In the restaurant of the future, dishes are served by robots. The menu only offers space food and customers pay by eye sensor.
All this, only if you believe what you see the movies.
But GALA knows what restaurants will really look like in the future.
Their assumption is based on scientific studies and social trends, which means you can already start putting your restaurant on the right track for 2033.
What does the restaurant of the future look like?
No need to panic: You don’t need to completely abandon your concept.
Your eatery can be transformed into a restaurant of the future, too. It will serve its purpose in 2033 just like today or a hundred years ago: It’ll bring people together for a good time.
But the gastronomy of tomorrow is also being influenced by mega trends. GALA introduces them here.
Interior design reduces the staff workload
Fewer people want to work in the service industry. Restaurant owners are having to compete for a smaller number of workers – with higher pay and more flexible working hours.
But: Younger generations, in particular, want more than hard facts.
They’re looking for a workplace where they can feel good. One that reduces their workload (with digital support), where they can relax (in a break room), and where they don’t waste unnecessary energy in their work (thanks to smart processes).
The interior design of your restaurant therefore becomes a recruiting factor: It determines how effectively your team can work and relax.
A changing space
Have you experienced increased sales through deliveries in recent years? Prepare for this trend to increase even further.
This will be reflected in the floorspace of your premises: The more food you deliver, the more space the kitchen needs, and, perhaps even at the expense of the dining area, if you’re unable to move to a larger site.
Now is the time to ask yourself: Does your floor plan match the economic reality of your restaurant?
A more sociable dining area
On the subject of dining areas: This will also apply to modern consumer behavior because eating (out) is increasingly becoming a lifestyle. This has two consequences:
People come in bigger groups. We’re working from home, playing esports, and streaming films instead of going to the movie theater. This makes restaurants all the more important, as they are
one of the few remaining social meeting places. This means it’s time for more and larger group tables.
Guests want to stay longer. Instead of disappearing after dessert, guests are looking for a place to spend time: first a drink at the bar, then to the table, followed by a relaxing end to the evening in the lounge.
The aesthetics can be divided
In the digital age most guests find out about restaurants online – in particular from photos by friends and influencers on social media.
And that’s why the restaurant concept of the future has the potential to go viral.
It starts with guests taking a snapshot of the beautifully arranged plate. But there’s more to it: The interior design, or even the entire concept of the place, needs to tell a story that will be shared online. “The Neapolitan living room – right here in Zürich,” or “the first Swiss plant restaurant.”
Find a unique selling point and experience this world in every detail!
Individual options for every taste
Whether vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher, gluten-free, or high in protein: One of the most important restaurant trends is that of individualization. Everyone wants something that suits their own taste – and restaurants need to provide these options.
The menu also needs to offer alternatives, ingredients that guests can add or remove, buffets, or at least information about the specified options.
Hygiene will remain important after Covid
The need for cleanliness is fresh in our minds. We no longer want to sit near each other – there are now partitions between tables to stop the spread of germs. Disinfecting equipment is just as important as contactless terminals, whether at the cash register or in the restroom.
One future prospect is sustainability
We’ll keep it brief: In the restaurant of the future, there will be no appetite for wasted resources.
Avoid single-use plastics, for example, by using reusable containers for deliveries.
Reduce leftovers through appropriate portion sizes or in cooperation with recycling firms.
Offer customers a regional, seasonal, and vegetarian or vegan choice.
Incidentally, a healthy diet is also part of this future trend. More and more people are choosing not to drink alcohol, or to avoid additives or sugar – you should consider this when putting your menu together.
Digitization simplifies processes
And lastly, no surprises: Digitization will have arrived in every restaurant by 2033.
- Tables are reserved and managed online.
- Guests order at the counter or by smartphone.
- Payments are processed by card or smartphone.
So will robots replace human workers after all?
On the contrary! In the restaurant of the future, digital infrastructure complements the team, leaving your staff more time for social contact –talking to guests, personal service, etc. Meanwhile, the virtual assistants ensure that all processes run smoothly in the background.
2 examples of restaurants of the future
Some restaurants are already implementing these trends. GALA presents two of them.
McDonald’s
In 2018, McDonald’s Germany launched its new “Restaurant of the Future” concept. Hundreds of restaurants have been converted: Self-service kiosks, order and pay by app, and even table
service in some restaurants.
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Negishi Winterthur
We were asked to plan and implement a design for the sushi restaurant/takeaway Negishi in Winterthur. In the middle of the train station guests will find an authentic Japanese world – the
restaurant tells a story. Digital terminals and a well thought out process speed things up, much to the delight of stressed passengers.
How are you currently implementing the new concepts?
A strategy is the most important thing: What story do you want your restaurant to tell – and how are you supporting the trends? We’d be happy to develop a concept with you to transform your eatery
into a flagship restaurant of the future.
Turn your menu into interior design
