We're only a few months in to 2016, and already we're beginning to get an indication of how the rest of the year may go for the hospitality industry. Contactless spending has skyrocketed, hotels are predicted record transactions and tourist numbers, meat-free dining is on the rise, and tourism is dominating the UK jobs sector. It's a busy and exciting time to be in hospitality, but keeping ahead of the curve is an increasingly difficult task. The Caterer and Premier Foods brought together leading industry experts to discuss what they saw as the big trends hospitality needs to prepare for in 2016.
1. Upmarket reinventions of traditionally fast food.
Throughout 2015, burger restaurants like Burger & Lobster, Byron, and Gourmet Burger Kitchen were amongst the fastest growing restaurants in the country, with grill and BBQ restaurants like Grillstock and Red's True BBQ not far behind. This year, that success is set to spread to a larger range of upmarket fast foods, with venues like falafel and pita restaurant Pilpel, and panellists Stephen Tozer's Le Bab, poised for similar growth.
2. Expanding breakfast and brunch menus.
"Breakfast is getting bigger", says Candice Webber from Elior. Restaurants are offering increasingly inventive breakfast options in order to lure in the pastry and coffee crowd, such as the breakfast burrito served at Benito's Hat, or the Bombay Omelette and naan rolls available at Bombay Café Dishoom.
3. Natural, non-processed dishes.
The desire for good, clean eating continues, with diners increasingly growing adverse to processed and sugary foods. However, the panel also noted instances of calorie counting dropping off, as finding nutritious, wholesome food takes priority over calculating exact calorific values. Quick-service lunch venues like itsu, Tossed, and Benito's Hat are leading the way with fresh produce and ingredient transparency.
4. New cuisines coming to the UK.
Indian and Chinese have long been staples of the UK high street, and recent years have seen an influx of options from countries such as Japan and Thailand becoming readily available. However, the panel suggest that the arrival of the 2016 Olympics will see a surge in South and Central American gastronomies arriving in the country. The success of restaurants like Ceviche, Cabana, and Revolución de Cuba suggest there's certainly an appetite for these offerings.
5. Fish and chicken.
Fish and chicken have been named as the two dishes guests most want to see more of. Restaurants like Ceviche are already ahead of the curve here; combining the Central American trend with the growing taste for seafood, and introducing Latin American inspired ceviche (citrus marinated raw fish) to the capital.
