Restaurant Trends 2021: The Year of Reopening & Recovery

A new ebook, “Restaurant Trends 2021: The Year of Reopening & Recovery” from CAKE, takes a look into what the restaurant technology firm sees for the year ahead. The report gathered insights from culinary experts and market analysts to help restaurant operators find the information they need to make the most out of 2021. Some edited excerpts from the introduction: It’s never been easy to be in the restaurant industry, but this past year has been extremely challenging.

More than 110,000 foodservice establishments have closed permanently because of Covid. However, this number pales in comparison to the number of restaurants currently struggling to survive. There’s no existing playbook for how 2021 will look for restaurants.

When will restaurants be allowed to operate at 100% capacity? What are consumer expectations in a post-pandemic environment? And what do the Covid vaccines mean for the restaurant industry?

Planning for the future with so much uncertainty is hard, but a new restaurant rebound will come. To stay competitive and get on the road to recovery in 2021, restaurant operators should familiarize themselves with the latest emerging trends. Part 1: What’s on the Menu for 2021?

Sections include: Modern Comfort Food; Chickpeas; Pickled & Fermented Everything; Hard ‘Boozy’ Kombucha & Low ABV Drinks; Birria; Coffee Outside of the Cup; Eating for Immunity; and “Flexitarian” Diets Part 2: Consumer’s Expectations & Dining Trends for 2021 Sections include: Creating At-Home Restaurant Experiences; Over-the-Top Dining; Virtual Happy Hour & Collaborative Cooking Classes; Al Fresco Dining; Extra Safety Precautions; Supporting Local; and Prioritizing Sustainable Packaging Part 3: A New Era of Digital Dining Sections include: The Demand for Convenient Takeout; Preferred Contactless Dining; The Return & Rise of Quick Response Codes; The Continued Rise of Ghost Kitchens; and Digital Transformation The ebook concludes with a section called **“Looking Back on 2020.”