Signs of Evolution in the F&B Industry- North America

After three years of living abroad, I had the opportunity to return to North America with my family and spend time in New York, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Seattle, and my favorite city in the world, Vancouver, BC, Canada. I couldn’t wait to visit all the restaurants that I had compiled in a list prior to our trip. My goal was to experience selected restaurants in nearly all the categories of our industry: fine dining, ethnic, diners, casual dining, fast casual, craft coffee, specialty ice cream parlors, and even QSR. If you're like me, your vacation turns into research simply because the industry is in your blood!

The impact of Covid-19 on the restaurant business is very clear, but the industry continues to create positive memories in our lives and its employees are some of the most hard-working people in the world, even more so now with the extreme labor shortage.

Restaurant owners, managers and staff work very hard to serve the public. It is important not to take this for granted and to express our appreciation to this amazing, fun and endlessly creative industry that touches all our lives!

It was interesting to see how the restaurant industry has evolved, so here are some of my observations without getting into too many details:

• Labor shortage is the number one challenge, as many food service employees have left the industry to pursue other professions, and in some cases government support exceeds what the industry is willing to pay. Many newcomers have been employed, but with little or no training. Customers in most cases are aware of this issue, but they are patient and have been accepting delayed service. Nearly every restaurant had a “Hiring Now” sign. Many restaurants have closed sections or meal periods.
• Plant-based food: Several restaurants had a significant portion of their menu that was dedicated to plant-based options, such as meatless burgers.
• Covid fatigue: many restaurants were very busy, as customers are tired of staying home.??
• Smaller menus were evident everywhere, and menu item counts were far lower than pre-covid.
• Tech companies are invading the industry with online ordering, digital menus, and delivery.
• New items and menu innovations continue.
• Restaurants offered “Make it at home kits” and suddenly every stay-at-home parent become semiprofessional chef!
• QR codes are everywhere but slowly fading away. People still ask for paper menus. Most of the time paper menus were single-use due to covid, but with very small fonts, which is such a missed revenue opportunity.
• Online booking is very common even for restaurants that never took reservations before.
• Sustainability: less plastic being used, especially with to-go and delivery containers
• Food servers are far more empowered to solve guests’ problems than before.
• Service wasn’t scripted or robotic.
• Homegrown brands continue to grow.
• Confusion with hours of operation, as many have changed their hours or closed off sections.
• Outdoor dining is everywhere (with lots of debate about its positive and negative impact on neighborhoods look, feel, and more importantly noise levels. Restaurants without outdoor dining options saw a massive decline in revenue).
• Farm to table is still prominent.
• Food delivery - including breakfast, meal kits, and yes alcoholic cocktails!!
• Supply chain issues: several restaurants had items out of stock.
• Closures: more than 110,000 restaurants closed due to the pandemic in North America.

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My family and I would like to say thank you and express our appreciation to the following brands, restaurant teams, operators, and concepts:

New York City:

Gramercy Tavern by Daniel Meyer, Momofuku by David Chang, Tom’s (Seinfeld), Café Boulud by Daniel?Boulud, Black Tap Craft Burgers, San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina, Applebee’s, Angelina Bakery, Tick Tock Diner, Sweetgreen

Miami:

Toro Toro, La Mar by Gaston Acurio, Coyo Taco, ?Ole! at Intercontinental Miami

Orlando:

The Capital Grille, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Chick-fil-A

Tampa / Dunedin / Clearwater Beach:

Frenchy's Outpost Bar and Grill, Patti’s and Cream, Strachan's Ice Cream & Desserts, Columbia Restaurant, Hog Island Fish Camp, Roundabout Pizza

Vancouver, BC:

White Spot and Triple O’s ?? , Peaceful Restaurants, Earls Kitchen + Bar, Cactus Club Café, The PokéMan Kakigori Café, Phnom Penh, Pacific Poké, Famoso Pizzeria, Rain or Shine, Mister,?Innocent Ice Cream, El Camino's, Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant, The Victor Marriott, HaiDiLao Hotpot, Solly's Bagelry, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie, Grounds for Coffee

Seattle:

Café D’arte, Aerlume Seattle, Marmite Seattle?

What a beautiful industry! Keep rockin’ !

Best regards,

Marvin

Check out photos from these restaurants on my Instagram account Marvin_Alballi_Fnb or Facebook Marvin FoodandBev

Marvin FoodandBev ???? (@marvin_alballi_fnb) ? Instagram photos and videos

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This article reflects my personal opinion.