positioned in this niche: Quick, O'Tacos... On Uber Eats, the offer of restaurants with halal options has increased by +27% from 2022 to 2023.
Above all, the halal offer is diversifying and winning over more and more types of cuisine, particularly in street food, with franchises such as Pizza Time, Le caribéen (Creole cuisine), Koboon (Thai), Au p'tit Crepe, Black and White Burger...
Another restaurant trend for 2024: more and more influencers are donning aprons! Even if they don't cook, many of them are already using their huge audiences to open successful restaurant concepts.
As we saw in 2023, a number of YouTube, TikTok and Instagram personalities helped set up restaurants, bars and coffee shops, bringing them a large and loyal clientele.
Influencers with millions of followers include:
Even with tens of thousands of followers, there's enough to open a shop without worrying too much. This is the case for brands like Jojo's Dough, Cupkie or Kayrose Kitchen, which have quickly found their clientele thanks to their large audiences on Instagram or TikTok.
This culinary trend is set to continue in 2024. A single-product restaurant is one that focuses on a single ingredient, dish or technique!
Beef tartare, rice, egg, avocado, barbecue, croque-monsieur, tiramisu, éclair, gyoza, corn, ceviche... They all have their own dedicated restaurant, where they can establish themselves as specialists and attract all the product's unconditional fans. With so many niches yet to be filled, the trend should continue to flourish in 2024!
In 2024, solo dining is gaining momentum. Among restaurant trends, dining alone could well become increasingly common. The advantage is that it allows you to dine out more often, and enjoy a moment for yourself, without compromise. This "me time" is very popular in the United States, with more and more restaurants offering adapted spaces (counters, tables, alcoves...).
In France, the restaurant is still a social place. But when it comes to indulging, this emerging trend from across the Atlantic could well land here.
Flashback: it was a year ago... We gave you our 12 predictions for last year's food trends! Here they are below:
One of the key trends for the foodservice industry in 2023 will be rising bills. This is true for everyone, and even more so for fast food! In 2021, the average basket per customer will reach €10.70 in France (that's 10% more than the previous year). In the United States, where it's called " lunchflation ", it's the same: from +11% to +19% depending on the type of fast food.
In response to bill inflation, the ceiling on meal vouchers has been raised. It will rise from €19 to €25 per day from October 1, 2022. .
There are many reasons for this trend. They are linked to restaurant management, and to inflation, which drives up all costs. We can also talk about rising salaries to keep staff, the appetite for organic (and more expensive) products, the context of the end of subsidies, government loans to be repaid...
It's not news that delivery will continue to spread. In 2023, home-delivery sales are set to continue to boom, in line with new consumer habits. For restaurants, it's a major source of additional sales, provided they can outwit Deliveroo and Uber Eats commissions to the downside: 20% to 30% is expensive on the margin.
Fortunately, the trend also means that restaurants will have weapons at their disposal to recover these commissions. Several modules enable them to manage the order themselves, as with Hey Pongo and its customized ordering app. In this way, restaurants can offer Click and Collect and delivery very easily, commission-free (with your own delivery drivers, or with Stuart 's for larger cities).
Even better, if you have Uber Eats / Deliveroo customers, you can recoup commissions by redirecting them to you. The booster is a QR code on flyers stapled to your delivery bags. It invites the customer to spin a gift wheel and come to your point of sale, or to your own order module - commission-free.
A restaurant where you are insulted during service? A dinner in the dark? A restaurant with only one table? Unusual restaurants will still be popular in 2023. They offer unprecedented experiences, which delight customers and the curious. Media attention gives them a boost. If the quality of the food follows suit, the trend looks set to continue.
In the new restaurant concepts, there are also trends that are easier to reproduce. Fast Good, for example, combines fast food with quality products and dishes. Or "third-party" restaurants, which double up as cultural and collaborative spaces. Or even food courts, terraces shared by several brands. One thing's for sure: concept restaurants will continue to reinvent themselves in 2023!
In 2023, "ghost kitchens" should continue to develop, but in new ways. Because even without front-of-house service, the model is still looking for ways to make a profit... The advantage is that you can test new concepts at lower cost. That's why we'll be seeing more and more brands offered from a single kitchen.
Among the business ideas that are taking off in the United States are powerful multi-brand dark kitchens: Cloudkitchens, Kitchen United, Justkitchen... With a presence in several cities, they can negotiate more advantageous commissions with Uber Eats. In France, too, the trend is already well underway: Devor and Not So Dark are developing phantom kitchen brands to be franchised, exclusively for delivery. The latest development is the "bright kitchen", a restaurant without a dining room, with just a storefront for Click and Collect delivery.
At Hey Pongo, we know all about it! Covid has made a major contribution to the digitalization of restaurants, and that's not about to stop. In addition to our marketing tools, many Food Tech players will be offering you the chance to automate everything that can be automated: staff or stock management, intelligent cash register software, contactless menu, dematerialized ordering and payment, loyalty, SMS campaigns, social networks...
