The hospitality and food industries are evolving rapidly, demanding new strategies to meet challenges on the horizon and build long-term success.

Hospitality businesses are squeezed by multiple pressures, from challenging economic times, rapidly evolving customer demands to a changing labor environment.

To help hospitality businesses navigate these issues, we looked ahead and predicted 12 trends in the food industry that leaders will need to stay on top of. These include critical operational areas such as:

• Rising competition for workers - According to the Statistics, the accommodation and food service industries are still missing thousands of jobs, pushing the labor leverage in favor of employees into 2023.
• The rise of robotics - Robotics are now being applied to food preparation and delivery on a rapidly growing scale, with college campuses serving as a launch platform for many emerging technologies.
• Saving with solar power - The switch to a renewable energy source like solar can significantly reduce a company’s Scope 2 emissions and offer savings on long-term financial costs.
• Moving past the use of plastic - Executives should be prepared to rethink their packaging and serving products to stay ahead of legislation and customer expectations in an increasingly sustainability-focused market.
• Focusing on efficiency - Water, energy and food waste are three of the most significant areas affecting the bottom line for hospitality-driven businesses.

Entegra’s food trends for hospitality-driven businesses

Hospitality goes beyond just serving your guests. You also want to provide them with a great food experience that keeps them coming back and promoting your organization through word of mouth.

Chances are you’re already paying attention to trends in the food industry and developing a menu accordingly. We go into more detail in the following trends:

• More focus on the main course - As inflation rises and customers reevaluate their purchasing priorities, businesses with foodservice must adapt by delivering more value and greater quality where people justify their spending.
• “Plant-forward” over plant-based - With inflation significantly impacting the price of animal proteins, a plant-forward approach to menuing can help hospitality-driven businesses and their customers save money while retaining quality.
• Elegant comfort food - By elevating foods customers see as comforting and familiar, hospitality-driven businesses can provide value to the consumer in a cost-effective manner.
• Medicinal eating - Customers are taking a natural approach to dining, looking at food in a new light to help them stay healthy.
• Viral international food recipes - The internet — and especially social media sites like TikTok — have gotten millions of people to step outside their culinary comfort zones, creating a “new generation of foodies.”

As we tackle the challenges and opportunities on the horizon, our latest white paper provides insight into the evolving expectations of consumers, suppliers and stakeholders while providing a roadmap for business success so you can stay on top of trends in the food industry.

You can view our latest white paper here.