Ten patterns are becoming apparent in the wake of COVID-19.
In not too distant a past, terms like “handcrafted” and “homemade” denoted quality. As contactless encounters become the norm, such terminology may sound unpleasant to customers during a pandemic.
Elizabeth Moskow, principal of the consultancy business Bread & Circus Ltd., stated, “A grandmother in her trattoria in Italy fondling my dough is the last thing I want to think of right now.” “I would prefer a machine that folds, mixes, and proofs dough every 20 seconds and is sanitised.”
She predicted greater automation in restaurant kitchens and new claims like “bot-made” and “sanitation verified.”
“White Castle uses a bot named Flippy to flip its hamburgers, and we’ve seen Sally the salad-making robot,” Ms. Moskow stated. Will cutesy names for robots in foodservice begin to appear?
Put it down to the numerous ways that customers have changed the way they eat and purchase for food and drink since the coronavirus outbreak that rocked the market this past spring. According to Ms. Moskow, restaurant owners and packaged food producers are making adjustments that will probably last into the upcoming year.
It is anticipated that new digital restaurant concepts will keep emerging as owners realise the benefits of cooking food only for takeaway and delivery. According to Ms. Moskow, ghost kitchens not only reduce labour and administrative costs but also foster creativity and flexibility in menu creation.
“A lot of consumer testing and digitally driven decision-making goes into determining who the target market is and what kinds of products are offering beyond pizza and wings,” the spokesperson stated. “Previously, the largest consumers of on-demand meal delivery were exclusively young millennials and Gen Z. COVID-19 has now significantly increased the likelihood of various generations embracing that conduct.
Celebrities might even work as digital restaurateurs. Wiz Khalifa, a rapper, recently collaborated with a ghost kitchen firm to endorse a new product.
Restaurants also have the opportunity during the pandemic to evaluate and implement new food safety and service protocols, setting the stage for a resurgence in real hospitality, Ms. Moskow said. Additionally, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, operators may support entrepreneurs of color by highlighting minority-owned suppliers on the menu.
“We already see specific wineries being highlighted on restaurant menus,” she said. “Why can’t that origin story include the fact that this is the Black-woman-owned champagne business? That’s an interesting story, and it gives consumers a way to support these entrepreneurs with their dollars.”
The pandemic has given rise to “faster and fresher” direct-to-consumer commerce as supply chain disruptions led some farmers, fishermen and ranchers to discover alternative ways to sell product, Ms. Moskow said. An organic farm in the Denver area, for example, began delivering fresh produce and other foods to consumers’ doorsteps.
“I think once consumers understand that they can get these things direct from the farm or the ranch, that’s something that will continue for people who plan because the cost savings and the quality and the value and the freshness that comes from eliminating the time it takes to go through that middle man is beneficial,” she said.
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There was a shortage of durable and sustainable to-go container alternatives due to the pre-pandemic campaign to phase out single-use plastic and non-compostable packing, which was put on hold as takeaway and delivery increased. According to Spoonshot statistics, interest in plant-based packaging nearly doubled between 2018 and 2019, but it fell this year.
“Consumers knew that if they got compostable packaging delivered by Uber Eats the food integrity might suffer, so they didn’t really care that they were getting Styrofoam or non-compostable packaging,” Ms. Moskow said. “I believe that customers and ‘woke’ restaurateurs are beginning to realise the harm that comes with supplying that kind of packaging to the world, and they are beginning to look for alternative ways to package food that can withstand food delivery and remain intact.”