One useful innovation is live chat, which you can install on your website. Platforms such as SendPulse or Chatfuel offer a live chat tool that requires no coding knowledge. Customers can ask a question that interests them even outside office hours, and receive a response faster than by SMS or email.
As a consequence of digitalization, restaurateurs are realizing that they have gold in their hands. Yes, we're talking about customer data! It's what enables us to offer customer loyalty and unique experiences. It's an enormous challenge if we are to compete on equal terms with the giants of the sector, such as delivery platforms and major retailers.
Until recently, independent retailers didn't really have the means to collect and make the most of customer data. Now it's possible thanks to simple tools: tablets and other kiosks, accessible to small retailers. They entice customers to join your database in exchange for well-calibrated rewards, enabling you to launch tailor-made marketing actions - without spending too much time on it.
Of all food trends, it's the one with the most future... By 2023, we should be seeing more and more vegan cuisine on our plates. This responds to strong consumer aspirations, and to the fact that vegan commuters are still waiting for an offer to match. Below are the statistics for monthly searches for the word "vegan" on Google in France over the past 7 years:
As a result, we could see more and more disruptive experiences - like Végédal, this vegan fast food that breaks the burger codes. At the same time, all restaurants can potentially offer more veggie options.
Dynamic pricing is a possible restaurant trend for 2023. It's known as "Yield Management", and you've already tried it out every time you booked a hotel or a plane. Yes, the price varies from one day to the next - but also depending on the time of day you log on! Some have adapted the formula to restaurants, and it could well become the new concept on the rise.
It's true that the timing is right: dynamic restaurant prices attract customers during off-peak hours. It can also help to sell off certain perishable dishes, depending on stock levels, with a healthy dose of automation. The digitalization of restaurants makes dynamic pricing easier to implement. It's still a young trend, and one to be watched closely.
Now that's a new concept that we can really see taking off in the short term. Subscribing to a restaurant allows you to benefit from super advantageous conditions. For example, one pizza bought = one free for your buddy - just like what was introduced at Bricktop a short while ago. In fact, there are a whole host of possible subscription formats: unlimited hot drinks (as at PNY Citadium), a free dessert, a discount on the bill (as at UNI in Lyon), 1-buy-1-free plans, etc. For the restaurateur, it's a guaranteed source of income every month, helping to secure sales.
Finally, here's a trend that should affect the entire restaurant ecosystem. Having access to a host of tools to make life easier for restaurateurs is all well and good. But making them easier to access is even better. We could well move towards a greater concentration of players, through takeovers and integrations. Instead of calling on 5 or 6 service providers, a "one-stop-shop" will have the advantage of offering all the services needed to become a connected restaurant in a single location. Cash register software, CRM, marketing assistant, suppliers, loyalty program... Restaurateurs will increasingly turn to comprehensive, intuitive tools - such as SumUpfor example. This cash register software offers a range of complementary tools including reservations, delivery, digital payment and financial management for restaurateurs, to save precious time by digitizing most of their daily tasks.
In terms of catering trends for 2023, we should continue to see growth in ordering and, above all, payment at the table. In fact, it's what customers really want! In fact, it offers the advantage of ordering at your own pace, without waiting.
For restaurateurs who offer table service, this means fewer data-entry errors - and less pressure on their front-of-house staff. But that doesn't mean you have to cut your staff in half! Paying at the table can increase the risk of resto-basket, especially if you abandon the terrace...
That said, the most pressing question is this: how does pay-at-table fit into the business model? PSPs (such as Stripe) charge more commission for tabletop payments. In 2023, you'll need to find the best rate with your payment service provider, so as not to impact margins. Even if you have to choose between a commission-based model and SaaS (paid by the month)...
Is this a culinary trend? In 2023, single-product restaurants should still be prominent in major city centers. It's not totally new, but extreme specialization is a way to get noticed by fans of a particular dish or ingredient.
If the trend is set to intensify in 2023, it's because it has advantages! It's the ideal way to present yourself as the undisputed chef of a cult dish. This can take the form of an outlet selling a single product and all its variations: croque-monsieur, jambon-beurre, cheesecake, tiramisu, and even waffles in the shape of a willy...
But the single product can also be an ingredient that can be used in a variety of ways. Raw fish, wagyu beef, gyoza, but also rice, corn, ceviche or even... eggs! By 2023, they should all have their own single-product restaurant.
Food Tech will offer ever more ways for restaurateurs to meet the challenges of the post-covid era. They will be able to digitize all the "management" aspects they wish, to focus on the essentials: the plate and the customer experience. In the end, digitalization helps restaurants to be more flexible and resilient, an indispensable trend in the face of the headwinds shaking the profession.
