Restaurant Reset 2021
Don’t Bounce Back, Bound Forward
To truly understand what an abysmal year 2020 was for the restaurant business, consider:
43.69%— The drop in the number of U.S. adults dining inside restaurants from March 2020 to March 2021
$240 billion—The shortfall in restaurant sales by December from pre-pandemic 2020
110,000—The number of U.S. bars and eateries that have shut their kitchens long term or for good.
The good news is that while 2020 will leave irrefutable scars, it has primed the industry for new beginnings. Many surviving eateries are embracing the mantra, "Recovery is not defined as bouncing back but bounding forward." The question is how best to gain this momentum. Below are a few suggestions.
Taking on Takeout
Like many industries, COVID-19 forced most food service operators to rethink their business model. Fine dining establishments were "forced" to offer delivery and curbside pickup of picturesque meals they once watched diners relish. Family-style restaurants turned to Uber Eats, Grub Hub, and other delivery options to get their food on customers' tables. Meanwhile, fast-food drive-thrus struggled to discover how best to handle hands-free delivery.
But adapt, they did. According to adults surveyed by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) for its State of the Restaurant Industry Report published March 2021:
56% of fine-dining restaurants have added menu items for takeout or delivery
50% of casual dining and fast-casual entities have customized their menus for off-premise business
53% now consider takeout food "essential" to the way they live
68% are more likely to purchase takeout from a restaurant than they were pre-pandemic.
These kinds of numbers explain why the NRA and other experts recommend continuing to offer pickup and delivery—but to build on it. Supply the comfort food and other favorites that got you through the worst of the pandemic, but add some options. For example, summer is a great time to add lighter, healthy seafood fare, such as shrimp and calamari that are low-calorie, protein-packed, travel well, and make perfect picnic fare.
Don't Wait, Innovate
After months of eating their cooking, frequently the same dishes over and over, people eager to get together and socialize over a delicious meal are keen to experiment. They want to try something new, something they couldn't or didn't fix at home. These new offerings do not have to be overly exotic or expensive. (In fact, most experts recommend sticking to a smaller menu until your seats are consistently filled.) Food service operators are discovering that changing it up can be as simple as tweaking a best seller. For example, if you already serve grilled shrimp, branzino or fried calamari, why not offer a shrimp or branzino fish taco with an exciting side sauce or add lightly dusted, gluten-free calamari entre to the menu? Minor additions such as these can refresh a menu without a lot of additional cost or prep time.
Frozen Re-imagined
We all associate “fresh” food with great taste, but an unexpected outcome of our respective COVID lockdowns, was that more consumers purchased online food products, packaged meal kits and frozen foods in bulk to necessitate fewer trips to the market. The result? At-home diners were exposed to a wider range of frozen cuisine that offered terrific flavors and healthy fare. The trend is expected to continue as long as frozen food suppliers, for items such as seafood, continue to implement rigorous QA programs, offer high quality products and use quick frozen methods to seal in freshness and deliver exceptional taste. Chefs are taking note that select premium frozen products are able to mirror back-of-the house, scratch quality taste and presentation, among other benefits to their bottom line.
The Sustainable Table
COVID-19 stole the world's attention for obvious reasons. Yet, the focus on sustainability that was gaining momentum before the pandemic is already returning. Diners, particularly younger generations, care that you care. They want to know the beef and chicken you serve are raised humanely and that your seafood comes from a certified sustainable source. More customers will ask these sorts of questions outright. Successful restaurants will be prepared with sustainable answers and look for methods to promote their sustainable ways.
For all of us, but the restaurant industry, in particular, recouping losses caused by the 2020 pandemic will take time and ingenuity. However, the food service industry is rallying with innovation and grit which means we’ll all benefit from the creative fare they will be serving in the future.