The 7 food trends of 2019

The new year has only just started and that is why IENS, the platform for searching and booking restaurants in Europe and a member of TheFork, presents The Dining Out Trends Report 2019 in collaboration with international market research agency Doxa. This report contains the 7 globally emerging trends in the restaurant industry. Among other things, visual sensation, the continuous growth of technology and veganism are culinary trends that can also be found in many Dutch restaurants.

1. Visual sensation 

In recent years, Instagram and other photo sharing apps have revolutionized the hospitality industry. Some restaurants have even created special dishes and cocktails to maximize the impact on social media. Instagram Stories, Facebook Live and YouTube have expanded this trend to show what works well through visual content on their platforms. Restaurants (especially in the fast service industry) do everything they can to surprise their customers. The rainbow-coloured Bao Buns of Happy Happy Joy Joy in Amsterdam or the gold leaf-coated pizzas of restaurant Fiko in Amsterdam are indispensable on Instagram. This development stimulates the sharing of a culinary experience via social media.

2. Continuous growth of technology

95% of US restaurant owners indicate that technology significantly improves efficiency in their restaurants (source: Toast). From delivery with drones to payment with apps, restaurants are increasingly integrating technological solutions. In the Netherlands, we are particularly seeing the rise of tablets to pass on orders. In some restaurants, tech even becomes part of the experience. Robot.He, for example, is a robot in a fish restaurant in Shanghai that is located in Alibaba's supermarket. The robot processes almost all the 'work' of the staff. The software system guides them via QR codes supplied by the customer to find out seats, orders and payments via the app. These technological developments range from drone-waiters to hyper-realistic augmented reality menus. In this context, the restaurant tries to find the right balance between efficiency brought about by innovation and human contact.

3. Dining based on DNA

Consumers find it increasingly important to find out more about where and what they eat. This leads to the launch of apps that help restaurant guests identify unknown ingredients. BARCLAYCARD made a prototype of an app that allows guests to become familiar with the ingredients listed on a particular menu. Vita Mojo, a London-based restaurant chain, creates meals tailored to the guest's personal genetic code through a partnership with DNA testing company DNAft from Canada.

4. Transparency and environmental friendliness

Consumers increasingly demand transparency regarding sourcing, the origin of food products, growth methods and processing methods. In response, companies need to adopt a multi-faceted approach that influences both their customer service and internal policies. As a result, there will be more transparency on prices, fees and business performance, more emphasis on fair trade and diversity and more attention and communication about their environmental impact. Large chains are increasingly rolling out mainstream eco-initiatives. Small businesses are finding environmentally friendly solutions to combat food waste, such as restaurants that create menus with supermarket leftovers. One example is restaurant InStock in Amsterdam or the BlueSpoon bar in the Andaz hotel in Amsterdam, which processes the usable leftovers from the restaurant into cocktails in the hotel bar. Many restaurants already banish plastic straws to reduce plastic waste and pollution.

5. Veganism

Vegetable-based dining is increasingly influencing the whole policy of restaurants, towards a strategy to avoid waste and promote sustainability. With the growth of veganism, the entire restaurant industry is introducing more and more vegan menus and wine arrangements (contrary to what most people think, not all wine is produced vegetable). This trend also leads to new concepts that combine veganism with another cuisine, such as at the vegan Korean restaurant saVeg in Calgary, Canada, launched by Canadian YouTube star Cheap Lazy Vegan.

6. Eating as experience

In general, consumers - especially millennials - prefer to spend money on an experience rather than just making a purchase. This development will increase in 2019 and restaurants will be no exception. When choosing a restaurant, people want to be inspired and surprised by both a good meal and an exciting gastronomic experience. This leads to several new concepts, from a multi-sensory dining experience to permanent pop-up restaurants. This creates new concepts, such as cartoon-themed restaurants like the First Official totoro-themed restaurant in Bangkok where you can dine like a superhero or Dinner in Motion, a 360 degree restaurant in Eindhoven, where you go on a culinary journey through a sensory experience.

7. Superfood restaurants

Superfoods are already part of people's diet, even in restaurants. In the first wave of this phenomenon, restaurants introduced the superhealthy ingredients in their recipes. In 2019, this goes one step further with the introduction of functional ingredients in dishes that promote natural improvements for body and mind. These include collagen for beauty, cannabis for relaxation and karkade for stress reduction and blood pressure reduction. New concepts that follow this trend are holistic restaurants and chic healthy restaurants.