Posted by Food and Drink Towers, Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:15:00 AM. Territory: UK
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UK Restaurant Trends 2012

http://lostincatering.com/lostincatering/restaurant_trends_2012.html

By Mike Palmer, Lost In Catering

@lostincatering palmermike@me.com

1. Continental drift

The concept of personal space is changing, as we get more and more used to the feeling of being European.  And gone are the huge linen encrusted barriers confused with fine dining.  In this restaurant trend, in comes counter-dining across the spectrum from quick-casual to Michelin star restaurants along with huge share tables and cuisine to match.  And sharing, grazing and people eating late is up, up, up...

2. Breakfast all the time

Increasingly across London and the UK, restaurateurs that jumped into the breakfast timeslot as a means of defeating overall market decline are beginning to look at what’s next. And not just because as more and more restaurants and quick casuals pile into pre-11am there is oversupply in many areas. In this restaurant trend, breakfast items are extending across the menu, firstly because ingredients are often cheaper and in the main, because it’s a symbol of home…

3. Speed

Do you loathe the acceleration of restaurant culture? Get a grip. Having spent the last couple of years admiring the queue at the fast food place on the other side of the road, casual dining is abuzz with the radical idea that delivering food to busy guests in record time may be a good idea. Restaurants need speed so they can get back into he lunch market.

4. Meaning

The value for money restaurant trend is being redefined – where is it from, why, does it fit in with my lifestyle, is it sustainable, transparency (open kitchens, hygiene ratings, supplier sourcing), local artisan, ‘teach-me’ and above all wellness is taking over from financial decision making. Food with meaning is taking choice beyond price, statues and materialism.

5. Street

High streets cluttered with chains are meaning opportunities for street food, pop-ups, swarms and food trucks. 2011’s most notable entrants were @meateasy (pop-up) which anchored for a while in New Cross, the sellout ‘BurgerMonday’ (pop-up) which has a huge following inviting guest chefs to join the search for burger enlightenment, and relative newcomer ‘Tweat-up’ (swarm), a twitter-based meet and eat.

6. Flavour dial up

First point here…not everyone’s broke. And after a period of psychological retrenchment they’re seeking fun, interesting food and a sense of adventure. Molecular gastronomy has gained traction over the past decade and this is filtering down across the restaurant spectrum and being interpreted as higher flavours and more savouriness. It’s not he only reason for this trend, we’re all getting older and need more zing in our food…

7. Food and your life

As informality rises, so does the blurring of occasion. No longer are people segregating their experiences and forward thinking restaurants are pouncing as boundaries between supermarkets, restaurants, home cooking, your local bicycle repair shop, the bank 9for gods sake!) are shrinking fast. For the consumer, this trend is about time saving, engagement and community…

8. There’s an app for that

Geolocation – turning the anonymous into the known. The common theme here is to provide recommendations based on your geographic location (via your phone). Users can ‘check-in’ at their current location, find what specials or restaurant deals are offered, read helpful tips from other people, check the latest hygiene rating and accumulate points/badges which they might exchange for loyalty based special offers…

http://lostincatering.com/lostincatering/restaurant_trends_2012.html

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