So what can those in the hospitality industry expect for 2025? Among the forecasters, optimism seems to be prevailing. With interest rates likely to drop, and the pressure on consumers easing, 2025 should see lower operating costs and more customers willing to spend.
The 2025 trends you can read about today:
- Changes in tastes. The ever-increasing shift to sustainability and local foods, a focus on health and well-being, fermented food, and even changing protein sources could see the dinner table look a little different next year.
- Sales automation. From mobile services to self-service kiosks, customers that serve themselves save you money.
- Cost-cutting. Expenses shot up this year, and not for the first time, which means business owners like you are focused on trimming the fat from their businesses. Expect more of the same in 2025.
- Packages, bundles, add-ons and extras. Businesses are offering everything guests want in one deal, providing convenience and making more on every sale.
- The hunt for the best prices. While economies should stabilise in 2025, a difficult few years has turned consumers into value seekers, so be sure to show your true value to your guests.
1. Changes in tastes and preferences
As is the case every year, the winners of 2025 will be those restaurants, cafes, and hotels that can anticipate the direction of the market, offering guests the things they want before they even know they want them!
The hospitality industry is always evolving. Food and drink fads come and go; the success of sensations like bubble-tea, kombucha, kale crisps, and avocado on toast can be difficult to predict. But these preferences go beyond the flavors themselves. People are looking for nutrients like never before, and scrutinizing the sources of dishes in search of sustainability and ethical production.
Here are our predictions for the flavors of 2025:
Sustainability
You may have seen sustainability on previous prediction lists, and I can promise you it’s going to appear on many others because it’s the flavour of the future. Forbes cites statistics that show 72% of Americans consider sustainability an urgent priority for the food industry, and an 18.2% rise in consumer interest over the last two years
So how can you capitalize on this? Well, the easiest way is to make more deals with local food sources, and advertize those partnerships. Stock local beers, and fill your shelves with the products of local farmers. If you struggle to get the products you need in your local counties, simply maintain the motto “the closer the better”. The less distance your food travels, the lower its carbon impact. Then, consider the way the food is produced. Sustainable farming is careful about how it uses pesticides and how it interacts with the environment and the soil it relies on.
Fresh protein sources
Many of the same consumers focused on sustainability are also thinking about their wellbeing, and particularly how they’re getting protein into their diet. They days of simple meat, carbs, and vegetable dishes may not be long gone, but that’s no longer how many diners are thinking about their dinner.
2025 is likely to see a more diverse selection of protein sources in many restaurants. This will include Quorn products and the mushroom protein they employ and relied upon by many vegetarians, along with bean dishes, algae, tofu, tempeh, jackfruit, and nuts. But this protein diversification will also influence the choices made by meat-eaters, leading to more sales of organ meats in addition to more traditional cuts and processed protein sources.
Fusion of comfort and exotic flavours
With a market familiar with a comfy takeaway (or even home-delivered) dinner, often seeking that solace after a difficult day in these hard times, familiar favorites are expected to flourish in 2025. That means more coffee sales, chocolate and sugary treats, pizza and fast food, and other products that possess that nostalgic kick back to the younger years.
But even as those sales continue to rise, chefs are finding news ways to present these old reliables, incorporating spices and blending flavours together to retain the nostalgia but empower the palette with something new. The popularity of Asian food, particularly Southeast Asian, is also on the up. Gut-healthy fermented foods, pickled products, and miso are becoming more familiar too, with Gen Z maturing into a food world where these products are readily available.
How can you make the most of this? Balance your menu with dishes your diners will know and love, but don’t be afraid to diversify with more exotic cuisines becoming ever more popular.